WHERE DID THE TIME GO?

I blinked my eyes and summer was over and now the fall has begun.

Where did all of my time go?

Well, I spent a lot of it,  recuperating from various illnesses and trying to find my drive to write again.

I'm not ashamed to say that I have been occupy my time with relationships and travel and tiny house plans but now is the time for me to sit my butt back at my computer and get these novels done.

Yes, I said novels.

Since August, I have been working on three novels, at the same time. 

Trying to finish up, The Stiletto Stalker. Working on The Teacher's Lounge and also working on a new romance; not yet titled.

See; while it may "seem" that I have become a slacker; I really haven't. 

Life got in the way but so did I. You see, I got in the way of my own writing. Every time I wanted to sit down and write; something would pull my attention away from it. Grand kids ( I have a new set of twins grandchildren, which makes 11 for me!) Work...trying to retire so that I can write all the time. Friends...yes, I love hanging out with my friends.

So you see, my life took on a life of it's own and now I'm ready to slow myself back down and get back to my first love. 

Writing.

So, where did your time go? How did you spend it and was it worth it? 

I can say...Absolutely!

Flip Flopped

On September 8th, I met this beautiful spirit named Jade Newman. First her earrings and necklace blew me away and secondly she spoke so eloquently that I knew she was a truly remarkable woman. She teaches yoga and it shows through her calmness. She had some great questions about the writing process and the dreaded editing process, that "has taken her more than a year to do because she always finds something wrong." She came up to me at the end of the presentation and we spoke about what she should do next. Instantly I knew I needed her to be a guest on my blog. Please welcome Jade Newman and her funny take on her journey into The Land of Flip Flops.
I am one of them.

You know, the mom roaming around Target weekday mornings in yoga pants and flip-flops; well after the workout is over. You see, I teach yoga. My yoga pants and toe liberating shoes are part of my work costume but even I realize that I’m trampling all over the sacred relationship between woman and shoe. I once took great pride in giving my 5’3 inch body a 4-inch boost in height. I wore black dressy stilettos traveling on the metro and turned my nose up at the sensible women in dress suits with sneakers. I used to drop it like it was hot to Biggie and Jay Z in the club wearing sexy leopard print pumps. Blisters were temporary, but the compliments I’d get about my shoe game were forever. Admitting the new, not so stylish, shoe attitude I’ve adopted is embarrassing but I have decided to be proactive and do something to get my feet back in the game.

            Most shoe lovers I talk to cannot imagine such a shameful decline into the shoe abyss. I had to give a lot of thought to how this happened to me. How could a woman go from owning a pair of shoes to go with every outfit to a woman who bounces between pairs of black, tan and magenta colored flip flops?

It’s as painful for me to write as it is for you to read.

I could blame my lazy shoe choice on the knee surgery I had back in 2010, but after I recovered, stylish platform shoes lined my closet. I can’t blame it on being a mom. I rocked heels at my baby shower eight months in. It all started when I realized that my feet are tools that need to be protected. I forced myself to believe my feet are just things I need to keep me mobile. I foolishly chose to ignore the beauty in my feet and focus solely on their function. That day is dead and I know now that I can do both.

            The first step to revamping my shoe style was to start appreciating the fly shoe swag of others. Not for biting purposes but for the inspiration and assurance that it is okay to flaunt your feet. I observed the confidence women with sassy shoes exuded as they strut down the street. They walk with their shoulders back and chests held high. Their posture is valiant and pronounced. It’s as if they’ve practiced yoga for years. Then I frequented every shoe store in a 20 mile radius. Wild Pair became an addiction. The ladies at DSW in Fair Lakes know my name. I researched the right shoe for my comfort level and struck up that love affair once again. I practice yoga at least 7 hours a week, but nothing makes me stand taller than a pair of sexy shoes. I flip flopped but this time it’s for the best.