International Peace Day - Every Day

 

Yesterday was International Peace Day 💙 That should be EVERY day ... Peace starts with love ❤️ It starts with you and I ... Do we love ourselves? We need to give peace to our own hearts first. Then we have a gift ... and with every gift you give it away ...

Or in this case, you pass your inner peaceful love forward and keep the love and peace still beating to the rhythm of your own heartbeat❣️ Your inner love and peace will circle around and touch others. Keep loving yourself, keep loving each other ...

LOVE is the only way towards PEACE ❤️☮️❤️☮️

May came crashing in

All of a sudden the month of May was here.  Where did April go?  I felt that I had been going from one thing to another without a stop.  The first weekend of May I decided it was time for a well needed break with just a morning walk on the beach, except there was no beach to be seen when I came down to the ocean.  Only water that had built up to a swell and crashed into shore.  Little did I know that was how I would feel for most of May, that a big wave came crashing into and over me.

Life is full of changes and unexpected situations, some are welcome while others are not.  This May has greeted with me with situations that made me feel like I was swept out from shore with a current so strong I had to stay in the water against my will.  Other times I have been able to do what you are supposed to do, ride with the tide.

So with the good and the bad, with both internal storms and several storms from Mother Earth, all I can do is to learn that you cannot go against the current.  Acceptance of something you cannot control is very difficult, and at times it will leave you gulping for air.  But one thing is for sure, after a storm comes a welcoming calm.  Embrace it and breathe in the love around you and breathe out the stuggles.  That way you will stand more firmly rooted when the next storm hits, and when it does - what do you do?

You ride with the tide.

Welcome February!

It is easy for me to welcome a new "winter month" standing outside, letting the sun warm my face.  The sun is breathing life, and I feel it in every pore of my body.

Not everyone can step out into the warmth of the sun right now.  What you can do though, is to step outside and breathe fresh air.  even if it is just for a brief moment.  The fresh air, (almost) regardless of temperature will clear your mind and free your senses.

As hard as the dark winter months can be in the Northern Hemisphere, you who live there, will endure and make the most of it.  Trust me, I have lived with real winters most of my life, so I do know how difficult it can be.  I also know that the sun will shine with warm bright rays upon your skin again.  It is a known fact, so hold onto that image and cozy up after breathing some fresh air.  Cozy up by the fire, light some candles and just be.

So even if I do not need to shovel snow or put on winter clothes, I had to experience what the New Year brought me, like for all of you.  January started with a BOOM in all kinds of directions, and I am now trying to navigate how I will spend my time the next eleven months of this year.

The year started off with a lot of demands of my time, an emotional blow to the heart and some minor medical issues.  All of a sudden I sat with a "to-do-list" so large that I did not even know where to start.  I am used to being my own boss, and with some new responsibilities I had to rethink.  To prioritize correctly and manage my time plus energy became my biggest challenge.

I wanted to take on my new responsibilities with a clear head.  To do so, I needed to center myself emotionally.

The other day when the demands and tasks seemed too overwhelming. I did what I have done so many times before.  I closed the computer, turned off the phone, and put away all the papers that were spread around me.  I stepped outside to our front lawn and saw the beauty in front of me.

With several deep breaths, I saw everything clearly and smelled the goodness around me.  The salty ocean, the lush bushes and the magical sky were all there for me to take in with all my senses.

The cool evening air calmed my mind and stilled my emotions.  I walked back inside to not just do, but also to be.

Interview at The Book Convention 2014

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI-tMlHBru4[/embed] My first live interview as a writer went like this ...

Please click on "Read more", and you can see/hear the whole interview.

It is in Swedish so I apologize to all my English readers.  Hopefully there will be an interview in English soon, as a translation of my book is in the works.

For this interview, it wasn't really any time to prepare. I received the questions a few minutes before taping, and I glanced at them before putting them away.  I felt that there was no right or wrong answer, and I decided that it was better to just go with my gut instinct on how to answer.  I didn't want it to be rehearsed.  All I wanted was to somehow convey that my writing comes from my heart. Every word is always felt, before I think it.  Like Hemingway said: "Write your first draft with your heart, and the second one with your mind".  That is how I tried to do this interview, except I only went with my heart and never had a chance to change any answers with my mind.

I cannot regret how I answered, as the answers were true to me at that very moment.  I am pretty sure that I could use a class in media training, but for now you get what you see. You get to listen to me with nerves and all.  But mostly you get to hear the real me and what writing this book meant to me.  The book is a celebration of my love for my Grandmother.  That is something you don't rehears for.  It is just there, with or without cameras. Always.

Book Harvest

 

The days at the Book Convention in Gothenburg, Sweden, was filled with experiences that I am still taking in.  It was four days of working hard to promote my own book, meeting other writers, going to seminars, and talking with publishers.  All along being surrounded by supportive family and friends.  I could not have made these days as successful and fun, if it wasn't for my amazing support team!  I bow in gratitude for you!

Most days didn't end at the Convention Center, they ended hours later somewhere where the networking continued.  So the only thing lacking during these days were sleep.  That was a small prize to pay for all that I received!

My heart is filled with memories of inspiring meetings, interesting people, and also a lot of fun moments!

I could of course not be at the Book Convention without buying books, that was truly impossible.  I found my favorite publisher, among with some of my favorite authors.  I had to buy another suitcase to bring back all these wonderful books.  Instead of harvesting pumpkins as the season is called for, I will dive into my Harvest of Books.  One book at a time, with a heart filled with gratitude.  Printed literature is still alive!

My love affair with books continues ...