I wasn’t going to walk on the beach this morning, but something said I miss you. Ha, I thought. Where were you when I needed you. Then I heard, my dear, you just weren’t listening.

quote:You are as beloved of the universe. You are as beautiful as the sunrise and as ancient as the stars. You are a spark of divine love. Through you goodness and light flow into this universe.

old photo of me. 1966. Ah Hah! The past was good–remembering it is even better ’cause the yucky stuff seems to have faded away. Now–the present, that is the thing! Living today and still have that optimistic outlook-damn life is good! Ran across  a superb quote from none other than my favorite author, John Steinbeck. He never fails to come to the rescue when my mind is dull and woeful. It is soooo appropriate–so true for those of us who write: Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and soon you have a dozen.  And some very good advice from Mr. Steinbeck: If a scene or a section gets the better of you and you still think you want it–by pass it and go on. When you finish the whole you can come back to it and then you may find that the reason it gave trouble is because it didn’t belong there. (this happens to me all the time)

Well–do you think it’s grown enough? Enough change? Remember when it looked like this? Crossing our little swing bridge–hearing the ka thump, ka thump, ka thump? I’m constantly reminded of the way things used to be–it was the best, it was simple and life was oh so sweet and good. Yeah!!
Now a bigger and more modern bridge is under construction and it saddens me, so I thought about it–always thinking about this impending change–and so I searched for things to explain change–words to comfort me. Those of us who love things the way they are, are wary of the future, the changes to not only our way of life, but the erasing of our ideal past. That’s it-this new thing is like an assault on the familiar, on simple living. But no amount of foot stomping or shaking our fist at the sky is going to stop it. The change gods have spoken.
 I found some quotes–thought I’d share them–maybe they’ll add some comfort or make you think about all this stuff that we can’t stop.

Metanoia- the journey of changing one’s mind, heart, self, or way of life.

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new-Socrates

Life is about trusting your feelings, taking chances, finding happiness, learning from the past, and realizing everything changes-anonymous

You change you life by changing your heart-Max Lucado

She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way she adjusted her sails-anonymous

One of the happiest moments in life is when you find the courage to let go of what you can’t change-anonymous

Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable and remove yourself from the unacceptable-Denis Waitley

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance-Alan N. Watts

I hope that in this new year to come you make mistakes, because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, living, learning, pushing yourself, changing your world. You are doing something-Neil Gaiman

Always go with the choice that scares you the most, because that’s the one that is going to help you grow-Caroline Myss

It’s funny because we ask God to help us change our situation, not knowing that he put us in the situation to change us-anonymous

QUOTE: To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong-Joseph Chilton Pearce.

Writing tip-as so many of the admired writers have said–start with one true thing when you write. The rest will follow.

I think this is true for just about everything in life.

       
Quote-May your coming year be filled with MAGIC and DREAMS and GOOD MADNESS. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re WONDERFUL and don’t forget to make some art–write or draw or build or sing or live as only YOU can. And I hope somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself-Neil Gaiman

The title of my next book is THE TOWER. I guess y’all know what kind of tower I’m thinking of–yes, an observation tower from Operation Bumble Bee back in the late 1940s.  The nefarious villain who occupies the tower is none other than you know who. If you read my latest book BRIDGE TENDER,  you’ll now who I’m referring to. I’m about half way through THE TOWER and hope I can finish it in the next couple of months.

writing tip–be sure to get your facts correct. Nothing turns off a reader like a story with incorrect info.

quote–a woman has got to love a bad man once or twice in her life to be thankful for a good one-Marjorie Keenen Rawlings

In the beginning—- it was called the Superette. This must have been taken in the early 1960s. There was a laundromat, barber shop, beauty salon, realty co. grocery store. Surf City had everything you needed.
quote: TIME IS NOT MEASURED BY CLOCKS BUT BY MOMENTS-anonymous

writing tip: don’t be afraid to remember as vividly as you can–recall all times–they made you who you are.

Quote: He was too simple to wonder when he had attained humility. But he knew he had attained it and he knew it was not disgraceful and it carried no loss of true pride. Ernest Hemingway/The Old Man and the Sea

Sights like this always humble me–make me know there is a power greater than myself and that I must be true to the passions in my life.