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Panera!
For years I’ve listened to the writer’s chatter about Panera. This place comes up so often, a writer like me could get the impression that without Panera one’s career in publishing will lack some sparkle. Well, I love sparkle, so I felt left out.
The 2010 ACFW conference took place in Indianapolis. An added bonus to the awesome conference was my chance to see what a Panera actually was. And Yum! I went with my lovely critique partners, Kimberly Buckner, Jodie Bailey, and Donna Moore, for a final meal together before we left for our separate corners of the country.
I’m afraid I didn’t get the full benefit. You see my vanity was kicking me in the head that day. I’d chosen to forgo my glasses the night before. I’m not sure what I was thinking. I guess the glitz of the banquet and the fact that I was up for two awards…Okay, I was VAIN! The migraine that accompanied me for the entire trip home wiped up that little problem. There’s nothing pretty about me with a migraine!
Okay, back to my point. Today, not far from where I live, Panera opens its doors. Now I can be a REAL writer. Look for my tweets about writing at Panera. I’ve joined the club.
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A Little Bit of Wisdom (part 2)
Here’s the rest of my 40 things I’ve learned in 40 years. To see the first ten, click here.
11. Revenge only causes more hurt.
12. There IS such a thing as too much technology.
13. Okay, I really don’t want to admit to this, but I love the guinea pig we’re watching for three years. Yes, I said three years.
14. Books are still better than movies.
15. It doesn’t matter how much gravel we put on our driveway, as soon as it rains, the rock runs for cover somewhere in the center of the earth.
16. Feeling loved is more important than having a spotless house. My kids aren’t going to remember if the windows had smudges.
17. Eating healthy makes me feel healthy. Okay, I know this, but I don’t always apply this one.
18. Along with number 17, exercise actually gives me more energy. Yep, I need to apply that one more too.
19. Sheep food is very dangerous to horses. See my guest blog on Nicole M. Miller’s site for details.
20. Being forty is better than any age so far.
21. I can convince myself of all sort of silliness through positive thinking. (see #20)
22. The enemy wouldn’t bother to attack if I weren’t headed for something amazing!
23. Investing in a child is never a mistake.
24. I will miss my grandmother every day of my life, especially on the particularly hard days and the particularly joyful days.
25. Learning to read opens up the world.
26. It’s okay that my taste in music is seriously eclectic.
27. When a child climbs into your lap with a book, there is nothing important enough to skip that moment.
28. Rejections move me forward and teach me more than any pat on the back. That’s not to mean I would turn my nose up at more contracts. Seriously…Anyone want to buy a manuscript?
29. Great Danes make awesome pets.
30. It’s not the people who don’t love you, it’s the people who DO that count.
31. Other writers are weird just like me.
32. I love spending time with other writers.
33. Prayerfully choose your top priorities and make decisions for your time based on these.
34. Spinach is actually very yummy when it doesn’t come out of a can.
35. Liver is not to be eaten.
36. Family has little to do with biology and more to do with the love and choices.
37. Women are their most beautiful at forty. Seriously…I read that somewhere.
38. Marriage is hard work, and worth every ounce of effort.
39. One sure way to cure a bout of sadness is to serve someone else.
40. And finally…I’ve learned that, although I’ve gained a bit of wisdom in the last forty years, I still know very little. Maybe by the time I reach eighty I’ll be wise.
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A Little Bit of Wisdom!
It’s my birthday! I love birthdays. There’s been a lot of teasing around here about getting older and falling apart, but let’s face it, forty isn’t old. Okay, it’s not young either. Forty is the perfect middle ground. I’m old enough that I’ve collected a bit of wisdom (just a bit). And I’m young enough that I still feel like I can do anything!
One thing that’s really encouraged me lately is how happy my fifty year old friends seem. I take that to mean the next ten years could easily be the best of my life!
I’ve been pondering what I’ve learned so far. Here’s the beginning of my list.
- It’s best to stay away from drama. The problem is, drama works very hard to draw in an audience.
- History is much more exciting than we were led to believe in high school.
- Time spent in prayer is never wasted.
- Cats can be wonderful companion…but they also vomit.
- Persistence is key.
- Persistence must be tempered with patience.
- Bruises don’t fade as fast when you’re forty.
- One should be very careful when walking into the garage. You could fall and get a big bruise.
- When you give forgiveness, you set yourself free.
- I can choose to be happy by focusing on my blessings.
Leave a comment and tell us what grains of wisdom you’ve collected.
Thanks for reading!
Christina
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Thirty-Nine…For One More Day!
Tomorrow I turn forty!
Time sure has a way of flying by. It seems like I just graduated high school. Over the last few days I’ve been thinking back over my life. You know, the good, bad, and other stuff. I’m left with the conclusion that forty isn’t such a bad thing.
The day I turned ten, we flew home from Disneyland. That’s sad enough, but on this particular day John Schneider was due to appear in the park. The Dukes of Hazzard was big then…Real big. And I was sure that Mr. Schneider was the greatest man alive.
At ten I’d lived with my dad and his family for most of the last year. Though I was glad to be included, I struggled with the transition. I was awkward, scrawny, and pretty lost in my own world.
At twenty, I was a newly engaged college student. Though I loved my fiance, I lacked confidence that I could maintain a marriage. Okay, I was sure I’d fail and take someone I loved with me. Life fluctuated between joy and fear. Confidence and faith were rarely in the equation.By thirty I was surrounded by my tiny children, and I’d become responsible for my grandmother’s financial, medical, and daily decisions. I loved this time, but the fatigue was sometimes overwhelming. At this point, I worried about who I’d be when we stopped having little ones. My identity was granddaughter and mom.
So, where am I now that I’m about to turn 40? Well, my kids are getting older. They’re becoming their own independent people, and I’m loving the opportunity to see them grown into themselves. I’ve been married for nineteen years and it’s better than I ever hoped. I’m working toward being a published novelist, and I’m learning more everyday. I have so many wonderful blessings. For the first time in my life, I feel like I know who I am, and I’m confident that God has a plan for me.
Forty is going to be the best so far!
Blessings,
Christina
