What I’ve been Reading

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after a busy week of work and writing. I’ve been in the editing cave this week and I’m hoping I’ll have this story tightened up soon.  I’ve also been reading. I just finished an amazing story and thought I’d share it with you.

The story is “American Dirt.” It’s a tale about a journalist and his family in Acapulco. Sebastian is the journalist and he writes articles on the drug cartel. Unbeknownst to him and even his wife, she develops a friendship with the cartel leader. Lydia, Sebastian’s wife, owns a bookstore and the drug king comes to her bookshop and they develop a relationship. He comes every week and discusses books they have in common.

Sebastian writes an article about the drug king and the drug king retaliates and kills him. Lydia is on the run. She knows the drug king will hunt her down. She takes her son and tries to cross the Mexican border into the US.

This is an eye-opening story of what the migrants go through to get into our country. It was very well written, and I had a hard time putting it down. It’s also an illustration of how the people in Mexico have to live under the constant threat of the drug cartels.

 It’s a great read and I highly recommend it!

Friday Thoughts!

I saw this on Facebook and it resonated with me! So I’m sharing it with all of you!

Is Yoga the new Wonder Drug for our Health?

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after a busy week at work, writing, and reading. Yes, I needed to decompress a little bit this week and what better way to decompress than to read, right?

I thought you’d agree. 😉

Anyway, more about that later. Today, I’d like to talk about stress and how to deal with it. There are many stressors in life that we have to handle. Back in the olden days, when we had to run from predators, our body would send out the stress hormone cortisol and it’d get us moving.

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Now, our greatest stress isn’t running from predators, it’s dealing with stress from work, stress from over-commitment, family stress, and so on. In the past, when we’d get that rush of cortisol in our system, we’d run to escape the predator chasing us and we’d burn up the cortisol in our system. We’d run to safety, usually a short distance.

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In today’s world, we can’t run from our stressors, so the cortisol builds up in our system. This leads to high cortisol levels, which leads to increased amounts of belly fat, which leads to diabetes, a life-threatening disease. So, the question is, how do we keep cortisol levels down when we can’t change the stressors in our lives?

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My first thought was exercise. So, I’ve been running on the treadmill at least two to three times a week. I usually run about four miles, which is hard to do on a treadmill. (It’s winter right now and I don’t run outside in the winter because of the cold and ice.) While running is good, I did some research to find out what was the best way to reduce cortisol, and I learned some interesting facts.

First, extended exercise (more than sixty minutes) increased cortisol levels. It seems that too much exercise depletes our stored glycogen and when that happens our bodies release cortisol. So, what’s the best way to reduce cortisol when we’re dealing with stressful situations?

Short, high intensity workouts, such as sprints, HITT, or weight training are proven ways to reduce cortisol in your system. Another way is doing yoga. Yes, yoga has been scientifically proven to reduce cortisol levels. This is good news because yoga is a great way to quiet your mind as well. It’s good for you mentally, physically, and physiologically. Who knew?

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It’s my understanding that you must make sure it’s restorative yoga and not hot yoga, or Ashtanga yoga. Anything that makes your body work hard will raise cortisol levels.

 So, there you have it. Yoga is the wonder drug when it comes to reducing cortisol levels in your body, and reduced cortisol levels means less belly fat. Less belly fat means lower risk for diabetes. Like I said earlier, it’s good for you mentally, physically, and physiologically.

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Thanks for stopping by and reading my post. How do you feel about yoga? Have you ever tried it? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!

Connecting with your Intuition

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’ve had a busy week of editing and a busy week at work. I took a little break from writing my new story because I was editing, and I had to take Christmas decorations down. Boo. I wasn’t happy about that. There’s something about those twinkling lights that cheer me up. But, enough about that, today I’d like to talk about Intuition.

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Intuition is your inner guide. That voice in your head that gives you a warning or direction without any evidence that it’s true. There are times in my life when I listened to that voice. It came through loud and clear and I’m glad I did even when it didn’t make any logical sense.

My gut has never let me down yet, and now even more than ever it’s important for us to listen to our inner voice. Why? Because our world is built on creating an image. People create this image for others for many reasons. To get attention. To get validation, or to manipulate.

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Advertisements bombard us with celebrities expounding the benefits of exercise equipment or makeup, implying we’ll look like them if we just use this product. It’s not true. We’ll always look like ourselves. We all know this, yet corporations have made millions of dollars by selling us their products based on this implication.

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Our politicians create an image, so we’ll vote for them. They work with the media to put a “spin” on an event, or outright lie about something to throw mud at an opponent. So, we the public don’t know what’s true and what isn’t. How do you make a good decision that way?

Look at social media. An individual shares what they want the world to see and keeps the unattractive parts of themselves hidden. When their friends compare that individual’s seemingly “perfect” life with their own, they become disenchanted with their own lives and this creates angst and depression. So, it’s more important than ever to trust our gut.

We need to develop our intuition and make it stronger. So, how do you do that?

Well, it’s quite simple but hard to do.

We need to spend time alone and meditate. Take some quiet time to listen to our inner voice. Have a dialogue with it. It’ll take practice, but once you make that connection, you’ll be able to make decisions that are best for you. When we don’t make that connection and listen to that inner guide, we can travel down the wrong path that leads to unhappiness.

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Spend some time in nature. It’s so good for us. I was hiking for years before I knew there were health benefits, just because it calmed me. It will have the same effect on you. I guarantee it. Whether you hike through the woods, or along the beach, you’ll experience health benefits. Both are good for you and quiet your mind, so your inner voice can come through.

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Pay attention to your Dreams. That’s right, our sub-conscious talks to us through our dreams and so does our intuition. Try to remember your dreams upon waking and write them down. Think about an issue you’re struggling with before you go to sleep and see what your dreams tell you. I’ve found solutions to problems through my dreams. It’s amazing when that happens.

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How about you, do you listen to your intuition? How do you tap into it? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!

My Thoughts on “Talking to Strangers” by Malcolm Gladwell

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back and I’ve been busy working on my stories. I’m close to finishing some edits on my first one and I must say the story is coming along. I’m excited about both of these stories and like a fine wine they can’t be rushed. 😉

But enough about that. Today I’d like to talk about Malcolm Gladwell’s book ‘Talking to Strangers.’ It was eye-opening to say the least. I’ve always wondered how Hitler could fool so many people for so long during World War II. Well, this book explains that. It delves deep into the human psyche and explains how when talking to people we don’t know we default to what “our” truth is and not necessarily what the stranger’s truth is. We ignore all the signs that would normally He called this ‘default to truth.’

It explains the concept of ‘coupling’ and how ‘place’ can be a factor as well. It takes us step by step through the process of how after all these factors add up it explains how at the end of the day, we as a society end up blaming…

I won’t spoil the end for you, but I’ve got to say if you’re looking to facilitate change in our society, this book is a must read. Especially after the year we just had. Even if you’re not, you should still read it. It might change your mind.

My One Little Word

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. It is the New Year, 2021. I’m excited for it because 2020 was horrible to say the least. I’m sure everyone agrees, so we don’t need a recap. That’s not to say good things didn’t happen in 2020, but the negative far outweighed the positive.

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But enough about that. We’re looking forward not back. So today, I’d like to talk about my one little word for 2021. I didn’t participate in the one-word trend for the last couple of years, but this year I think it’s important. My word for this year is “PERSEVERE.”

It means a lot to me. It means moving forward. It means overcoming obstacles. It means obtaining my goals. I’m so close to my writing goals. I’ve got one story complete. I’m so happy with it and I have a total sense of accomplishment.

I’m about 50000 words into my second story and I’m just as excited about this one. It’s going much faster than the first one did. I am committed to both stories and I can’t wait to see where my writing journey will lead me.

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I’m also going to persevere in my other goals. Maintaining my health is another big one. I plan on continuing my weight loss goals and exercise goals. I want to be active in my old age, and in order to do that I have to maintain my weight and flexibility.

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Always at the top of my list, is time with my family. My boys are growing up and they’re not so keen on hanging out with Mom anymore, but I plan on having many “Forced Family Fun” nights throughout 2021. Even if they don’t say it, they enjoy them, too.  I also feel they need to feel connected to their family especially with all this virtual learning and isolation that continues into 2021.

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So, there you have it. My one little word for 2021 and some of my goals. Other words that I considered are STRIVE, APPRECIATE, and FINISH. What’s your one little word for 2021? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone! Stay safe and enjoy!