The Chair is Yours

“In all seriousness, people think that it’s the ideas that are important. Well, everyone has ideas, all the time. I tend to write mine down and remember them, but at some point you have to apply the bum to the seat and knock out about sixty five thousand words – that’s how long a novel is.” -Terry Pratchett

I’m the type to wrap my day up by working on a novel. I don’t always know what story is in me that needs to come out, but at this point, not knowing isn’t an acceptable excuse. I sit in my chair with my tea and my journal. What helps me to keep going is to leave off in a place where I know what will come next. If I don’t like the story, it’s a pain in the butt to get me to write it.

I like this story I’m currently working on. It feels better, more free than my first novel. The first novel was all about keeping me going; this one is about doing something daily that brings me joy. I’m going to keep going until I can sling stories left and right.

Has your writing changed you?

Anime Marathon -Dragon Ball Z

This marks Day 4 for my Anime Marathon and let me tell you if you haven’t done this, you should. It’s a soul cleanse. I understand why people love Anime.

Today I got to watch Dragon Ball Z. I wasn’t sure where to start, but I found DRAGON BALL – EPISODE 1 TO 13 – MOVIE CUT – PILAF SAGA on YouTube. I’ll add a link to it on my blog.

I did laugh a couple of times out loud at the gym when I watched Son Goku meet a girl for the first time. That was interesting. I love how he saved a turtle. #classic But I had a hard time getting into this show.

Hey, 3 out of 4 anime isn’t bad!

Feature Photo from https://dragonballforums.com/

Anime Marathon -Naruto

We are on Day 3 of my Anime marathon

So far I’ve watched Seven Deadly Sins, One Piece, and now Naruto. These shows really have a lot to give.

Today I started Naruto. I can see why it’s so popular, I was absolutely glued to it. Over the past three days, I have been watching while I cleaned the house. Today I stopped a lot to enjoy the show a bunch of times. There’s so much to learn along with the characters in the show. Even though the characters are young, they are learning deep and profound concepts when it comes to chakras, spiritual energy vs. physical energy. The art in how they wove these concepts into an adventurous cartoon is fascinating. I’m telling you what, a gentle study of one of these a day would be a great way to increase mental health. “Naruto a day keeps the therapist away” or something like that.

I don’t want to spoil too much, but episode 4 is The Survival Test was my favorite. I… was… watching! I needed to see what happened.

Fan Art by TakasuXaisaka on Reddit

How do you feel about Chakras?

Anime Marathon -One Piece

“No matter how hard or how impossible it is, never lose sight of your goal.” Luffy from One Piece

I’m on day two of my anime marathon. Yesterday was Seven Deadly Sins, and today I got to watch One Piece.

I don’t have a favorite character in One Piece, but one of my favorite things about One Piece is how they include restaurant work as an important part of the series. The cook’s name is Sanji, and he’s pretty badass.

One thing I did learn was that it’s not an easy transition from a full day of Seven Deadly Sins to One Piece. They require two different types of attention. One Piece required me to sit down and watch it to really gather the information I needed to understand what was going on. Seven Deadly Sins has well-rounded dialogue and deeper concepts. I think One Piece is also deep at times, but it’s far less frequent. To sum it up, One Piece is more light and easygoing. And the one thing I loved was that my little one was able to join me for a couple of episodes.

Today’s lesson that I took away from One Piece is to keep following your dreams and not give up. Also, sometimes it’s your duty to support others’ dreams on the way to your own.

What are you life dreams?

Fan Art Credit Link https://www.deviantart.com/go/journal/Fan-Art-Feature-One-Piece-730052763

Anime Marathon -Seven Deadly Sins

“Anime has become part of our cultural consciousness.” -Daniel Baird

Today anime is common talk. This is why I had to take the first full week of my vacation to dig into it. Today was Seven Deadly Sins. What I love about this show is that it has good moral lessons among all the chaos. We get to see the characters make stupid mistakes and still be shown friendship and compassion. Meliodas is the captain, and he is the type to not freak out and stay loyal to his friends. I like how he just lets things roll off his shoulders.

What was the first anime that you watched?

The first anime I watched was Death Note. That’s the one that got me into anime.

Cover photo was generated by AI

Also here’s a cool Intro to Anime article I found. It’s pretty interesting.

Condolences

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” – Helen Keller

It was tough on me this weekend taking in the news of all the innocent lives lost. I was glued to my phone all weekend waiting to hear the latest updates. I hope that the families receive all the support they need. Navigating the holidays without a loved one can be challenging and sometimes feels impossible. This is when they will need community support the most, I hope their communities step up to the plate.

When’s the last time you reached out to check in on a friend?

But This Time the Quote is Popova’s

“We slice through the simultaneity by being everything at once: our first names and our last names, our loneliness and our society, our bold ambition and our blind hope, our unrequited and part-requited loves.” -Maria Popova from her book Figuring

I liked the quote so much yesterday that I didn’t realize I forgot to actually share Popova’s work. This is a quote from her book Figuring. She has a variety of thoughts that she shares. She’s even got her own creation, Bird Divinations. Her work is the type that makes you think because she takes a shot at sharing words from some of the greatest throughout history. I often head over to her page when I need a good think or some divine inspiration. She speaks on many universal themes that we all grapple with as humans. Her collection of writings will be valuable for much longer than a lifetime.

Have you checked her out yet?

Thank You

“The dream begins, most of the time, with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you on to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth.”– Dan Rather

I try not to say this in class too much, but I am deeply grateful for my college professors. I have had amazing college professors who have literally improved my life in ways I wouldn’t even know how to on my own. I’m a lover of learning, but I’m also a lover of being alive! Growth, humanity, mothering, love—it all lights my fire along with learning. But juggling all the things I love on top of gaining a valuable education, that’s a challenge. They are literally the wind beneath my wings right now.

Ok, that’s it for my overly emotional post showing gratitude to all the professors who have lit the way for me.

Popova on Love

“We feel love leave us in unthreatening ways. We feel it reenter us at once more truly and more strange, like a simple kiss that has a bite of starlight to it.” -Christian Wiman taken from Love and Sacred, Maria Popova’s The Marginalian

I don’t know if you’ve ever read the work of Maria Popova, but I am truly a fan of her work. I always leave with something when I read her posts. This specific quote called to me today, and so I had to share it. I don’t want to talk much about the mystery of love, but I do want to share work from one of the writers I adore most.

Have you read Maria Popova?

Beauty is Now

So many favorite moments await me!

For a moment tonight, I was living in the past. For just one second, I thought I was afraid I would never have this particular favorite moment again. But the truth is being a mom and wife comes with a million favorite moments. Now that I think about it, I don’t write enough of my favorite family moments down. That doesn’t take away from the fact that I’m just so grateful for the place I’m in right now. It’s definitely not how I planned it, but something about things going awry has given me the ability to understand what it means to be human. And being human has taught me to love my present moment and all the beauty right in front of me.

Do you take time to write down your favorite moments?