Turkey Day Leftovers ~ No, not the turkey sandwiches

            Good afternoon from the Kelswitch! This Monday has been a little off kilter, but when isn’t it? Especially when coming off a holiday weekend.

            My Thanksgiving was wonderful, full of good food and family. I always look forward to holidays until I remember that they are usually a juggling act, filled with family that half of which, I never see throughout the year. But then we arrive for the meal and slowly, gradually, magic happens. People talk and laugh and you find yourself talking and laughing with them. And the juggling act went off without a hitch this year, thankfully.

            I never used to be a big fan of Thanksgiving. As a kid, I was an entirely too picky eater. Turkey was never that enticing, I stayed away from greens, and stuffing just seemed weird. That’s changed a little, thankfully. This year’s feast was wonderful and even more so because I could actually enjoy it, instead of just poking at my little bit of macaroni and cheese.

            Maybe it’s because of George R. R. Martin and his infamous food descriptions in A Song of Ice and Fire. Maybe I’m just a closet foodie. But to me, there is no greater proof of being blessed than coming together with family to share a large meal. Our ancestors couldn’t have asked for more, which is something we should all remember.

            I think of my ancestors often, wondering how they would react to my generation of the family line. Would they approve?  Disapprove? Take us out back and beat our tails with a switch, even if we are grown? One thing that I like to believe is true: they would love us. They would love us and stand by us, no matter how stupid we were. Just like the family we have with us today.

            In the darkest part of the year, family is one of the things that remind us brighter days lay ahead.

            Happy Monday! Kelswitch, over and out!

Shower Stalls and Turkey Dinners, Oh My!

            Don’t ask me how, but the shower is such a divine place for inspiration. It’s a good place to think up dialogue for my stories, but of course most of it has slipped my mind by the time I get in front of a computer again. Every now and again though, it sticks and what comes from my fingers and onto the word document is pure gold. Or, at least it is until I’ve had time to review it and think it’s garbage.

            Six months ago, an idea I had been batting around finally clicked into place when I was in the shower. I dove for my computer afterwards and between 10:30pm and midnight, I wrote 2,149 words in a new novel. The next day, I wrote 12,019 words, finishing a thirty page prologue that would change everything.

            This has been a long year. It’s been one with a lot of stumbling in the woods, lost with no idea which way to go. Blood Shadows has helped a little, giving me some sense of direction even if all the doubts are screaming it’s the wrong one. I just pray that I can look back on this year and feel that everything went as it was supposed to, that this year wasn’t just a waste.  

            I’m a very sentimental person. I like looking back and seeing meaning. I actually have a bit of a New Years tradition for myself. At the end of the year, I record in my journal all the good and cool things that happened to me over the last twelve months. Places I’ve been, things I’ve done, people I’ve met, something to show that I’ve had a good year. Last year, I was able to write down that I graduated from college. This year? I’ve got a list I can think of off the top of my head. Blood Shadows will be on that list. Shadows Past will be on that list, especially if it makes it to Amazon before January, but I’m not counting on it.

            “What will be, will be,” the song goes. You put yourself out there and pray for the best, even if nothing seems to bite. Even if you’ve lived in the same place for twenty-five years, you’re still worlds away from where you were. Things change, you change, and it’s all moving forward, for better or worse. I keep that in mind when it feels like I’ll be stuck in this phase for the rest of my life. By the time I hit forty, I’ll have been through so much more and it’s no way possible that I’ll still be in the same place.

            Give it time and count your blessings. It’s been a motto for this year and on this holiday season, it’s even more fitting than usual. I do count my blessings, I do give thanks for all that I have. I hope you do too.

           

            Since this is likely the only blog I’ll post this week, I’m going to go ahead and wish my readers a Happy Thanksgiving! Safe travels and if you go shopping on Black Friday, please be careful.

                        Kelswitch, over and out.

Living the Charmed Life

            Most of us live a charmed life. Maybe I’m just an oddball but every now and again, I just randomly stop and think, usually while going down the road, that how cool is it that I’m rolling around in a Ford Mustang? It’s GRAY. The body style I like. It’s paid off. It only hiccups every now and again and I’m lucky enough to have someone looking out for me when it does. Maybe it’s materialistic, but these thoughts are the kind that remind me that I am one damn lucky woman and I should stop bitching and count my blessings.

            Since I’ve graduated and been sitting around the house waiting for one of the jobs I applied for to turn up, I’ve also been doing a lot of writing and a lot of Facebooking. Not much different from before, eh? I’m going somewhere with this. There is one person on my friends list…wait. There’s actually a couple that do this. They’re still in school and most of their posts are about how they don’t have any money or they’re so stressed out with their work load and now as an outsider looking in all I can think is quitcha bitchen. The first one that I was going to mention is a theatre major. She majors in theatre. Acting. Shakespeare. Comedy. Tragedy. Romance. You get it. Now, I came out with a degree in English so I should in theory be defending her but for this one time, I’m going to slip.

            It’s a foo-foo major. I mean really. Mine is too, just a wee bit. We can write up all this crap about critical thinking and whatnot, but the truth of the matter is, we are damn lucky. And we still bitch and moan about it. That’s not to say that we won’t use our majors and become successful members of society, but think about it. We live in a society where we are not only allowed but encouraged to pursue our interests, instead of something more practical. I know that sometimes it sucks and schedules get gridlocked and everyone is super, super busy, but come on. Stop and enjoy it. Be grateful for what you’re doing. Be grateful that even if you have no money to go out to eat or buy the latest game, that you have a roof over your head, electricity, running water, INTERNET!

            I like to think that, even if I bit my fiancé’s head off every now and again, I enjoyed college while the going was good. I would like to think I kept a good handle on my stress level and I think, compared to some, I succeeded. And I came out with a pretty decent GPA. Not the best, but the memories outweigh that disappointment.

            I’ve seen postings lately bemoaning the saying about remembering there’s always someone who has it worse, because it’s like saying don’t be happy because someone has it better. I think that’s a croc of shit. The saying about people having it worse than you is not to say you shouldn’t be upset but that you should shut up a wee bit and count your blessings for a minute because it honestly could be worse. Be grateful for the good in your life, even if it doesn’t seem terribly significant. And the best part about that, stopping for a minute to count your blessings, is that it can change your mindset and make the world a much brighter place. That’s something we can all use from time to time.