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Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Showing posts with label Life's musings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life's musings. Show all posts

Monday, October 10, 2016

Monday Musings: Is it the thought of dying that really pushes us to live?


This time of year always has me reflecting on life. Maybe it’s the dark half of the year and the shorter days that send my thoughts into deeper places than usual. I’ve been thinking about what it means to be human and mortal. Something that we will probably never truly understand. Here are some things to ponder:

It’s the thought of our fragile mortality that drives us to hurry and get something accomplished before it’s too late. If we were immortal and had all the time in the world, then we wouldn’t be motivated to do anything. What’s the hurry to do something great if you have forever to do it?

The greatest invention wouldn’t have been created by immortal men.

We think death is a punishment for being human, but maybe it’s what makes us truly human.

It tests us.

It dares us…

To feel what we normally wouldn’t. Like passion, inspiration, and motivation. If we didn’t have that feeling of getting old and dying, would we have the urgency to fall in love?

Without death looming, we would be nothing but unfeeling shells. And that’s no way to live. Is it?

Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.


Monday, June 06, 2016

Monday Musing: Aging and hiding who you really are

What is it about being an aging woman and feeling forced to hide who you really are? Why should women feel like they have to color their graying hair? Or cut it so they “look their age.” What kind of bulls**t is that? Men aren’t pressured to hide their gray.

I hate these stupid unwritten rules. There are plenty of attractive older women with long gray hair. Lately I’ve been recalling a memory of my maternal grandmother who has been gone a long time. It’s one I haven’t thought much about until now, but it’s a powerful memory. I remember my grandmother undoing her bun and brushing her beautiful long, gray hair. Yeah, she didn’t conform and cut or color her hair.

As my long hair started turning gray, I went through a phase where I tried coloring it and cutting it short, but I always ended up letting it grow out. I turned to my grandmother for inspiration and decided I wasn’t going to conform anymore either. I never did before so why should I start now? I don’t care what anyone thinks of my long, graying hair. My hair has never been healthier since I stopped damaging it with color. Some cultures believe that having long hair gives you power. I believe it now too.

I think of my grandma now when I let my hair down and brush it, the gray streaks gleaming with defiance to anyone who thinks older women should color and cut their hair.

I smile.

Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s because of my grandma that I do what I want and not what others want me to do. It’s because of her example that I don’t feel I have to hide who I really am.



Beauty may be the real beast.

Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.


Monday, April 11, 2016

Monday Musings: Do memories reside in your home or do they exist in any place you call home?

I come from a family of gypsies, not in the sense that we have gypsy blood, though I wouldn’t discount that, but in the sense that we moved all the time when I was a child, and my parents continued to move well into my adulthood. They just moved from the dream house they had built and had no trouble leaving it behind.
How do they do this?
I know so many people who refuse to leave a home they have lived in for many years because “all of their memories are in that home.”
Now, you would think that I’d be like my parents, having moved so much, but I am not. My husband, on the other hand, who’d lived in the same house since he was born, has no problem moving.
See, I get attached to things. And I’m having trouble with our latest move. We made the decision to downsize. It’s for all the right reasons, but I’m having trouble letting go of the home we lived in for 15 years, the longest I’ve ever lived in any home. There are so many memories there—good and bad—but for me there is a special energy in that house and it’s hard for me to leave it behind.
There is the beautiful, large Palo Verde tree we planted and is what I call, “the tree of life,” because of all the wildlife that gathers around that tree. There are my desert iguanas, Mr. and Mrs. Godzilla, I see each year in spring and summer and are more like pets than wild animals.
There are so many great memories of my dogs that have since passed away.
There are memories of when we first moved into the house and how excited and happy we were to be embarking on a new path in life.
There are also the not-so-good memories of struggling to get through the Great Recession, but we prevailed, mostly unscathed, from that troubling time and found hope again.
Will I forget all of that once I have left that home behind?
I sure hope not.
As I settle into our new home, surrounded by my possessions and photographs, I sense a new special energy forming like a familiar, comfortable blanket.  I think it’s clear to me now. My memories live inside me. They are a part of me. I will still have my old memories and will make new ones here in this place I now call home.
This is my new Palo Verde tree. I'm watering it and hoping it will grow to be as large and beautiful as my old tree.

Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.

Beauty may be the real beast 



Monday, March 14, 2016

Me, a Tee-ball coach? Yeah, that’s what I said

I never would have thought I’d end up coaching Tee-ball. It was the last thing I thought I’d be doing. But here I am. Coach Kelley. I did it reluctantly to help my dad, who only volunteered to manage the Tee-ball team because none of the other parents would. And he is a great grandfather. With all the experience I had as a softball player, I have the knowledge to teach, but trying to work with a group of four to six-year-olds is like trying to herd cats. No, I take that back. I think herding cats might be easier. At least for someone like me who never had any children, only the four-legged kind.

So, I dusted off my old mitt and bought a couple of new sports bras and dragged myself to the ball field, thinking it would be a chore I would have to endure for a few weeks. But these kids surprised me. It’s turning out to be a fun experience watching them so enthusiastic about playing ball. And it’s rewarding to give something back to the community and help shape some future baseball or softball players. There are three girls on the team, which I like to see, and they are really trying hard. A couple of them are already hitting the ball better than some of the boys. LOL

Now I look forward to Tee-ball practice. This old fart is actually enjoying herself. 


Quote from The Wolf Queen:
“Gods, woman. You are the most stubborn female I have ever met.”

Otherworldly tales steeped in myth and magic

Monday, March 07, 2016

Downsizing is harder than it seems

We made the decision to downsize last year. Well, my husband wanted to do this more than I did, but after dragging my feet, I decided it was the right thing to do. That didn’t make it any easier for me. We went from a 3-bedroom house to a 2-bedroom duplex. Even after having four garage sales, we still had too much stuff. Physically, this was the hardest move for both of us. That might be because we are a lot older now, but it’s not easy trying to fit everything into a smaller place. Whenever we moved in the past, it was always to a larger home. I think the hardest part was spending a year sorting and cleaning out all my stuff. The process was so time-consuming and stressful. It’s difficult deciding what to get rid of and what to keep.

However… I’m discovering that I didn’t really need all of those things I had and there are many creative ways to organize a smaller home. Pinterest has been a great help with people sharing so many great ideas. We are quickly adapting to our new place. After a year of cleaning out stuff, hosting garage sales (when you start recognizing the people shopping in your garage, you’ve had too many), and finally moving, I’m looking forward to new beginnings and moving on with my life.
The view from our new home.





Quote from The Wolf Queen:
“Tantaus, you Cyclopean idiot,” Niren said, “can you not see Lycaon is infatuated with the girl?”


Otherworldly tales steeped in myth and magic

Monday, October 19, 2015

Monday Musings: Lessons I learned from my dogs

This article was printed in our local newspaper back in July. I decided to share it on my blog because I know there are a lot of pet owners out there.

Lessons I learned from my dogs

Besides loyalty and companionship, dogs have a lot more to offer us. If we take the time to watch and connect with them, we can learn some important lessons.

Having dogs helped me through a dark time when I didn’t know if I would be permanently disabled. Crippled by severe pain, it was easy to give in and stay in a pain-medication fog, but my dogs depended on me to care for them while my husband was at work. So, I forced myself to get up and fight to get better.

My recovery had a lot to do with lessons I learned from my dogs. The first one is perseverance. Animals don’t allow an illness or injury to stop them from enjoying life. One of my dogs hurt her leg and managed just fine by hopping around on three, even chasing rabbits, until her leg healed. In the animal world, only the strong survive and unfortunately, this is also a harsh truth in the human one, a frightening reality I came close to experiencing.

Another important lesson is living in the moment. Dogs know how to relax in the sun and watch birds or sniff the different scents in the air. This reminds me to stop and enjoy a sunset or take in the wildlife in my backyard, to put my troubles aside. I’ve also learned the importance of exercise and play to keep physically and mentally fit. Dogs love to play. I have a nightly ritual with my Chihuahua. We play a game where I try to take his toy (a plush chicken or banana) away from him, if I can. He’s very fast. I come away from this refreshed and ready to work on writing or editing. This also helped me heal because exercise and physical therapy was very important to my recovery and for the regular management of my chronic condition.

My dogs have also taught me the importance of taking breaks, letting me know when it is time to eat or go outside—and always at the same time each day. This routine keeps me from sitting too long at the computer and worsening my back pain. After a break, I return to work, my energy restored.

Dogs have remarkable intuitive abilities. They know when a storm is approaching, when someone is coming home, or whether they like someone or not. This has taught me to listen to my intuition, especially when it came to finding the right occupation and exercise schedule that suited my health issues. I kept trying to do things the way I had before my illness. Once I stopped fighting myself and listened to my gut feeling, everything fell in to place.

The unconditional love dogs offer us might be the most important lesson. They love you regardless of your problems, your physical appearance, or your imperfections. This lesson has helped me strengthen my human relationships.


The lessons I learned from my dogs improved my life in ways I never realized until I opened my eyes and took notice, and I can’t imagine living without at least one dog by my side.



Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com        

Monday, May 11, 2015

Monday Musings: Shredding the past

You can learn a lot about someone by their bank statements/cleared checks.

I’ve been shredding old records from 1983 on up to 2000 and it’s a tedious job made a little interesting by seeing what I spent and where.

Here’s what I learned:

My priorities have changed. In the 1980s and ’90s, I spent a lot of money on my hair and on clothing (Wilson’s Leather) and very little on food and other necessities.

Things were cheaper then. I only spent 25.00 on cable and 50.00 on food, and only 10.00 co-pays to see the doctor. Gas was cheaper too. Now my cable bill is 74.00, and I pretty much have the same amount of channels I did back then. I’m lucky if I can leave the grocery store now without spending close to 200.00. That one hurts. But some things were more expensive. My car payment was almost what I pay now for a mortgage. And although my co-pays are higher, because of the Affordable Care Act, more medical procedures are covered now, which saves me money.

Some things never change though:

I still spend money on books, though now I purchase ebooks instead of shopping at Borders or B. Dalton. Department stores come and go, some still remain. I used to shop a lot at Mervyns and The Broadway, which no longer exist. Though JC Penney is still around. I shopped at malls back then in stores like The Limited, Wet Seal, Contempo Casuals… Now I shop online at JC Penney or Kohls for sensible clothes, not the sexy outfits I used to buy. LOL

One thing I realized that didn’t occur to me until I sat down and started shredding: A big chunk of my life passed before me and into the shredder.

 

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

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