Friday Music - The Piano Guys, Let It Go

Been a rough week at Camp Dennis this week and I am so looking forward to the weekend. So, today I'm going to offer up some beautiful music to spread love and joy into your world...

Enjoy!



 Have a great day!

52 Ways to Joy - The Daydream

"Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves that break upon the idle seashore of the mind." 

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I've been a daydreamer all my life. In fact, it was written on my report cards frequently during my school years. Over the years every psychic I've ever visited (and there have been a few!) quickly labeled me as a daydreamer.

Of course, when the teachers wrote that I spent a lot of my day lost in my own world, it wasn't a good thing...

Forty years later and I still haven't lost my penchant for getting lost in my own dreams. There's just something magical about staring out a window or closing our eyes for a minute or two and imagining a different world, a different life.

Sometimes it's in those moments you find the answer to a question or a path becomes more defined. As a writer, I cherish those moments of reverie, those moments my wind wanders down a path of sights and smells that awaken ideas.

Most of us spend our days working, thinking rational and productive thoughts to complete our jobs or our assignments. We rush here and there always with the next task on our mind...it's pretty easy to get burnt out. But, ahhhh, toss in a daydream and it's like a power nap for your soul!

A few minutes letting your mind wander, free from stress and obligations and who knows where it might lead...maybe to a few minutes of unexpected joy in your day?

The trick is to NOT think about it, to simply let the it happen. Take a minute to stare off into space, gaze out an open window or close your eyes and take a deep breath. Let the peace of the moment wash over you and LET THE JOY IN.

I do have to warn you that daydreaming should be done with caution, as the psychic once warned me, "no daydreaming while driving!" So, please daydream responsibly!

Wherever your travels take you this week, I wish you moments of joy.

  

 *52 Ways to Joy is a weekly post to celebrate the simple ways to bring joy into your life and those around you. It's about the small moments that makes memories and give us all a sense of contentment in the crazy world we live in. If you're joining me here for the first time, by clicking on the label  "52WTJ" you can read the previous posts!

** Because I love my readers and am grateful you choose to spend some time with me each week, all comments from March 1 to March 31 are automatically entered into my monthly drawing for a 3 pack of mini travel-sized handmade soaps. Details and the scents for the month can be found on the "contest rules" page.

52 Ways to Joy - #1

Most years start off with a list of new goals and hearts full of inspiration and hope. Of course, we all want to focus on the brass ring we've set for ourselves, that ultimate goal that we think will bring success or happiness. But while we're traveling the road toward the ultimate goal, are we missing the little things that bring joy along the way?

Over the next year, I hope you'll join me in celebrating the small joys, the small ways we can bring happiness to those around us. Let's celebrate the moments that really do matter, the little moments that put smiles on faces, spread warmth through hearts and just simply make us feel good.

This is week 1 of "52 Ways to Joy."

Now, I thought long and hard on what would be my first choice. Every morning over the last week, I've woken up and stared off into space, warm under the covers and still a little groggy from being in that "half-awake" stage. Then it hit me. First up is starting your day with a smile.

I know what you're thinking. Put a smile on your face BEFORE you even get out of bed?

Well, yes...that's what I'm saying.

Smile because you opened your eyes and are alive.

Smile because someone loves you and they're depending on you to get up and make them breakfast (and those cats and puppies waiting for you count!)

Smile because you are bigger and better than any problem you're going to face today!

So there you go - a way to start your day with just a little bit of joy before things go haywire, before the kids start fighting and your boss gets on your last nerve.

Try it for a few days. I dare you to smile before you get out of bed!

A Monday Myth: A Bigger Conference is Better

This past weekend I attended the New Jersey Romance Writer's Conference. A small conference when compared to RWA Nationals, but it's a conference well worth the money every time I attend.

As a smaller conference the atmosphere is more intimate, yet still draws some pretty big names in the industry as keynote speakers and workshop leaders.

There was a workshop for every level of a writing career.

And best of all, it was casual!

As usual, I met up with old friends and made many new ones (which reminds me, I have to stalk some new people on Twitter and approve some new friend requests on Facebook as well!)

Inspiration was everywhere I turned - from people celebrating traditional book deals to toasting amazing indie sales. If anyone came away from this conference without a fire lit in their soul and the optimism that there is no longer only one path to publishing success...they were obviously NOT at the same conference I was!

So, for this week my top shattered myths are:

(1) The bigger the conference the better - MYTH
Sometimes a smaller, more intimate conference is just less overwhelming, leaving more room for absorbing the good vibes.

(2) The bigger conferences have better keynote speakers - MYTH
I've been to several smaller, regional conference and have never been disappointed. This year Sabrina Jeffries and Heather Graham gave the two keynote speeches and they were both awesome and inspiring.

(3) All conferences break the bank - MYTH
The NJ conference is always reasonably priced and have several meals included. In fact, my roommate (one of my wonderfully talented critique partners, Jennifer Shirk) and I determined at the end of the conference that even stopping at the bar each night, going out to dinner at a local sushi restaurant and having breakfast in the hotel restaurant we still came in under $75 for food and drinks the entire 3 days.

(4) New wardrobe needed - MYTH
A small, local conference is a more business casual affair than RWA National!

(5) You just don't get the same motivation at a small conference - MYTH
Actually it's more than a myth - it's bullshit.
For me (and your mileage may vary) a smaller conference is less harried, less overwhelming and little more friendly. There's less time standing in line for events and you're more likely to get a seat in a workshop. Being a little more relaxed leaves more time to schmooze and mingle and really take in all the good vibes pulsing through the event. And let's face facts here, romance writers are generous and giving people - ask them what's working for them and THEY WILL SHARE!

It was a great weekend and I'm so glad I decided to attend!

Have you been to a smaller regional conference lately?