August 2006

The winner of the book drawing for one of DiAnn Mill’s books – featured Spotlight author for August – is Cara Putman!

And tomorrow we have a new Spotlight interview with author Rene Gutteridge. Rene is also offering two different books for a book drawing, so if you missed out this time, please come back and try again.

Also, coming up – a list of the new September book releases! So please stay tuned!

There is a book by that title by Keirsey and Bates about the different personality types. It’s a great tool for understanding ourselves and those around us. If you take the test of about 70 questions, it can help you to discover why you are the way you are. There are eight categories in all, and people can be any mix of the differing types. But one of the most noticeable, in my opinion, is what they term “I” and “E” – introvert and extrovert.

I believe this is one area that can change as we age. For instance, my extroverted son was an introvert as a child. Today, he is the opposite in that area only. (I tried to figure him out at age four and the two middle categories remain the same today.)

We all know that introverted people tend to be the shy, wallflower types, who don’t speak out much, just sit in a corner and keep to themselves, right? Not always true. Some introverts can be very outgoing and to look at them you would have no idea that they are not the extroverted type. Some engaging public speakers are introverts, surprisingly enough. So if others can’t always tell, how can the person tell themselves? What is it that makes one person love big crowds or being the center of attention and another fear it?

The difference is this – extroverted people thrive on people. The longer they are around other people, the more their energy grows. They are the type that can stay late at a party and love it, ready to go again the next day. Whereas the introvert typically wants to leave the party early. The longer they are around people, the more they feel their energy slip away. Both types may have a love for people, but one enjoys their company far more than solitude. The other needs their space.

As we learn to understand this quality in ourselves, we can take care to make plans accordingly, to know what will drain us or build us up. And when we can see that one quality is not better than another, just different, we will better understand those around us.

God wired us all in amazing ways, unique to us, yet similar in certain areas. While we can’t simplify a person’s reasons for being introverted or extroverted, we can see that this is part of the fabric of God’s design for their life.

My youngest son recently had his wisdom teeth pulled under general anesthesia. So now none of my family has any wisdom left, we’re all wisdom toothless. (Thank goodness God says He gives wisdom to those who ask, so we aren’t stuck relying on teeth that don’t want to pop the surface.)

But like wisdom teeth that are stuck under the gums, how many times have you sat at the computer trying to extract a sentence that just won’t come? (I’m speaking to writers here – mostly.) You push and prod your brain, trying to get into the spirit of the story, but yesterday’s word count stares back at you, and you are uninspired to move forward. All you really want to do is read what you’ve already written. Why can’t these silly sentences just write themselves on the page so I can go back and read this thing to see if it’s any good or not?

Instead, I pick up a nail file and work on my manicure. Or I pop in another piece of gum. Maybe the chewing action will make the sentence extraction less painful. Or I surf the web for someone else’s work to read. Or worst case scenario, I get up from the computer to raid the kitchen, looking for something with no calories but that might help dislodge the sentences that are stuck in my brain. Unfortunately, nothing in my house, except tea, has no calories!

You would think that at the climax of my wip, knowing how it’s going to play out, that the sentences would flow smoothly, like warm ink from a quill. Instead, I write a few paragraphs, then check the word count to see if I can quit yet. I’ve actually met my goal today, but it feels like I just need to finish this thing! And tomorrow is going to feel like I’m back under the knife again, trying to extract the sentences without anesthesia.

I like this story, honestly! But this is my second draft without the joy of reading it all the way through, and I’m getting impatient! Only about 6,000 words to go. Broken down into maybe 600 sentences? I can do this! I can! But I’ll like it a whole lot more if the sentences come easier than pulling teeth.

We hear a lot about stress these days. As someone who sits in front of the computer a lot, not to mention my tendency to internalize things that trouble or worry me, I end up with all sorts of aches and pain that shouldn’t bother someone my age. Maybe some people in the world are willing to succumb to the fact that our bodies start their downward cycle during the middle years, but I’m not one of them. I’m fighting age, and the effects of stress every chance I get. :)

But I will admit, I lose the battle often. So I’ve been trying to figure out ways to release physical stress on my body and the mental stress on my mind all while completing my daily goals of being a wife, mom, and writer. I’ve come up with a few stress relieving activities I thought I’d share. Here are a few:

1. Exercise – I know, I know, I hate that word as much as the next person – but weight training exercise can build muscle and relieve tension. I’ve begun (again, because I stop and start these things) a low impact light weight training program – it only takes eight minutes a day – which pretty much anyone can handle, I think, when we’re not pouting about exercising. :)

2. Nutrition – whether it helps my stress or not, if I eat wholesome foods more than processed or junk foods, I feel better. That’s got to count for something!

3. Take a break – sitting too long, typing too long, standing too long, anything we do repetitively can wear on our bodies. Today I made peach cobbler (fresh peaches) and stood cutting up peaches then cooking the mixture for at least 30 minutes. My back didn’t like the strain – especially after sitting at the computer trying to coax words on the page. So before going on to baking zucchini bread (my next project) I took a break.

4. Take a longer break – this applies more to a Sabbath rest. No one can work 24/7 without repercussions. Last Sunday evening, I treated myself to a home spa treatment. It meant a couple of hours devoted to pampering myself by candlelight in the tub, and let me tell you, it was well worth it! I found some fun recipes for various baths on this website. They even have a page about how to make a chocolate bath, which is on my to-try list. And don’t forget to try the exfoliating with different oils. Soft skin is wonderful. :)

5. Learn to let go – for the Christian, when we stress out about things, we feel guilty because we know we’re not taking Christ’s yoke on us and learning from Him. Our bodies hurt too much and worry is second nature. If you’re like me, you can even stress subconsciously, even when you think you’re not doing so! I’ll admit it – I’ve got a Mary heart and a Martha mind. (Mary wanted to just sit at Jesus’ feet and learn, while Martha was “worried and troubled about many things.”) I so wish I could let my Martha spirit rest! Thankfully, I believe we can, but it takes continually giving our worries and concerns to the Lord. It means staying in the Word and praying, not with “begging for our way” sort of prayers, but with an attitude of “I really don’t know what’s best – may Your will be done.” The more often we surrender to His will, the more we can release the stress.

6. Laugh more – watch a good comedy or talented comedian. (The clean ones, of course.) Learn to laugh more and often. Laugh at yourself instead of taking yourself so seriously.

7. Forgive – holding grudges against others is the worst kind of stress. Sometimes we don’t even realize we’re angry at someone until it starts to show up in our bodies. “Forgive as God in Christ Jesus has forgiven you.”

Other tricks for those with constant muscle pain and trigger point pain are these:

1. Muscle rubs – Biofreeze, BenGay, Emu Oil, Arnica Gel

2. Some kind of tool to help put pressure on trigger points. Be careful about pushing too hard on tender spots. I’ve bruised myself more than once. But gentle pressure can release the knots.

3. Rotate Advil and Tylenol or Aleve, sparingly. Don’t overdo these drugs or take other than as directed (use the smallest dose first) – they can cause worse problems if you do. (Ask me how I know.) :)

4. Heating pads and hot tubs – those sprayers can do wonders on sore muscles. Wish I had one at home!

Hope that helps someone!

If you’ve been reading this blog for very long, you know that last Christmas my family and I took the plunge and decided one cat was not enough. Our tabby, Shadow, is a good cat, and not too much trouble, but he was eight years old and not all that playful any more. A kitten seemed like so much fun. What harm could it do?

So we adopted Tiger, who remained nameless for quite a while despite the fact that the shelter had named him Tiger-boy, probably because he looks like a gray tiger in miniature. His markings are different than Shadow’s – he’s got lots of stripes and a distinctive tiger mouth. Regardless, I spent hours on the web searching for cat names, only to have them all disgarded by my guys. He ended up Tiger (minus the boy) after all. (Though I call him “Little Toes” most of the time.) :)

The trouble was, Shadow did not like that new kitty one bit and we went through quite a series of issues trying to get Shadow to accept his new playmate. Shadow ended up sick twice, and we even resorted to locking Tiger in the bathroom at night so Shadow could have some space.

But I’m happy to report that those days have come to a peaceful end. Tiger now has free run of the house all day and all night. Shadow actually tolerates Tiger’s presence, not only in the same room, but on the same couch and once in a while on the same lap. Or close to it. They share food dishes and when I bought Tiger a new catbox with a lid (because he likes to spray cat litter all over the laundry room), he was afraid of it and decided he would use Shadow’s box instead. Shadow doesn’t seem to mind, but then Shadow stole Tiger’s cat bed, so maybe they’re even. :)

The most fun part about having two kitties is the way they play at night when they become full of what we call “jabs.” They race around the house, skating on the linoleum, chasing each other – and they both instigate the chase. Sometimes Shadow gets tired of the little kid though. For instance – one day Tiger was playing with his crinkle ball and batted near Shadow’s bed. Tiger wanted that ball, but every time he got close to Shadow, who was supposed to be sleeping, Shadow would bat Tiger in the head. Tiger doesn’t give up easily, but after about three good whaps, he decided maybe he didn’t want to play with that ball after all.

Sometimes they fight like the cats they are, but most of the time peace reigns at the Smith household. Two kitties are a lot of fun – and love and patience seem to have helped them actually mellow. I think they might even like each other. :)