July In The Time Of Heat and IWSG

 

IWSG

I used to love July, the summer, the heat, the freedom. My tolerance for heat has diminished drastically with age. However, this July I'm in heaven. Our grandson's (and their parents of course) are visiting for a whole month! There is so much to do, so much to explore and enjoy with all four of them. Our eldest is 3 and a half, the youngest is six months. So, I get a baby fix while also spoiling our eldest to the core. Grandparent prerogative. 

Which means, since they landed yesterday, I am late posting here. I'm just tickled pink at having them with us for the first time ever. They live in France and we've visited them there, but having them here is checking all the boxes for me. 

I also, just recently had an experience that I'm still processing, and getting ready to, can you believe, write it down. I went to Maine for ten days with a young French woman, Flo, who wanted one last adventure before heading back to France to begin her doctorate. She's been in the states for almost five years, finishing her masters and working. I went because all of her friends (my daughter included) were working and couldn't go with her. She really wanted a partner, so I stepped up.

This is one of those "life moments" when you know you are doing something that you will never forget and that it will impact you beyond the doing of it. I feel blessed to have gone with her and even more blessed that I challenged myself to do things on the trip I thought I was done doing. We camped in a tent six nights out of nine. We hiked up and down mountains. We hiked the AT (Appalachian Trail) in Maine! (I did some of it in my high school years in NC) We had no itinerary, no real plan except to hike in Acadia National Park, and to sea kayak, and we did both, among other adventures. I'm proud to have said yes and gone on one of the best adventures of my life. 

I'll stop for now because I could go on, and I really want to write this trip down, which would take up way too much time here. Perhaps when it's done I'll post it in chapters...?

Happy 4th of July to you all. Hope you enjoyed the day...

Please go and visit the IWSG co-hosts this month and thank them for being there for us all,

PJ Colando, Kim Lajevardi Gwen Gardner Pat Garcia, AND Natalie Aguirre!

Hello December 2021! Hello IWSG!

 

Good morning Everyone! The beginning of the end of this year is today and what a way for this year to go out. At least we had (well, my family did) a more or less "normal" Thanksgiving, especially compared to last year. A new variant on the horizon is putting to bed the idea we can look forward to a new year without Covid, but, oh well. If this doesn't prove how "global" our world/economy/society is, I don't know what else can!

I am going into December with the mindset that I can finish this year with the love that I went into it with. For my family. For my friends. For my little lovey dog, and those in this world who make it such a bright place to be, even in the midst of chaos. I wish for all of you to have this brightness in your lives and outlooks on our world as well. May kindness, generosity, love and peaceful happiness be yours in these last days of 2021. May they overflow into the new year coming and continue on as long as possible.

I am grateful also to this community of writers who keep coming back, and keep supporting each other. I love being a part of IWSG even if I don't blog as much as I want. I am looking at next year as one of change and my writing will be a part of that change. More on that next year! I just wanted to acknowledge Alex, and all the wonderful folks/writers who make this blog hop possible for us to participate in. You all rock the writing world! 

Please visit our co-hosts this month and thank them for being such a wonderful part of our community:

PJ Colando, Diane Burton, Louise – Fundy Blue, Natalie Aguirre, and Jacqui Murray!

Question of the month is: What about writing stresses you, and what delights?

Thinking I have to make money with my writing stresses me. 

Not being able to put into words on paper what is in my head stresses me. 

Not being "good enough" stresses me.

Finding the mind link with the protagonist (s) in the story delights me! 

Writing a sentence and it comes out exactly as I hoped it would delights me! 

Finishing a novel delights me! 

Working with my graphic artist, formatter and editor delights me! 

So in the end, it's all good!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EACH AND ALL OF YOU