First things first. I haven’t moved houses or switched dog food brands. My hoomans are all fine. The neighborhood powder puff – that yappy little furball on four legs – is still around. So annoying. Her Momness and I have just been running around all over the place. Seems like we just wrapped up summer and now we’re halfway through winter.
Squirrel!
Wait. Where was I? Oh yeah. Halfway through winter.
We give out a super duper, totally pawsitively and magnificently splendiderous author award every once in awhile. Comes with extra pawsome sauce. It’s called The Kimber Award. Because, hey. It’s me.
We’ll get to that in just a min. So kindly keep your hair on, Toots. First an update on The Ole Curmudgeon.
Mom was in the hospital place recently. She hates hospitals. So do I. They won’t allow me inside. Silly hospitals.
Silly Mom. If she ever buys stock in Kleenex, we can retire and move to Tibet or somewhere. Cuz she says every once in a while a book, painting, message or song is so powerful that it’s a wee bit overwhelming.
I’m not sure what that means. But if it has Mom doing the sparkly, sniffly smiley thing it must be good.
Like getting hit with a thanksgiving tsunami. Like MercyMe’s Flawless.
This vid isn’t new. But one of us thought it’s just right for this here Thanksy Day thing. The other is still grabbing the Kleenex. Can you guess why?
By Allie Nava, Author of JULY AND EVERYTHING AFTER
“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted” – Aesop
“To extend yourself in kindness to anybody is an extension in kindness in the world.” — Oprah Winfrey
These are quotes I’m reminded of when I think about the power of kindness in the world. It is a power to pay it forward, to surprise others when they least expect it, to contribute something generous in spirit. Kindness is also an act of empathy, and it affects us as much as it affects the person or people to whom the act is bestowed.
Biologically, kindness releases chemicals in the brain that reduce stress, lower anxiety, and generally improve our mood. Being a recipient of kindness can do the same. So it might follow that acts of kindness, both to ourselves and others, can help us dissipate negative feelings, even anger.
Both the science of psychology, and various philosophical and religious traditions alike, have long recognized that the answer to cruelty is not another act of cruelty, that a response to anger should not be more anger. They have recognized that the path to equanimity, peace, and happiness is often the opposite response. Even the great former activist Gandhi said, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”
Marcus Aurelius, the famous Roman Emperor, wrote a book called Meditations, in which he records his innermost thoughts about what he observes of the world around him, and his own reactions and behaviors, and in which he constantly reminds himself to behave in more generous, empathetic, and kind ways. He reminds himself in Meditations, among other things, paraphrased:
To consider people and their character as a whole, and not to judge them based on a small set of behaviors. To realize that we all have similar flaws. That it can be our own opinions about things that anger us, rather than the thing itself. That anger hurts us more than the thing we’re angry about That kindness can be the antidote to anger
He challenged himself and reminded himself to put things in context and to react and respond with empathy and generosity, and that this could eliminate the anger itself.
In my novel July and Everything After, the protagonist Maya is challenged personally after experiencing and witnessing atrocities during a brutal civil war. The book follows her transformational journey as she tries to emerge from the crises, and she learns about her own anger.
Many times people are reactionary to what happens around them. By being shown kindness, or acting kindly, everyone receives a chance to benefit from a more positive outcome.
Allie Nava is the author of bestselling novel JULY AND EVERYTHING AFTER, a modern tale of resilience against extraordinary odds. You can find her online at:
www.allienava.com and on social media at www.instagram.com/alliestories8 or www.facebook.com/alliestories8.
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Newsletter: www.allienava.net
Instagram: @alliestories8
Facebook: /alliestories8
We’ve had several requests for an encore of our post about a popular indie review site, Reedsy Discovery. So here it is:
You’re welcome.
Moms are a Special Kind of Someone. Silent and strong. Mouthy and mushy. 1600+ kinds of beautiful.
I know this is so because Mom says so.
Moms are sometimes sentimental. Like the other day. Mom, The Kid and I were walking home from the library. All of a sudden Mom gets all misty-eyed. Something about Fridays and Storytime at the library.
“Do you remember how we used to walk over to the library every week for Storytime when you were a little kid?” she says to my brother. He’s the youngest. I have three other brothers older than him. “How did you get to be 19 so fast?” she asks.
‘Wait. Is that Sasquatch?’
If you’ve been with us for any length of time – say, 20 minutes or so – you know that Mom and I are like, totally unimpressed with the words “Best-selling author.” Or its kissing cousins, “(fill in the blank) Award Winner.” Ditto“Over a bazillion copies in print.” The fact that everyone and their neighbor’s cat is crowing about a new release impresses us about as much as a plate of overcooked cabbage. Without the plate.
Yeppers. We’ve heaped praise on unknown indie authors who’ve earned it. We’ve also panned Pulitzer Prize winners who deserved it. Ya just never know.
So here, in living technicolor, is our latest round of best-sellers that bombed. According to us. We read these so’s you don’t have to. You’re welcome:
We’ve all heard about ’em. Seen ’em. Some of us own more than one.
We’re talking about the latest and greatest in communication technology: iPhones, smart phones, iPads, texting. Handy-dandy little items, these, especially when it comes to capturing creative genius on the fly. Right? Uh, right?
Being all magnificent and everything.
Put another way: what recording device does Her Momness use to lasso that creative blogging gem before it stales and staggers into the overcrowded corral of busy forgetfulness? What’s her preferred reading format – print or ebook?
Kindly keep your shirt on, Toots. We’ll get to all of that in a min. But first things first:
Opening lines. They can pull you into book and urge ya to go further, or turn ya off so’s ya move on.
Mom and me, we’ve been around long enough to know some good opening lines when we see ‘em. So we made a list. Checked it twice. And came up with our 100% unscientific, totally subjective list of 35 Most Memorable Opening Lines Ever. From books we’ve actually read.
Her Royal Grumpiness is all grumpified today. For two reasons: 1) Glasses; 2) The Book Place.
Short version: New prescription eye glasses ain’t working. Only way Her Momness can read a computer screen is by tilting her head up and looking through the bottom of the lenses. So not happenin’. What was that optometrist thinking? So annoying.
Pages & Paws 