Random Thoughts
When you’re ill-prepared: speaking of backups
Funny story: a couple weeks ago, my husband and I packed for an overnight trip to the “big city” for various appointments. I was rather proud of how quickly we were on the road. All went well, until the next day when we attempted to head home and the roads traveling back up to the…
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Contingency mindset: backing up your best laid plans
When my husband and I moved to Northern Arizona’s Rim Country a year ago, we already had an unlimited data plan for our phones, so reliable Wi-Fi was our biggest concern for internet usage. We received provider suggestions from others who reside in our community (population 599) and settled on one that has kept us…
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Books, books + more books: working through my TBR
Because I write romance, it might come as a surprise that I gravitate toward reading psychological thrillers. Lately, however, I’ve been devouring nonfiction (with a fictional romance thrown in). Here’s a shout out to the top five books in my (to be) read pile: If by Mark Batterson Trading our if-only regrets for God’s what-if…
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Letting go: opportunities to grow
Let go of the old so you can completely take hold of the new. ~ Joyce Meyers As we welcome spring’s official appearance in Northern Arizona’s Rim Country, the possibility of a new season breathes fresh life into me. But without the end of one season, we can’t welcome a new season—which holds true in…
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Doing it all over again: if I knew then what I know now
A year ago, my husband and I set in motion a series of leaps (of faith) that turned our well-laid retirement planning into a buckle-up-for-the-ride-of-a-lifetime adventure. But to say we were unprepared would be an understatement. For example, what if we’d known our small town would receive a record snowfall (with only front-wheel drive vehicles…
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Compound interest: accruing momentum for the climb
It’s hard to believe the end of February is right around the corner. On the creative front, the year began with a big bang. Within the first two weeks, I received green lights on a few of my submissions to smaller publications. I don’t know about you, but when things get off to a stellar…
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Reimagining self-care: the benefits of regular timeouts
In reading up on the concept of self-care, I stumbled onto a great deal of differing opinions. Some are negative, touting that the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness—particularly during periods of stress—involves putting your own needs ahead of other people’s needs. In other words, self-serving (or selfish)…
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The truth of the matter: feelings or fact
Not too long ago, I noticed a recurring theme in my speech. While I’m not suggesting the following phrases aren’t valid, they gave me pause: “I don’t feel like it,” and “I’m not in the mood.” But here’s the problem: both are based on emotion vs. truth. And the truth is: our hearts are wishy…
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‘As if’ habits: getting serious about what you want
Act as if you were already the person you most want to be. ~ Brian Tracy How serious are you about going after what you want to achieve in the new year? I’d like to think I’m at the all-in serious stage—the one where we begin to treat our goals and/or dreams “as if” we’ve…
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You get what you give: small beginnings
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. ~ Zechariah 4:10 When the path to achieving a goal becomes littered with challenges and setbacks, how do you respond? Do you run the opposite direction, or do you continue forward—believing a breakthrough awaits on the other side? It’s been…
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