This one is easy because I already have it. It’s a room I call my office space, not too big and not too small. Just cozy and perfectly furnished but with lots of clutter because “clutter” somehow gets my creative juices flowing.
It has one big window and if I look up while I’m writing, I see the fields in the distance and today they are shrouded in fog. Sort of spooky looking but enough to get some ideas going. Just in front of the window is a big Japanese Cherry Blossom tree which is gorgeous in spring when in full bloom. Right now, it looks bare with little droplets of water clinging to its branches. Still a pretty sight.
This is my perfect space and if I add Chachi, the cat, sitting on the window sill than this space becomes more than perfect.
Daily writing prompt
You get to build your perfect space for reading and writing. What’s it like?
This post was from last year but I wasn’t alone this year either. My son decided to visit and it was nice. We had an alone mom and son time. Food was great, at least he thought so and he got all his favorites at one go! Well, two of his favorites, just the tuna stuff he loves and lasagne with a salad to tone down the high-carb intake. Anyway, Christmas is over and time to bid it Adieu again!
It has come and gone. The time of year where some wait religiously to put on their best light show and see who can outdo whom! The festival of lights in the Christian sense is now more about presents, presents, and more presents. Add the food fest and raucous family gatherings and you have the Christmas of today.
Never mind about that. It has come and gone and for some, it was a dreadful time especially if you are faraway from family and loved ones and had to spend it alone. It brings home “loneliness” and being “lonely” to another level. I hope you survived it as I did.
I was going to spend it alone and was prepared to do so with no problems at all. However, a friend was going to be alone as well as he had decided not to spend it with his son and family. Misery loves company as they say. He came over armed with roses and presents and even a present for Chachi, the cat!. How thoughtful but Chachi wasn’t buying any of it! He kept his distance and his mistrust showed in those big eyes and sweet face of his.
“Hey buddy, don’t try anything with my mommy!” was the message he gave and it came across loud and clear.
Dinner was nice. It was a low-key affair although he came dressed to please and I stayed in my sweats! I did deliver a good one. The menu consisted of wild boar in chestnut sauce, red cabbage and dumplings. Dessert was cookies and cake. You guessed it. It was cheesecake! We called it a night at 8 p.m. and Chachi, the cat, became the “main man” again. Exactly how he likes it.
If you’re wondering if he’s the one, it’s a definite no. He’s nice enough but there’s something missing and something else keeps telling me NO! It must be my usual, “No one is good enough,” stance or my intuition is working overtime to guide me in the right direction. Let’s hope it’s the intuition part.
Christmas Day found me in my pjs all day and breathing a sigh of relief that I didn’t have to bother with cooking and putting on a spread. It was leftovers and that was perfectly fine. I watched stand-up comedy which kept me laughing and I had Chachi, the cat, cuddled up next to me. It was a nice Christmas but I’m glad it has come and gone. Next up is New Year’s Eve but I’m opting for the quiet variety as well. A recluse? Seems that way doesn’t it? I’m loving it and that’s all that matters.
I’ve always wondered about this. I think men and women think differently about cars. Women, at least I do, think that’s it not that important to have fast expensive cars. If it is dependable and works fine, I am happy. However, men or at least the ones I have known love fast expensive cars. It might just be a “men thing.”
Or it might be a show-off thing. Maybe it adds to their manliness but either way, I find it puzzling.
My all time favorite automobile is one that will get me from point A to point B without any problems! Not too much technology involved and not too much I will need to know about, just start and go!
“We are all unreliable narrators, not just in the way we tell our stories to others, but how we tell them to ourselves.” Deb Caletti
We love telling stories don’t we? I think our whole existence is based on telling stories. We add and subtract as we see fit and sometimes or rather more often than not we blow it out of proportion to fit the narrative. The narrative that we see as our reality.
“The stories we tell ourselves shape our lives. They shape who we believe we are, and this belief translates into who we become.” John Assaraf
Something happens and off we go overthinking and putting a story together in our minds. “I’m not good enough,” comes to mind if there has been a rejection of some kind or if something doesn’t go exactly like we want. It could also be someone we like but who turned us down but the reality is that this person is not what we need and is not good for us but we drum up this story about how great he/she is and before you know it, we’ve got the dream person staring back at us but in reality they are far from it. We cling to the stories we tell ourselves but it doesn’t stop there. It morphs and changes shape until that “not being good enough” transforms into something we don’t recognize anymore. If that isn’t bad enough, we look for different angles to make it as bad as possible until there’s no climbing out of the hole YOU dug for yourself. Now, you’re facing a huge problem but one of your own making.
Yes folks, some of us are great storytellers and let’s add doomsday soothsayers to that and you’ve got the picture. The problem is we “buy” the stories we tell and we do put some doozies out there that could earn us the Nobel Prize if there is one for such storytelling!
“The stories we tell ourselves shape our reality. If you want to change your life, change the narrative you’ve believed up to this point.” Unknown
Tell yourself YOU are good enough. YOU can change the narrative. YOU can tell better stories than of the doomsday variety. YOU are capable and YOU can take whatever life throws at you and come out the winner. YOU, my friend, have it in you to come out with the best story possible. Make it your very best but you’ve got to change the narrative. Take “I can’t” and “It’s not possible” to “I can” and “I’m going to do it!” I keep telling myself that as well.
“The only thing keeping you from what you want is the story you keep telling yourself about why you don’t have it.” Tony Robbins
Let’s stop embellishing and making up stories, ones that if given the chance will bring us down and keep us there. Let’s change them to the positive variety, the kind that will get us on the way and into something better. Reality is sometimes just that, you take what is handed to you and work to make it your best reality without all the extra frills. You know what I mean.
LET’S DO THIS! Let’s change the stories we tell ourselves from that of the downtrodden to flying high! WE CAN DO THIS!
I paint pictures with words rather than with a paintbrush. My imagination knows no bounds and even though it is a problem at times, it helps with my writing. I am able to take a thought, expand it and come up with a story and it helps to calm the “beast” which is my mind. I used to call it the “monkey” because it jumps and chatters all the time but I am learning to control my thoughts and that is a good thing.
I create with my mind and have done well so far. Let’s see what the new year brings. Hoping for much better and on a bigger scale!
From Honey, Hubie, and the whole gang, we wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS! Have a “merry” one and may you be surrounded with love, family, and all things nice!
The rush of the season finally slows. The lights grow a little softer, the last gifts are tucked away under the Christmas tree, and the world seems to take a breath before morning arrives.
It’s in these gentle hours, when excitement and calm meet, that The ExcellentAdventures of Honey and Hubie feels right at home.
This is the night for quiet magic.
The kind that doesn’t need bells or fireworks, just a story, a shared moment, and hearts open to wonder.
A Story for the Stillness of Christmas Eve
After the lists are checked and the house grows quiet, Honey and Hubie invite readers into a world where courage is tender, friendship is steady, and imagination is allowed to wander freely.
Honey’s bravery isn’t loud.
Hubie’s confidence isn’t showy.
Together, they remind us that the truest magic often arrives softly, just when we’re ready to listen.
For children, their adventure sparks anticipation and warmth.
For adults, it offers a rare pause — a reminder of what Christmas felt like when wonder came easily.
A Moment to Share Before Morning Comes
Christmas Eve isn’t about rushing anymore. It’s about sitting close. About voices lowered, pages turning, and knowing that this quiet moment will be remembered long after the toys are opened.
Honey and Hubie’s story becomes part of that memory.
A tale read under twinkling lights.
A world visited together before sleep arrives.
A gentle closing chapter to the year’s most magical night.
More than a Story, a Feeling
What makes The Excellent Adventures of Honey and Hubie special on Christmas Eve isn’t just the adventure. It’s the way the story feels.
It feels safe.
It feels warm.
It feels like kindness matters.
And on a night when love and hope sit quietly in the air, that feeling is a gift all its own.
A Christmas Eve Wish
From Honey, from Hubie, and from every woodland friend waiting between the pages:
May your Christmas Eve be calm.
May your home be filled with warmth and soft laughter.
May imagination find its way into your night, and courage gently follow.
And when morning comes, may the magic stay just a little longer.
Get The Excellent Adventures of Honey and Hubie on Amazon.
There were many so I can’t mention them all here. One person I would like to give credit to would be my mother. She taught me the biggest lesson which has stood the test of time. I remember as a little girl I would come running to her about something that made me cry or sad and she would say, “Remember whatever you do and whatever happens, always stand back up. Take your time, but dust off and get back on that horse.” I have been doing that all my life and it has helped me through the years.
Others who influenced me are the writers. One person in particular was Nora Roberts. I loved and love her writing. The romance novelist was one of my all- time favorite person. There were many nights where I lay cuddled in bed with one of her books helping me to escape whatever it is that I wanted to escape and to keep my head somewhere in the clouds. I think in a way she helped me fashion my writing. Thank you both.
My son is home for the holidays. I can see that he has lost some weight but that cheeky smile remains the same. The first thing he did when he walked in was to look down at me and to put his hand on my head, not in reverence, but to show me that he was a big guy now! And he is. He is much taller but still the little kid I raised.
There is just this certain something that makes your heart skip a beat or two when you see the child you brought into this world doing well as a young adult. He is doing well. His current job keeps him busy and even though there are times that he “hates” the job, he is learning that working life will have its likes and “hates” but I’m sure he will take it all in stride. He is made of stronger stuff.
A little later in the day, I got a call from him from his Oma’s place that blew my socks off and left me in tears. I couldn’t believe what he was saying and I asked him to repeat it twice.
Him: “Mom, I got the job!”
Me: “The job?”
Him: “Yes, the JOB!”
He had applied for his dream job a year ago. Yes, a year ago. He went for two interviews and made it through both times. Then there was the painstaking process of finding out if he was the right person for the job. I can’t say too much but it is a dream job. This kid had never worked a day in his life! He was spoiled rotten and I thought he was going to have a tough time finding a job but he proved us wrong. Every job he applied for, he got. He seems to be an expert at doing interviews and breezing through them!
Anyway, he has landed his dream job and the person who called him told him that it was his Christmas present! He is on cloud nine and I am so proud of him! I’ve been walking around the house saying, “This is unbelievable!” So far, he has landed the job, the rest will be made clear when the new year arrives. There will be changes coming, a big move and so much more but for now, we are happy.
Can I say it again? I will. This is worth repeating.
All I can share with you is that I don’t remember much about it. I know that my parents had been trying for a very long time and were about to give up when I came along. Needless to say, I turned their world upside down in more ways than one!
I was the proverbial tomboy. Mom wanted a “lady” in the making but she got the total opposite! I loved playing around in mud and singing with the ducks! Anything the boys could do, I can do better and that was my motto. I kept true to that until I turned 16 and blossomed and became the Belle of the Ball so to speak. They (the boys) never looked at me the same way again!
I think I was a blessing but I put my parents through a hard time. Those days are done with but a little rebellion still remains!
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