M is for Mystery

I love mysteries...cracking codes, figuring out whodunnits, and the plot twists that leave you gasping. You may laugh at me for feeling this way, and that's just fine--I don't mind. Mysteries allow for a bit of adventure without leaving the comfort of your favorite wing-backed chair. Some of my personal favorites are The Complete Sherlock Holmes, And Then There Were None and 100 Mischievous Little Mysteries.

As an author, mysteries are a challenge as well, because you have to give the reader interest without giving too much away too early in the story. Language, scene setup, character flaws...anything could be a clue. But in that same vein, mysteries are more fun to write because you could come up with a smashing plot twist that might just blow their socks off, but that's also totally plausible. 

Murder mysteries are also fun because the dirty deed is already done; the question is, can the detective get to the villain before he strikes again? That is what we're waiting for. We're waiting to find out if the good guy is worth his salt. But then, sometimes the good guys lose. What can we say for them then? We feel for them, cry with them, they become more human to us when they fail, and we want them to try again to succeed. Mysteries are an emotional journey through the brightest and darkest moments of mankind, the things we prize with our highest accolades and the things we fear most with our deepest shivers.

The next time you pick out a book, read a well written mystery and see how many emotions you can go through in one sitting. Get ready for the ride of your life!

L is for Love

"All You Need Is Love"

Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love

There's nothing you can do that can't be done
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy

Nothing you can make that can't be made
No one you can save that can't be saved
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time
It's easy

All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need

Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love

All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need

Nothing you can know that isn't known
Nothing you can see that isn't shown
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be
It's easy

All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need

All you need is love (All together, now!)
All you need is love (Everybody!)
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
Love is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love is all you need (Love is all you need)
Yee-hai! (Love is all you need)
Love is all you need (Love is all you need)

Yesterday (Love is all you need)
Love is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love is all you need (Love is all you need)
Oh yeah! (Love is all you need)
She loves you, yeah yeah yeah (Love is all you need)
She loves you, yeah yeah yeah (Love is all you need)

-The Beatles

K is for Knights

Every girl secretly dreams of having a knight in shining armor come and save her from the monotony of life, even if she doesn't admit it. It's the same as the tall, dark stranger barging into the office or, for the men, a princess. We all hope to be connected, loved and wanted. It's a part of human nature.

Sometimes, we feel like we don't belong in the time or place in which we live. My own example is that I feel like I belong in England in the Victorian era. Unfortunately, actual time travel is not yet possible, although we have been dreaming about it for decades, even centuries. So what do we do with where we are?

I've been told that when you least expect it, you will find the right person for you. How would we prepare for that? I find it easier to work with the theory that we should all become the knights or princesses that others are seeking. If we work on ourselves, there is nothing that should hinder us from finding that connection that we so desperately need.

Start with breaking bad habits. I know for a fact this is easier said than done! One of many examples for me is biting my nails. I've been doing it for years and still haven't been able to break it, even with promises of money, using gloves and even chipping a tooth. But if we start with one bad habit and break it, then we can keep progressing until hopefully our bad habits are gone.

We can also do all we can to mix up our social circles. We can move, we can join a new gym or club, we can make a "Fab Five" list ( a list of five people of the opposite sex we want to get to know better), we can start checking off a bucket list, try something totally out of our element...There are lots of options here. The point is, get out of the old rut, get out of your comfort zone. Just get out! :)

There are more things I could say here, but the main point I guess I'm trying to make is, work on yourself and it will work out. When you feel like you've done all you can, be patient. The right person will come for you, wherever he or she is. For us singles, times are tough, and sometimes you want to give up. When those times come, find someone you can trust and talk. Sometimes confiding in someone who understands where you're coming from is enough to keep you going in spite of it all. Go to lunch, take a drive, hike, craft, or whatever, but make sure someone you trust is there, just in case.
 

J is for Jam and Jelly

I will usually have something on my toast, and that is butter or jam. Not on sandwiches, though, just toast. I will also not add something extra if it is a pumpkin chocolate chip bread or something like that--too much "stuff" already there. If it's plain wheat or white toast, though, I put jam on it. I know I'm being really specific, but I wanted to be honest without becoming a hypocrite for anyone who reads this blog.

I like lots of kinds, and my mom is the master of making jellies and jams (Lucky me!). My favorite though is probably apple butter. It's like autumn in your mouth...so amazing! You toast the bread, spread it on during a cold, blustery day and voila! You're warm right to the toes. I think toast is best during the cold seasons, so naturally I eat more jam and jelly then. We even used to put strawberry jelly in our oatmeal when my siblings and I were kids. So many memories!

I've also seen this thing on the internet lately that takes one of my favorite fictional characters and makes him stupid. Most of me wants to be mad, and possibly a small sliver of me smiles because the people who post these have it all wrong. It's John Watson from the Sherlock Holmes series, and recently with the BBC television series called Sherlock, this has been all over the place and I have a really hard time with it. Finally this show makes them equals and this happens. Always in the movies and media ever since forever they make Watson stupid compared to Holmes, and it just drives me crazy! He's an army doctor for heaven's sake! This most recent joke is about Watson and jam.

You'll be hearing more from me about Sherlock and Watson by the way, just as  a warning! Thank you to whoever did this:

I is for Intrepid

For this post, I am not talking about cars. In fact, I don't even like to drive that much. I was called this word by someone the other day, and I want  to take this word for its original meaning:

in·trep·id

[in-trep-id]

adjective resolutely fearless; dauntless.

Let us be this way. Whatever that might mean to you, whether it means getting over fears, or finally doing something that you have been dreading, or taking that blind step into the dark abyss of uncertainty, be resolutely fearless. There is no shame in failure unless it is connected with cowardice. Let us go forward armed with a determination to do good in the world, to face those fears, and to be able to say of ourselves, "I have fought a good fight."

Doubtless all of us will experience trials, but how we deal with them is literally at least half the battle. I am not saying to hide your feelings. In fact, I am telling you that if you need help, have the courage to say so to yourself and get it. If there is something that you have been putting off, especially if it includes another person, do it before it's too late and you find yourself wondering "What if". 

I am also not saying that we should all suddenly become daredevils. If the world were full of those, we'd probably all cause some sort of damage wherever we went. I am saying that even if it frightens you, make a stranger into a friend. Even if it frightens you, speak your mind to fight for the right. Even if it frightens you, leave an old life behind and begin anew.

My dear friends, let us be the intrepid ones. We may not be grand, famous or wealthy in the eyes of the world, but we will be great. We will be great for truly living.

H is for Happiness

What constitutes happiness? For most people, that includes success of some kind, feeling loved and needed by coworkers, family and friends, and feeling like you're on the right track. But what if the world was about to burn, what if darkness was all that you could see in front of you, and you left all you have ever known for the uncertainty of hope? That is when you must ask yourself "Could I be happy if everything I loved and cherished was taken from me in an instant?"

The answer can be yes, but how is it done? I'm reminded of Professor Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone when he says, explaining how the Mirror or Erised works, "The happiest man in the world would see only himself." Could that be said of us, or our we inhibited by fears, unanswered questions and those things we wish we had done or said, but lacked the courage?

If those questions do concern us, the time is now to begin to change that. Take your life into your own hands, and lift up other hands that need help in the meantime. That is true happiness--being able and willing  to love more, give more and hope more than might seem humanly possible or prudent. Life is worth living, and we are the ones who can make it so.

If you are single and longing to be married, never give up on the hope that there is someone, somewhere who does love you, and when you meet, the stars will burn the brighter. But also, do not lose yourself so much in dreams that you forget to live in the meantime: travel, sing, dance, laugh, make a new friend, check off your bucket list...do those things that when you are old and grey you can say, "I lived, and loved, with no regrets."

If you are a working parent with children and you find yourself at wit's end, take a nap when the kids are napping, take a long, luxurious bath, read a chapter in a good book, write...take some time for yourself when even just a few minutes are available.

If you feel inadequate to the task, no matter what that task may be, have faith in yourself. That faith may be enough for you to do what may seem impossible, and when you fail, getting up again is where you have achieved true strength. The joy of achievement is stronger and sweeter in times of struggle than when things are easy and without work.

G is for God

I'm not doing this post just because it's Sunday or just because I want to share my religious beliefs through this blog. It's because when times are toughest and you have no one to turn to and you feel like you can't talk to your family, God is always there. He wants to hear from us, in good times and bad, always waiting to give us hope and strength to face the future.

Sometimes I become very frustrated with the situation I'm in--I feel trapped like a rat in a place that I don't want to be, and the only way out seems to be so far in the future I can barely see it in the haze of tears. Now, I'm not saying to only rely on Him when times are hard; that's the easy part. The harder part is to remember Him and thank Him when times are good. How do we do this? There are many ways: service, prayers, tithes, fasting, finding a lonely person and sitting with them, allowing someone to confide in you....These things make God happy, because we are often forgetting ourselves and helping others.

God is merciful. I know this because there are many ways that he has answered my questions and prayers, even if those answers are unusual. One thing is certain--no matter what, prayers are answered. Recognize those answers for what they are--small miracles in our daily lives that make our lives bearable, and remember to thank Him for them.

Do not lose hope. Even when you feel deserted, alone, betrayed and broken,  there is always someone who understands. He will comfort you. He is the Master, our Redeemer and a God of miracles.