Thursday, January 25, 2018

My Morning Coffee (Times One Hundred Million)

There's no telling what bug I caught. I didn't have a fever, I just couldn't get out of bed. For days. I couldn't eat, either. But eventually, I recovered. Life on the other side of illness is pretty amazing. I'm so glad to be alive - and feel good! Except...

I started my coffee addiction late in life: about ten years ago, according to my gold card from Starbucks. And while I was sick, I didn't drink the stuff. When I felt better, it occurred to me to just stop drinking it, mostly because I've heard it's not great for you. Cool. No big deal, I thought. I just won't start up again.

But there was a problem. I found myself not wanting to get out of bed in the morning. Not from lack of energy, just from the lack of a really good reason to get out of bed. Turns out, coffee in the morning was doing more than just filling me up, and life without it was pretty depressing. Oatmeal certainly wasn't going to get me out of bed. I needed the promise of a warm beverage in my hands, and tea, even delicious vanilla chai tea, couldn't do it.

A reason I don't quite understand was at play. I felt alone, sitting by the kitchen window as the sun shone on my face. I missed sharing the daily drink with my worldwide community of coffee drinkers. Across America alone, about one hundred million others have been sipping their caffeine with me all those mornings, and they were feeling the perks of the java while I was not.

If I had a plan in place, if I had a stronger resolve to steer clear of coffee, it probably would've happened. But today I succumbed. I had a cup of coffee. It wasn't the delicious cup I remembered, but that's probably because my taste buds are still on the fritz. It was, however, very satisfying. Something stronger brought me back. I'm part of the collective again, and glad to be here.

And you? Coffee? Tea?

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

I Googled Myself and ... Wow!

Cover photo by Jessica from For the Love of Dewey
Like finding money in a coat pocket or one last chocolate in a bag that looks empty, I came across this beautiful, amazing review of my book when I googled myself. Click the link to see it.

fortheloveofdewey.blogspot.com

Here's an excerpt: "I found Blanca's character to be my favorite part of the novel. I loved the way that Zokan incorporated her accent into the English text, giving the reader a real sense of being immersed in Colombia. I also liked how Zokan not only successfully portrayed her to be an employee, but also as a big sister figure, a friend, and an intelligent woman who knew what was going on with each family member before they knew themselves. Blanca doesn't miss a beat."
 
I love finding out who a reader's favorite character is -- and take a look at that photo! Stunning!  Jessica's got skills!

For the Love of Dewey, thanks for the great review!

Saturday, January 6, 2018

Happy New Year!

I love a new year! It's a fresh start, a blank slate, a new beginning. And although I don't get crazy with the resolutions, I've noticed something wonderful about January: I have this delicious energy to make my life better in little ways.

Like getting rid of clothes I haven't worn. Usually, I hear that voice saying, "You never know when you might need that!" At this time of year, the more boisterous voice is the one saying, "New year, new you! Get rid of it!" How easy it is to purge when I have some zeal and a happy playlist.
I have energy to clean out that overwhelming inbox, too. So many businesses send me email! A tiny little resolution has been to unsubscribe to just one business every day, and maybe I'll be done with them by this time next year. Sometimes I get sucked back in to a company (Sephora, I'm looking at you) because they let me change my email preferences. But I would like to hear from Sephora if they promise to keep it to once a month...

Our little house has a big oak tree out front and our second-story bedroom is it's tree house. I love it, but it could be cleaner. On my dresser I have pictures and jewelry and knick knacks (and angels) that make me happy, and it occurred to me that something I see for a few moments each morning could be cleaned easily. It's nice to start each day enjoying my favorite things now that the dust is gone!

I'll be honest. I don't know how long this wonderful motivation to purge and clean and release will last. But it doesn't matter. With just the few things I've done, I feel lighter and happier going into 2018. The Existence of Pity is expecting a sibling, and I have a feeling it's going to be a very good year!