In this month's topic we are supposed to explore the ways we "celebrate" ourselves.
I have to tell you I had difficulty coming up with an answer that didn't make me sound a. conceited, b. self indulgent, or, 3. narcissistic.
Let me 'esplain...
I was raised in a strict Irish/Italian Catholic home. The only time we celebrated anything was if it was a Holy day. I never had birthday parties as a kid, because money was tight and my mother considered it a waste to celebrate something that came around every 365 days.
I was a straight A student but my report cards were never celebrated. It was expected that I do well just because it was...expected. When I brought home my report card, my mother signed it and said, "Keep it up."
When I got into college - the first in my family ever to do so - my parents' only response was to ask how I was going to pay for it.
See a pattern here? I lived almost my entire life this way. Until, that is, the very first time I was published.
The day my first book went on sale was March 5, 2015. That night I celebrated by making myself a cake and opening a bottle of Skinny Girl Cosmo.
That little ritual has now become a pattern. For every book's release day, I make myself a chocolate/chocolate cake and open a bottle of Skinny Girl. As self indulgences go, it's pretty tame. But it's the one way I celebrate me and my accomplishments.
And you know what? It never gets old. Every new book published ( there have been 18 so far with 3 more planned to release this year ) I get a thrill from eating that cake and toasting myself with a cosmo. Of course I also get a sugar high and a little buzzed, but....
How do you celebrate yourself and your accomplishments? Like I said, it took my until I was 55 years old to do so. How about you? I'd love to hear.
Book #18 released two days ago and I'm so happy it's out in the romance-reading world. VANILLA WITH A TWIST tells the story of a small town, single mother and ice cream parlor owner who's faced some tough choices in her life, and an engineer at a crossroads in his, who walks into her shop one summer's day and changes both their lives for ever.
And yes, I made a cake and had a cosmo on Wednesday! hee hee
Let’s travel back in time for a moment. Way back to the 80s, Kenny
Rogers and that catchy country-sounding song titled The Gambler.
Remember these lyrics?
These words rushed back to me today as I sat down to write. Representative
of so much more than gambling, they gave me a moments' pause. I’ve been
reflecting on life quite a bit lately. My own, my family’s, that of my
characters. Not a ‘what if?’ type of reflection, but more a ‘where to next?’
As I mentioned in August, life has a tendency to throw us
curveballs. That old 'doling out lemons' scenario where if we’re tossed one or
more we’re told to stick around and make lemonade.
Yes, sometimes we’re thrown those good curveballs. Moments that leave
your mind racing, your heart smiling and your imagination so full it’s fit to
burst. Moments that make you believe dreams really can come true. Moments like
one I shared with hubby just recently, when we sat down with an architect and created
the home we’d been talking about for the past twenty years. Those are the cards
you hold close to your chest and never let go. They’re the times you don’t just
make lemonade, but you make lemon tart, lemon pie and an entire assortment of
lemon-based goodies.
But what if making lemonade leaves us vulnerable or unhappy or exposed
to dangers that are best avoided?
Let’s quit with the metaphors. What if we refuse to stick around and
make the best of things? What if our living situation becomes untenable? Or in our
neighbor’s case, what happens when her landlord sells the property and she’s
informed only when the new owner knocks on her door to introduce himself and
give her notice to vacate?
We have that same landlord. As a result, what should we do if when looking
online for a house to buy we come across our rental, on the market, 100% ready to sell?
No lemonade here. We fold. Take action, and move on our terms, not his. Something
we did, just last week.
Even though we know we’ll need to move again in a year, we weren’t
willing to wait and take the chance we’d be able to stay on as tenants for the
new owner. We wanted to take control of our own destiny, not hand it to a man
who has very little regard for others.
And so, finally settled into our new ‘temporary’ home, I can relax
knowing our family has a roof over our heads for the foreseeable future.
Now, back to our metaphors . . .
What happens when our lemons hit in the form of a friend? Or should I
say ‘anti-friend’? Ever thought you knew someone as well as you knew yourself?
Always watched their back as you’d assumed they watched yours? You know those
people – the ones who smile at you and say wonderful things to your face.
What if one day you find that all those fancy compliments were a cover
for something more sinister?
That they were talking behind the back they should have been watching,
spreading rumors that when scrutinized would fall, but that didn’t matter,
because the people they told hadn’t met you and had no way of discovering the
truth.
No lemonade here.
Time
to walk away.
I’ve never been a believer in keeping
your enemies close. Better to keep them as far away as possible.
And then there’s Jasmine, the character
in my new in-the-process-of-being-created series. Jasmine’s best friend from
her teens, Drew, the boy who arrived one day, stole her heart, then left
without a trace, has returned, only to be kidnapped before her eyes.
What should she do?
Run?
And if so, in which direction? Toward danger or away?
Jasmine wants answers. Much as she thrives on order and
predictability, she needs to find Drew and find closure over his desertion all
those years ago. So yes, at first she acts tentatively, seeking clues on his captors, but when the going gets
tougher, and the danger more imminent, she runs. Runs to save him.
And in running, not only does she discover some – not all – of the answers
she seeks, but she also discovers an inner strength and courage she never knew
she had.
It’s these times we discover our true
worth. It’s all about choices.
When fate deals those cards, it's important to pick them
up and assess your options. All four of these moments take a particular type of
strength – whether we hold those cards, fold them, walk away or run – we learn
so much about ourselves, and discover hidden power and abilities deep within
ourselves.
We do whatever must be done that is true and right and safe for us and
the ones we love.
So, when life next hands you lemons, remember you always have choices. You
don’t always have to make lemonade.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
What are your experiences where you’ve
had to decide whether to hold, fold, walk or run? Or when life handed you lemons. What did you decide? And how did it all turn out?
I’d love to hear your stories or your
‘take’ on this topic.
As always, have a fabulous month, and
I look forward to seeing you all again in November. Wow, where has the year
gone!
Michelle Somers is a
bookworm from way back. An ex-Kiwi who now calls Australia home, she's a
professional killer and matchmaker, a storyteller and a romantic. Words are her
power and her passion. Her heroes and heroines always get their happy ever
after, but she'll put them through one hell of a journey to get there.
Michelle lives in
Melbourne, Australia, with her real life hero and three little heroes in the
making. And Emmie, a furry black feline who thinks she’s a dog. Her debut
novel, Lethal in Love won the Romance Writers of Australia's 2016
Romantic Book of the Year (RuBY) and the 2013 Valerie Parv Award.
You can find out
all about Michelle, her adventures and her books at www.michelle-somers.com
Please pop by and say 'hi' 😊
And in case you have a hankering to hear
that song, here it is:
