The Best Medicine

"Laughter is the spark of the soul." -- Unknown

Last night I dreamed of laughter. It was a dream with no plot, no protagonist, certainly no antagonist - nothing more than scenes of people in my life whose laughter I love and have loved. The scenes made me smile, but I woke with a tear because many of those in my dream are no longer with me.

I always knew how I loved the sounds of their laughter - deep and throaty, soft and giggly, or hearty and boisterous. I am often aware of how I miss "the spark of their soul." But the dream was a reminder to enjoy and appreciate more, the laughter of those still with me.

Five Questions for Edward "Ned" Downie, Satirist

 

Ned is thought to be hiding in Northwest Arkansas, where he is sought in connection with serial violations of the Elmore Leonard Rules. As the satirist member of the Northwest Arkansas Writers Workshop, his short stories have appeared in several anthologies.

We writers often meet for dinner before our regular Thursday night meetings. Often, the subject of politics arises, and I have found that some are happy to discuss opinions and others would prefer not. Ned has been someone with whom I've had several such discussions. Most are matter-of-fact and respectful, though a few have become heated enough that one or the other of us decided it best to bite our tongues. Ouch.

It has caused me some curiousity about political discussions and non-discussions. Why is it that politics (and religion) can be such a challenge to talk about?

In my humble opinion, it's because many of us believe we are right - that our "side" is the only side, and therefore, we owe no credence to what the other "side" thinks. To that, I quote Max Born:

The belief that there is only one truth, and that oneself is in possession of it, is the root of all evil in the world."

HAPPY New Year!

The January issue of Real Simple magazine contained a series of articles on happiness - appropriate for the New Year, since it's what we think about as we "start with a clean slate." I was particularly interested in the article "The History of Happiness."  In it, the author, Marcia Menter, explains that getting everything you want in life will not necessarily make you happy, and that many people today mistakenly equate happiness to "having it all."

The article included a list of nine ways to be happier:

1) Chill out.

2) Remember whence you came.

3) Don't dwell.

4) Spread the wealth.

5) Eat a snack around 2 p.m.

6) Get a move on.

7) Limit your options.

8) Start baking.

9) Make your bed.

All are simple ways to enhance life. Each month, I'll take an item and write about it, motivation throughout the year - at least until September. Watch for my "2011's Journey" blog posts on the 2nd Monday of each month, beginning with "Chilling Out" on Monday, January 13, 2011.

As a teenager, I remember reading a quote by Ben Sweetland. It put happiness in clearer perspective for me:

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

A Writer's Space

What is your writing space like? This is a picture of mine. Sometimes I imagine it a hundred years from now, in the Jan Morrill Museum with a sign that reads:

This is where Jan Morrill wrote her seventeen bestselling novels.

Pardon this fiction-writer's escape into the realm of (very) creative non-fiction.

Things I love about my writing space:

1) It has most everything I need in a relatively small space - reference books, the Internet, a laptop, file drawers, a printer, pictures of loved ones, personal treasures, a bulletin board.

2) It has a great view of the Ozarks outside a window that is small enough not to be distracting while I write.

3) I have a comfortable chair from which to type or read . . . and re-read . . . and re-read my manuscripts.

Things I would change about my writing space:

1) I would put a door on it. Sometimes I am distracted - by the television, my dogs, my husband.

2) I wish the Internet was faster and more reliable - but then, I might not get as much writing done.

3) Since I am a writer and can create my own fantasy world, I wish my writer's space would clean and organize itself.

Tell me about your space - your likes and dislikes. Email a picture to me at jymorrill@gmail.com and I'll post it on this blog!



Take a peek at other writers' spaces:



Dixie Ruth's writer's space shows plenty of inspiration for her books!
Click here to visit Dixie Ruth's blog



Everydayclimb shares her writing space with Henry-the-Cat.
Click here to go to everydayclimb's blog

Victor's space - a lot of potential for creativity!





Serendipity Strikes Again

I love when serendipity strikes: like last weekend, when I drove to Dallas with my daughter, Andrea, to celebrate Christmas with my son, Adam, and his wife, Emily. As many of my regular blog followers know, I am a fan of Fox News. Okay, I'm a Fox News junkie. And, my car is equipped with XM Radio, which allows me to feed my habit perhaps more often than I should -- admittedly, in true junkie fashion.

However, being of a different political persuasion, Andrea is NOT a fan of Fox News. So, though I clutched the steering wheel with white knuckles through my slow withdrawal, I compromised, and we listened to Christmas music. When we both tired of all the fa-la-la-la-las, we listened to NPR. My jitters simmered a little then -- at least it was talk radio.

We listened to the discussions of a variety of topics:

1) "e-polluting": "The dirty little secret is that when you take [your electronic waste] to a recycler, instead of throwing it in a trashcan, about 80 percent of that material, very quickly, finds itself on a container ship going to a country like China, Nigeria, India, Vietnam, Pakistan — where very dirty things happen to it," says Jim Puckett, the executive director of the Basel Action Network, which works to keep toxic waste out of the environment.
NPR - What Happens to Electronic Waste

2) An Object of Beauty, by Steve Martin. Yes, that would be the comedian, Steve Martin. I didn't know he was an author. Well, this interview discussed the second half of his talented life - his life as an author. NPR - Steve Martin Finds his Muse in An Object of Beauty





3) The State of Kids - Highlights Magazine conducted their second annual survey of children between the ages of 5 and 13. The survey asked questions such as:

What do you like best about yourself?
According to the survey, more than twice as many girls than boys named a physical attribute. Hmmm . . .


If you could change one thing in the world, what would you change? Why?
I loved some of the answers provided by the children for this question:

"I would change cigarete factories into candy factories because cigarete factories are very, very bad for you and candy is sooo delishous."

"I would change the Statue of Liberty to a Godzilla statue because it will be my world.










What new inventions will happen in your lifetime?
Another great answer, perhaps by a future inventor?

"I want to invent a spoon that has 3 parts so you could eat 3 foods at once."

The honesty and imagination of children is fascinating to me. Read more at: The State of Kids Survey

As you can see, it was quite a medley of interesting subjects, and in the end, Andrea and I averted a political debate. I was happy and Andrea was happy.

I must admit, it does a soul good to de-tox every once in awhile.