I’m not a risk-taker and never have been. I weigh all the options before I venture out on something and it is never a spontaneous decision. When I was younger I got pulled into some dangerous situations never of my own making. Fortunately, it turned out for the best and I came out of it unscathed.
To answer your question, what’s the biggest risk you’d like to take? I would say, if possible, is to pack a small bag and head out to parts unknown! Perhaps, a lonely cabin somewhere surrounded by nature and nothing else. Or a small beach house by the ocean where I can go for long walks or just sit on the beach and let the day go to pieces. I would like to watch the sunset and stay till the stars come out with no fear whatsoever. Not there is a chance of that happening because, I’m not that type. The “throw caution to the wind” type. Everything is done with careful thought so I don’t see that ever happening.
It’ll stay somewhere in my mind added to all those unfulfilled wishes still waiting to happen!
Daily writing prompt
What’s the biggest risk you’d like to take — but haven’t been able to?
I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I haven’t been writing much for the last week or two putting out only the bare minimum or recycling my old posts. There’s a reason for that and it is not laziness.
Writing becomes more than a chore when I have things on my mind, things that bug me. And I have had plenty of that. The situation with the stalker has turned into a full-blown stalking! This guy is different from the first one. He doesn’t bombard me with his presence, I don’t know what he looks like, and there are usually three messages throughout the day whereas with the other one, it was a 24/7 thing. It starts with “Good morning Tia” depending on the time of day in English and the next sentence is in German. Mostly non-threatening but several times he said, “I’VE HAD ENOUGH!” I thought good, maybe you’ll stop sending me messages. However, it is short-lived. A day or two later, he goes back to his usual shoveling of more compliments. He called me a “Herzensmensch,” translated it means, “a soulmate, confidant, or someone you feel a deep connection with.” This one sent chills down my spine and not in a nice way either!
It was followed with, “Good morning Tia, MY BIG LOVE!” the next day. I don’t know who this guy is and I’m trying not to care but it is hard not to. The first stalker had me in his grip, emotionally, and made my daily existence a living hell but I’ve grown since then. I notice that I’m not as fearful as I used to be.
“Stalkers use mind games to manipulate their victims, often stemming from personality disorders like narcissism or psychopathy, and the goal is to control, confuse, and exert power over the victim.”
Knowing that, I’m trying not to let it get at me or to live in fear. However, after two days of silence, I got this message yesterday.
“Tia, you are a beautiful and strong person. You can overcome anything….” This one was much longer than his two sentence variety and I did feel an uneasiness creep through me. Stalker? Mentor? What?!!! Then this morning, the message said, “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!!”
I haven’t answered any of his messages and I am ignoring them hoping he will get tired and LEAVE ME ALONE!
“Life is 10 percent what you experience and 90 percent how you respond to it.” Dorothy M. Neddermeyer
Caring less about things maybe the easiest way to acquire happiness but how many of us do that? How often do we obsess about things we cannot change? More times than I can remember. How often do we let someone trigger something in us and we carry it around for days mulling over every word and detail to the point that nothing else matters but that one little problem but only by this time, it isn’t a small problem anymore but had morphed and become unsolvable! How many times have we let someone bring us down just because something hurtful was said and we take it to heart, handle it like a precious thing and let our self-esteem go to pieces? More times than I can count on my fingers.
Here’s the thing:
“The less you give a damn the happier you will be.” Unknown
Something happened yesterday and I took what was handed to me, went to my corner as I usually do and let it do a number on me! Happiness was nowhere to be seen and my piece of mind was in shambles at my feet. Even then, I refused to let go. I was like a dog with a bone until I stopped and decided to let go of what I was holding within and told myself that there was nothing I could do about the situation. No amount of anger, sadness and wishing, yes wishing was going to change it for the better. I took a deep breath and let it go….
“Stop asking why they keep doing it and start asking why you keep allowing it.” Unknown
That’s the problem isn’t it? We keep allowing things to happen and to hold us in its grasp. If only we could take away the power from the problem at hand and learn to look at it with detachment versus with both feet smack dap in the middle! Learning to care less takes practice especially if you’re the type who cares too much about anything and everything.
LET IT GO……and learn to relax. Problems do have a way of righting themselves out and sometimes with very little help from you. Give it some time, give it some space but most of all, don’t hug it close to your heart. Learn to care less and you’ll be less stressed at and with life. This doesn’t mean being a less caring person it just means picking your battles carefully and when you do, be prepared to look at them with less emotion. Step back and go to work but not with guns blazing! I have to remind myself of this too.
ONE DAY IT JUST CLICKS
“You realize what’s important and what isn’t. You learn to care less about what others think of you and more about what you think of yourself. You realize how far you’ve come and you remember when you thought things were such a mess that you would never recover and you smile. You smile because you are truly proud of yourself and the person you’ve fought to become.”
There are many achievements that I am proud of. If I had to choose one, I would say it is connected with writing.
I’ve always had a love affair with writing. It started early and by 15, I had a short story published in a major women’s magazine that made cover story. That was enough to make me walk on Cloud 9! Then followed a few more short stories all making me think that I had a talent for writing. Not everyone who writes is a writer and neither is it easy to get things published. Most times, they wind up in the dustbin or rubbish bin and never make it to the editorial desk. I was lucky that my stories did.
Later on in life, I tried my hand in the political arena. Many articles were published and I played along with the big guns. I won’t mention who they were but let’s just say, they were big enough to get world attention. I was proud of that achievement. However, I got tired of that and moved on.
Then came my stint as a Fashion Editor and it put me front and center with the beautiful people. Supermodels, actors, fashion designers and so on…. It was great at first, I loved the hustle and bustle of moving with a different circle, but again it got tiring after a while.
My current achievement that I am proud of is the children’s book. It took a long time to finish the project and I’m proud that it’s out there. I don’t know if it will make it but I guess most writers don’t care about fame and fortune. We love seeing our work in print, at least that’s how it is for me. If I get a compliment, it makes it all the better but for now, I love seeing my work out there!
My biggest project that I have been working on is myself. There are things I see that needs to be changed so that is a priority as far as I am concerned. It is a long and slow process but I am seeing progress so that is a good thing.
The other thing I have been working on is to reduce clutter both emotional clutter and the other kind that clutters up your living space. I don’t think that I’m a person who just collects things for the sake of collecting but I do see a pattern where clothes and shoes are concerned. Even though I go with the bare minimum where clothes are concerned, my usual and daily attire being sweatpants and sweatshirts, I do have lots of stuff of the other kind of the more dressy variety. And I keep buying whenever I see something nice. I have to STOP buying, get rid of what I don’t use and to keep things from taking over my living space! Emotional clutter is another thing altogether. I have plenty and even though I’m decluttering and letting go of things that no longer serve me, there is still enough that bugs me. A work in progress as well.
Finally, I have two book projects that I’m working on. A sequel to my first book and a novel. The sequel is finished but the novel is a headache and a half! I’ve lost the thread so I’m letting it sit for awhile. Who knows I’ll get a genius streak and I can see the ending from here!
Those are the things I’m working on. Enough don’t you think?
Every child dreams of a great adventure — a journey filled with wonder, friendship, and a touch of magic. The Excellent Adventures of Honey and Hubie by T. J. Mueller captures exactly that spirit.
In this enchanting tale, young readers are invited to follow Honey and Hubie as they set out on a daring adventure into the unknown. Their path is filled with colorful characters, unexpected twists, and valuable lessons about what it really takes to hold onto friendship, even when things get tough.
Mueller masterfully blends whimsy and heart, creating a world of imagination that feels as vivid as a child’s daydream. Beneath the fun and fantasy lies a timeless message: friendship is one of life’s greatest adventures, and it takes courage, kindness, and understanding to keep it strong.
Perfect for readers aged 10–12, this book will capture the hearts of children who love magical stories and parents who appreciate tales with meaning and warmth.
About the Author
T. J. Mueller began writing at just fifteen years old, when her first short story made the cover of a well-known women’s magazine. Since then, she’s written countless short stories and articles, always returning to her first love: storytelling.
Her imagination continues to draw inspiration from the woods of her childhood, where her creativity was free to run wild. The Excellent Adventures of Honey and Hubie is born from that same spark, a heartfelt journey into a world of make-believe where lessons of loyalty and friendship shine through.
Here we go again. Haven’t I put enough out there already? Okay, I’ll try to answer this one to the best of my ability without giving too much away.
I was always shy but there was a time in my life when I loved spending time alone just as I’m doing as a self-proclaimed recluse with my life right now. However, my “introvert” phase was an excruciating time. It didn’t matter how many compliments I got and how many times I got asked out, inside I WAS NOT ENOUGH! That was my opinion of myself but it mattered because that opinion dictated how I lived my life. That period in my life stayed for a long time until one day I broke out of that cocoon and like that butterfly I began to spread my wings and then there was no stopping the little “field mouse” who was now ready to fly.
Suddenly, I was oozing with confidence and there was no going back to that shy girl period ever again. I was lucky because most introverts have a hard time breaking out of that mold. I am still the quiet person but I don’t shy away from speaking my mind and neither do I feel inadequate. I know that I am ENOUGH!
Daily writing prompt
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
The book has been published and it is out there doing the rounds. According to one source it has been well-received. What does that mean? Then it is being said that there are discussions about it on social media. Hmm…what are they saying? The publisher is taking their time doing the marketing bit. Be patient, the book has only been out there for about two months is the message I’m getting. Strike while the iron is hot is my answer but I can’t do anything about it.
It seems to me that writing the book is not the hard part, getting it accepted is harder and after publication, well, I don’t even want to talk about that. I’ll just say I’m anxious and that is not a good feeling. Getting ratings and reviews is another story altogether! Now, I know why it’s important to give a rating for a product bought from Amazon. I never do, so I’ll change that and make it a point to give a review or rating the next time around. I can’t believe that someone from South Africa gave me a five-star rating! Who? Elon, is that you?
I found this review online and it sounds good.
Reviews for The Excellent Adventures of Honey and Hubie on Amazon highlight the book’s focus on friendship, teamwork, and imagination, with one Amazon customer calling it a “gripping narrative that captures how adversity can bring friends together.” It is described as a “wild ride into a magical world” with colorful characters, which teaches young readers about the importance of friendship through an engaging story. The book’s themes are praised, and there are positive remarks about its illustrations and its ability to capture the imagination of children.
How is the book really doing? No idea whatsoever. Let me just say that if you’re looking to get a book published, be prepared. It is a journey and a rocky one at that! Here is a book trailer to whet your appetite, not a great one I might add but enough to find out what all the hype is about.
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