Between Jest and Earnest

The following is a post from my 10-year-old daughter, Ruth. She is very passionate about this topic and she wanted me to share this with as many people as possible. ------------------------------ A puppy mill makes female dogs have litter after litter of puppies to sell. The workers don't care about their health or treatment, they only care about the money. The puppies are separated from their mothers, then piled in cages. You may know about puppy mills and you may not. Either way, they are awful places. Some puppies are driven in a truck, like apples or corn. Fortunately, puppy mills are regulated in Pennsylvania. Sooo... we're all good -right? Well, that's not the case. Puppy Mills may be regulated in some states, but in the chart below, it shows that twenty other states don't have any laws against them! Alabama Idaho Nevada South Carolina Alaska Kentucky New Mexico South Da

After Two Years, I Have a Draft! Now What???

A couple of Sunday mornings ago, I closed my laptop and felt pretty good about myself. I had a draft. A completed draft. Don't get me wrong, it's a flaming pile of mess. But it's my flaming pile of mess. It was two years ago when I started an exercise in self-discipline wherein I committed to writing a minimum of 30 minutes a day for 30 days . It was a success, insofar as I was able to stick to this commitment. But it also succeeded in helping me to develop a new habit. In the coming months, I continued writing for at least 30 minutes on most days. Have there been lapses? Yep. Plenty of them. But with a little bit of effort, I've been able to recommit. Ever since closing my laptop on that day, though, I've let the metaphorical dust gather around the manuscript. Most days, I wake up thinking that this will be the day where I turn it around. But then the day finishes, and I'm telling myself "Tomorrow you'll do it. Just wait until tomorrow." B

Feeling Overwhelmed? Try Taking a Nap

The Sentry (1654) by Carel Fabritius What is a productive response to feeling overwhelmed? I'm asking for a friend, of course. I just consulted Dr. Google on this one, and let's just say... The response is overwhelming. I did, however, find one article wherein the author lists four helpful steps: Take a deep breath Make a list Create a clear actionable plan Stop multitasking All of this makes sense. As I have said before , I often find myself losing my breath during the day. My chest tightens, my eyes squint, and my jaw clenches. It's all part of a process of going inward, of shrinking into my own space. I haven't imploded yet. Yet. Still, deep and intentional breaths help. And so do lists--to write down the tasks, and have reasonable and achievable goals. Then there is the avoidance of multitasking. When I'm writing, I do best when I shut everything down. All it takes is one email to pull me away. So yes, I agree. These are all he

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