Note to Self

“Note to self…” You’ve heard that saying before, I’m sure. Probably even said it, yourself. That’s part of what I’m going to talk about today. So, with that in mind, let’s jump in and start each of the next few paragraphs with the phrase “Note to self”.

If it seems too good to be true, then chances are it is too good to be true. A publishing company who will edit, format, distribute, sell and promote your book all for $999 is quite possibly trying to rip you off. After getting scammed by a publishing company back in 2009 and then self publishing three books with the help of a friend, I think I’d rather go with my gut here.

If you spend a lot of time talking to folks about their lives so you can write their story, chances are you will think about them all night long. This is not a hardship, BTW. It’s a great opportunity to pray. However, when you start talking about them all the time, then it’s probably best to back off so they won’t think you are a stalker. :)

If you drink caffeinated beverages all day, then you’re going to be awake most of the night, unable to shut off your brain.

If you don’t turn on the dryer, the clothes will remain wet. I know this is like duh, but I just thought I’d add it here.

If you want to feel God’s Holy Spirit moving, then open your mouth and praise Him. He is worthy to be praised. Amen?

If you don’t turn on the crockpot, your food will not get cooked. Again, I hear you saying “well, duh”, but stick with me; I do have a point to all this.

Talking about doing something is all fine and good, but it won’t amount to anything if I don’t get my hands in there and do it. We’re having homemade soup for dinner, hopefully. I cut up the potato, opened a couple of cans and mixed it all up with the left over roast we had Sunday. But, if I had sat on my couch and talked about it without doing anything, we would be hungry come dinnertime.

The same goes with doing laundry or writing a book. Talking about writing is easy. Writing the words down, now that takes some effort. Sometimes, I wish the words would go from my brain right to the page, but it never happens. I actually have to put my fingers on the keyboard and type out words. *gasp* LOL

Even after the words are on the page, most of the time they need edited. I misspell them, get them backward and often just plain get them wrong. But, thankfully there is a delete button.

Sometimes in life, there is no delete button. In fact, we only get one life to live. No do-overs. We can go back and apologize for hurtful words, we can ask the Lord to forgive us, and He will, but we can never go back and redo the past. Hindsight might be 20/20, but the future is uncharted territory, and our only guide is the one who is, who was and who is to come.

So, keep making those notes to yourself, don’t forget where you came from, but, more important, don’t be afraid to grab hold of God’s big, warm hand and step out into the future. It might be scary, but He has more out there for you than you have ever dreamed of.

Thanks for being with me today. I would love to hear from you, so drop me a comment. Y’all take care and remember to pray for each other.

Do's and Don'ts in the Kitchen

There is an article floating around the internet that gives a list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to people who are blind. It made the rounds on Facebook a while back. So, in the spirit of that article, here are some important things to remember if you have a blind person who makes herself at home in your kitchen.

1. Do not leave pots and pans sitting on a stovetop with their handles sticking out. The blind person will not see them, and this could results in any number of messes and injuries.
2. Eat what she puts in front of you without asking why the box of pancake mix is on the stove. This could result in learning she thickened your beef stew with it instead of using cornstarch.
3. Do label everything, either in braille or using an electronic system, such as Digit Eyes, an app for iPhones. Failure to label items can result in some very interesting combinations, such as blueberry syrup instead of barbecue sauce on your ribs. Just FYI, this did not happen to me; it happened to a friend of mine.
4. Do inform the person who is blind when you leave an open cup with your drink still in it on their counter. Failure to inform them results in a sticky mess and lots of frustration on the blind person’s part. :-)
5. Do not leave sharp objects, such as knives with their points upward in the drainer. Bloody fingers usually aren’t welcome around food.
6. And, last, but certainly not least, do not move things from where the blind person usually keeps them. A person who is blind cannot rely on their sight to know whether the plastic jug contains milk or sweet tea. The funny part is the sighted child who took a bite of her Fruity Pebbles doused in tea, didn’t even realize it until she had tasted it. Ha! The other funny part was when the man of the house poured the contents of the jug into his gravy mixture, thinking it was milk. So, I suppose these are good do’s and don’ts for sighted folks as well as those who are blind. :)

The truth is mistakes and accidents happen to everyone, no matter if they have a disability or not. Best thing to do is laugh it off and try again. Stuffed peppers don’t come out first time you make them? Figure out what you did wrong and try again. When sweet tea and Fruity Pebbles don’t make a good combination, pour it out and get out a clean bowl and find the real milk jug. Your chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies didn’t set up right? Tell your hubby and kids it’s a chocolate blob and eat it anyway. LOL The kitchen sink is down because it needs worked on? Do your dishes in the bath tub. :-) You accidentally pour a bag of dried beans into your brownie mix instead of chocolate chips? Dump ‘em out and try again.

What ever happens, don’t give up. Never quit trying. Maybe, you’re afraid of the kitchen. Maybe, you think you’re a failure at something else. I still say, don’t give up. Laugh at your mistakes, and keep on keeping on. If you can’t see the humor in your situation, pray about it. Some things just aren’t funny. But, laugh about the ones that are, cry over the ones that aren’t, then get up and try again.

Happy Tuesday. :-)