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Dear Reader,
I'm a pretty rational woman who has her act together. Even when problems seem to be knocking on my door every day, I take pride in myself and feel at peace that I can work the problems out, and they're really no big deal. Nothing can break my positive stride, and I'm so proud of myself.
But then there are the times when I feel like a crazy woman who can't seem to think about anything other than doom and gloom. Not just the biggie doom and gloom worries people think about, like 'what if I die tomorrow, what if I run out of money in retirement and end up sleeping on a park bench...' No, I do it up right and add every little, inconsequential daily problem to my 'Oh no, what if this happens list,' until I'm consumed with worry and fear, and I feel like I'm white-knuckling the day--or days. Sometimes I get stuck in this insanity and can't find my way out for a while. I realize I'm thinking absurd thoughts, but I can't seem to help myself. I'm so disappointed, because I feel like I haven't learned anything along the way, so I add that failure to my list, too.
I'm big on making lists. Every day I make a to-do list (I love crossing off things when I get them done), but the list making talent works against me when "crazy woman" shows up. So the other day, after I recited a long detailed, list of doom and gloom to my husband, he suggested I turn the tables. "At the end of each day, Suzanne, make a list of everything positive that happened during the day. It doesn't have to be a big thing, it could be something as simple as, 'the cat tree you bought--the cats all love it.' I bet your positive list will be a lot longer than the negative list you're carrying around. Tape your good-stuff list on the refrigerator, and l bet it will out-do your worry list every time."
And my husband was right. My good-stuff list was a lot longer than the worry list, and it did bring me back to reality. The crazy woman is gone--at least for now. 'Oh dear, what if crazy woman shows up again tomorrow?'
Got to go. I need to check that list on the refrigerator!
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE MYSTERIES OF PARIS by Eugene Sue. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin tote bag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7F25&c=CLASSICS
AUTHORBUZZ: THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF STONES (Fiction) by M.J. Rose
Imagine falling in love with someone you can never be with. Not a flesh and blood man but a soldier's ghost.
It's Paris, 1918. War is raging. Millions of men have died, millions more have been wounded. Opaline Duplessi, a young jeweler makes mourning jewelry for the mothers, wives, and lovers of those who have fallen. People say that Opaline's creations are magical. But magic is a word Opaline would rather not use. But Opaline does have a rare gift even she can't deny, a form of lithomancy that allows her to translate the energy emanating from stones. In her mind, she is no mystic, but merely a messenger, giving voice to soldiers who died before they were able to properly express themselves to loved ones. Until one day, one of these fallen soldiers communicates a message--directly to her.
Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF STONES to read more and to email author M.J. Rose, you'll get a reply.
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