Remedies for the times

Feeling frustrated? Sad? Overwhelmed or depressed? Join the club! Here are a few ideas for bringing you back to your normal happy self.

1. Walk in nature. This is my all-time favorite. Whenever I feel down worried or angry, the forest is my go-to. When I enter the woods or walk along the beach, I ask my questions or just ask for the help I need. It always helps.

2. Meditate. This isn't for everyone and I find it frustrating at times myself. But it can be amazingly helpful if done consistently (consistency is not my strong suit) There are a zillion apps online ranging from guided meditations to involved instructions on the basics.

3. Take a nap. Yes, I really mean it. When life gets too overwhelming just lie down and close your eyes. Could be ten minutes to an hour or so.

4. Binge-watch a favorite T.V. Series. I know we all feel too guilty to break up our day with such a thing, but it does seem to help.

5. Write. There are several ways to approach writing. You can write what's bothering you in a journal or you can check out the myriad places online where you can write and also engage with others. Here is a link. Personally, I use medium--I take out my political frustrations there. If you want to see what I write here's the link

6. Begin a novel or a memoir. This could have been included in #5 but this endeavor is a bit more involved. If you feel it calling to you, my advice is to just sit down and begin--you can use a prompt or a photograph or anything that comes to mind. Here's an idea: When I stood up, the room spun. -see where it takes you.

7. Have a glass of wine. (or your choice of alcohol) This could be controversial, but I usually end the day like this...and I have been known to have a glass earlier in the day when my nerves just simply get the best of me. I tend to drink a white wine extremely low in alcohol content. 9% Dr. L. Riesling. Too sweet for many but I mix it with Pellegrino. Also, Vino Verde is a good choice.

8. Read a good book--I recommend V.E. Schwab, or The Vanishing by Wendy Webb if you like a paranormal mystery. If you check out my BookBub page you'll see my reviews. (or try one of mine!)

Hope these suggestions help--thanks for reading!!!

NEW BEGINNINGS

Ever feel like you want to scrap everything and start over? It is actually not that hard, although what I did yesterday was a total waste of time. Or was it?

Yesterday afternoon I decided to start another website and use it to create an entirely different image of myself--new name, new email, new me. I spent a couple of hours on this, changing my name to Airmid and adding another google email which is now on my phone. Want to reach me? earthgoddesswriting@gmail.com. (also my instagram handle) Within this new paradigm I decided to write about topics that I hoped would be interesting to my readers. And when I'd chosen a wix template and written four blog posts, I realized...I have a lot invested in this website and my blog. To do another would require an outlay of money and marketing...oh yes--the marketing bit. Because you can start a website on wix for no money, but if you want it found, it has to go further than that--and this costs. To retrieve this new site, which I thought would be easy, I had to go back into my history...the name of it didn't really exist--at least in our rarified internet world. SEO? Didn't really work without a www in front of the name.

My original thought had been to write my blog and a new book under a pen name...but again, how to be found? I would have to start anew. And then I realized I can start fresh from where I am. In the end I copied and pasted what I'd written on the other blog into this one.

So I do have a new beginning but in the comforting bubble of the old. Now I can write about things other than my own books, do reviews and snippets of writing advice that I've gleaned along the many (too many to count) years I've been at this thing called writing. So please tune into my new/old blog and enjoy the new me! And if you feel you need a new beginning, wait before you jump in with both feet. Think about the implications of scrapping the past--because even if you want to shove it into a black hole and never look at it again, the past is part of the present. Everything that brought us to this point in time is valuable. And we can say goodbye to it and walk out into the sunshine of our newness knowing that it's a part of us--always.

Thanks for reading.

A Review

3 out of 4 stars for Cauldstane by Linda Gillard

This is a book about ghosts and haunting but it is also a story about love, loss and what it means to be a part of something, whether a home or a family. It takes place mostly in the Highlands of Scotland in an old castle that is not in good repair. The main protagonist is a woman, a 'ghost writer'. And the themes are about her and about the ghost who has taken over the lives of the people who live in the castle. Jenny Ryan has come to the castle to ghost write the owner's memoirs, a former traveler who is world renowned. What happens during her time there is the gist of the story. It is a page turner, interesting until the end. I did enjoy it but...for some reason I am only giving it three stars. Why is that? I think possibly it's because it's a slow starter. I can't give every book I enjoy four stars, can I? The ones that I give four stars are those that captivate me and are unusual and strange, like The Invisible LIfe of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab. So, I've given myself away as to my preferences! In any case, if you like a good ghost story you will enjoy this book.