Riding 2 Horses
June 29, 2026 - Being a published author is my goal, but until then, I must continue my real estate business. I love that business, but it is very transactional, unlike writing which is more creative. When I try to do both on the same day, my brain scrambles from one side to the other asking me which are we riding on today? Maybe that’s a way to stay fresh and keep the cobwebs blown out. So, until I master both, it will continue to feel like I’m riding two horses at the same time. Annie Oakley I am not, so wish me well.
Aug. 14, 2026 - No big title this time, just free-wheeling it and learning how to edit my website. You can teach an old dog new tricks.
August already. So much to do. So much to keep up with. I think about this blog all the time, now I need to discipline myself to actually write stuff here. Here’s my thought for today:
Have you ever noticed that giving yourself a real “time out” break can help sort out knotty problems?
I was taking a walk today, my version of a time-out, and listening to a podcast interview with Dr. Jeff Karp, who gave this handy tip. When things seem out of control, give yourself even a 5-minute break. Don’t check email or social media. Just take 5 minutes and breathe. Take yourself out of the problem scenario. Ideally, take yourself outside and watch the clouds. That’s what he does himself when his day is packed with back-to-back meetings. Working as a biomedical engineer, he is also a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and a distinguished professor of Anesthesiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the principal faculty at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. And I thought I was a busy person. His point was, when you come back from that 5-minute break, your mind will be refreshed and ready to tackle, maybe with new energy, some of the things holding you back. Taking a break gives us a mental time out. It’s only five minutes.
I tried this today and guess what? He was right. I allowed myself to see that I was holding myself back from taking the step of seeking an agent for my historical fiction novel. A book that has been seven years in the making. No one else was holding me back. It was only me. I had to let that sit for a while. I had to get out of my own way. Inaction can be stifling. It becomes an excuse and, worse, a barrier. My first attempt at finding an agent doesn’t have to be my last. I must look at this as a learning experience. I am determined to learn something from every step involved in finding an agent. Boom! Whoever said ‘life is a journey’ was so right.
So, now I beat back the tendency to stifle myself. I did, after all, write a 90,000-word novel. ‘How many people can say that? ’I ask myself. Still, I haven’t completely banished my well-entrenched bad behaviors. It’s easy to slide back into comfortable old routines and find a million other distractions from what I really need to accomplish. One technique I’ve developed is to make a list before I go to sleep of the things I want to accomplish the next day. I’m a good list maker. I get satisfaction from being able to check off an item on my list. My list sometimes gets too long, so I have to prioritize with an A, B or C. The C’s rarely get done, unless they move up to the B category. But I’ve been doing a bang-up job on the A’s and a so-so job on the B’s. I know, I know. It gives me something to work on, though.
Taking a 5-minute break may not seem like much, but it can be restorative in multiple ways. Our brains adjust quickly to new stimuli. Listen to birds’ chirp (what are they discussing?), the sound of an airplane overhead (where are they headed?), the smell of a newly mowed lawn (ah, childhood memories), the feel of a breeze cooling your forehead (so satisfying). All these sensations take place in seconds. Your brain identifies them, and you can transport yourself to many memories that stimulate your thinking. When you return to your work, you’ll feel refreshed, rested, and open to new avenues for helping you tackle whatever you are working on. If it’s creative writing, you may have found the path to solving a historical mystery that wasn’t strong enough. Or maybe you just feel refreshed because you got up and walked around a little. Tiny little changes in your environment can have a huge influence on your creativity.
For now, my priority needs to be to find a good agent, followed by being better at sharing my journey with others. I work better and more diligently if I have accountability partners. Don’t we all? Part of my sharing is creating this blog on my website (something else I’ve been dragging my feet on), and I’d be very inspired by how you challenge yourself. Sometimes the simplest change in environment prompts another, then another. It’s all cumulative and helps to keep the door open to new viewpoints.
Does this make sense? Have you tried this 5-minute break idea, or maybe you’re going to try it? There’s more than one way to stimulate our creative selves. Perhaps you’ve found some nuggets and are willing to share? I’d love your thoughts.
An Invitation
My writing is something that makes me feel connected to others. Part of writing means reading too. You must read well to write well. I’ve been on a memoir kick lately. The most recent book I read was a gift from my husband, Margaret Atwood’s Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts. It was fabulous. Toward the end I read it slower because I didn’t want it to end, but it did. Here is another of my other favorites loaned to me by my reading buddy Colleen: Ina Garten’s Memoir Be Ready When the Luck Happens. This delicious book on so many levels was Ina’s straightforward view of her life and her resilience that got her through some rough times. Same as Margaret Atwood’s memoir, Atwood, a great and candid look about her amazing life, the good, the bad and the not-so-pretty. Another book I read recently is from a fellow writer, Valerie Stoller, who wrote Shipyard Gals, a historical fiction book based on a true story that Val experienced as a nurse in 1944 when women fought battles against sexism, racism and the danger of their jobs while supporting the WWII effort.
What are you reading these days? I’m always looking for good stories.
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