I have recently started writing for other sources outside of my blog. Some sites allow me to reprint posts already written on my blog. Others require new pieces. This was the case with a site called "Two Drops of Ink" A site geared for offering writing advice and support for new writers. I am very proud to say that my submission was published today. I encourage you to check it out my post as well as the many other talented writers. You can find the link at the button below.

Thank you Two Drops of Ink! 

I try not to get political, but recent events with Healthcare has fired me up to the point where I actually have written to the senators. The issue of pre-existing conditions knows no boundaries of race, creed or political leaning.  The dividing line is resources to faces these issues. Life is not always neat and tidy. Divorce, job change, and the illness itself have a way of interrupting financial resources and what used to be a normal way life. My letter is an impassioned plea for love and compassion, not politics in creating this new legislature. 

​I have a suitcase filled with toys and activities to do with my nephews and niece, but I don’t have my license. Yeah, that’s how I roll. I discovered this while trying to get a beer at a Red Sox game I was invited to the night before I left. One look at me made getting my beer not a problem. Getting though the TSA to board a plane might not be as easy. Seeing that my flight was leaving at 9:25 the next morning, making the over three hour trip back to NH to retrieve it and getting back in time was not going to be an option. 

I saw this picture this morning that a friend shared on FB. I told her I might need to borrow it for my next blog post. I have been having trouble getting it to the point where I felt like it was ready to share. I know I have a tendency to over think things (a habit I am trying to lessen). Still, it was written on the heels of a rough day last week.  I want to promote hope and resilience. But what happens when the hope gets dragged into discouragement.  Everyone has been so supportive and encouraging. I want to be the strong and positive person I feel I am. But when one bad day turns into two, I start to worry (another bad habit I am trying to kick).  I think what it comes down to for me is that the physical issues, though frustrating and painful at times, are much easier for me to push back against than the emotional ones.  Not that I’m not strong emotionally, because I think I am, but sometimes life’s battles hits you right in your weak spot and you crumble. This is the place where my original blog post begins.

​When the completion of March Madness comes the same day as opening day for the Red Sox, it is a happy day for this sports fan. My only question is whether or not I should be embarrassed or proud that on my NCAA bracket I picked the correct winner, but all the movies I picked for the Meow Madness Christmas movie match up on Hallmark Channel dropped out in the Sweet Sixteen. I'm going with proud.
 
After the Superbowl, I read a post that said "Calm down people. It's only a football game". Clearly, not a football fan, especially a Patriots or Falcons fan. But it made me think. Obviously, it means a great deal to those of us who are fans. It made me wonder about why that is.

​A funny thing happened this afternoon. I was pouring warm diet soda into my mug. As expected, it began to bubble to the top. I have always been fascinated by that. I encouraged my daughter to do a science experiment on it in middle school to determine what causes the bubbles to overflow when pouring and how it can be avoided. Needless to say, I was considerably more interested in the topic than she was, but, back to my mug. Today when I filled it, it didn't overflow. I stopped pouring at the right time. Now this may not seem significant to you, but if you have spent any time around me, you will know that I am always either rushing to fill it (and since I am impatient, it overflows) or I am playing scientist and trying to continue pouring as the bubbles pop and time the flow of pouring it so it doesn't overflow. This requires focus and patience, (which I lack) so I usually end up making it overflow anyways. Today, I opened a brand new bottle, full of carbonation and poured the bubbles right to the top, then stopped and waited for them to go down to finish filling it. No mess. Not even a little volcano. I actually laughed and said aloud to myself, Wow. No spill. That is significant. I must have learned patience. It may sound funny, but the reality is that I was aware that something really had changed.

Last week was a week of ups and downs. The realities of listing the house left me with a "Cranky Wednesday" (see previous post). Just when I thought I was feeling better and was looking forward to settling in for a pleasant evening, life had other plans. A loud roar and crackle alerted me quickly that something was wrong. It seems that the weeks of using up the last of the wood that had succumbed to the weather, was just enough to coat the narrow liner of my chimney with creosote (despite my using the powder that was suppose to deter it) resulting in a chimney fire. ​