Baseball

I'm not a big fan of baseball (or any team sport, for that matter). But now that the Phillies are playing in the post-season games, my husband has suddenly become invested in them, and thus, I've been forced to watch the past two weeks. Even older child has decided he enjoys the games. (Younger child seems, like me, completely bored and would rather destroy the house with his train set than actually sit quietly and watch).

Anyway, my problem with baseball is that it's so slow and boring, and I have trouble really caring about balls, bats, and bases. But as I was watching last night, it occurred to me that baseball fans are actually optimists. Everyone who watches those first eight innings is really just sitting there thinking that something amazing/interesting/exciting might happen in the ninth inning. (At least, this is what I tell myself as I sit here writing this in the top of the fifth inning. Something good is bound to happen in the end, right? There must be some payoff?)

The other positive, I guess, is that we're all hanging out together as a family watching something in common, rooting for something together. And in my attempt to find something interesting, I engaged my husband in a 20 minute debate over Brian Wilson's bizarrely un-matching beard last night-- when do we ever get to talk about things like this :)

But even though I'm pretty bored by baseball, I have to admit, I do understand my husband's urge to watch. There's something positive about rooting for a team, wanting them to win something big, something that feels important.

How do you feel about baseball? Have you been a reluctant watcher this week like me, or do you enjoy it or just ignore it?

Positivity and Colds

Yesterday my mom sent me a link to this article called "Colds Hate Positive People." Basically it talks about a study that concluded that our emotions can be tied to our immunity. Not only do positive people get sick less often, the article says, but also, when they do get colds, the colds tend to be less severe.

This is interesting because since I've made an effort to be more positive, I have also felt physically better. I've had more energy, and though I did have that one cold a few weeks ago, it only lasted for a few days, and so far, I've only had one this fall (not bad considering oldest child is in kindergarten and seems to bring home every germ in the world!).

But do I really believe the two things are linked? I'm not sure. I've also been making an effort lately to exercise every day, and I'm obsessive about eating fruits and vegetables, so I don't know if it's positivity alone that's keeping me healthy. But I do think a positive attitude might have something to do with it.

What do you think? Do you think a positive outlook can really keep you from getting sick?

Books!!

Yesterday, a surprise package landed on my doorstep that contained two finished copies of THE TRANSFORMATION OF THINGS! First, I have to say the book is even more gorgeous in person than it appears from the gorgeous cover you (and I) have been looking at online. I found myself dropping my writing for a little while and just holding the book in my hand, staring at it, flipping through it, admiring the front and back covers.

And I'll admit, I got a little teary eyed. It's one thing to sit in my office and type and imagine my way into a fictional world, to think about plot lines in the shower, or to dream about my characters when I'm sleeping at night. But it's quite another thing all together to hold all of that in your hand, something tangible: a book wrapped inside a stunning cover. A book that, two weeks from today, will sit on book store shelves waiting for readers.

It occurred to me that this was a moment where something I'd dreamed about and hoped for and wished for was actually happening, and I was holding that in my hand. It was kind of the way I felt after each one of my kids were born -- where even though I knew for nine very long months that there was this person living inside of me -- I didn't actually really, truly believe it, or understand it, until I held a baby in my arms.

Have you ever had a moment where you got to hold a physical representation of something you dreamed about in your hands?

Play-Doh

Check out this week's contest on the right sidebar -- leave a comment this week to enter to win my very last ARC of THE TRANSFORMATION OF THINGS! (And, if you're interested, there's also a Goodreads giveaway going on for the book. Click here to enter that.)

On Saturday my kids had some friends over to play Play Doh in the backyard. The weather was gorgeous, and the kids were thrilled. A picnic table, a few tubs of Play Doh, some molds and spaghetti makers and all of them sat there quietly playing, engrossed in their creations. Maybe it's because my kids (and their friends) hardly ever get to play with Play Doh, but it's one of those things the kids are always thrilled about doing.

And I have to admit -- I enjoyed playing with it, too. Creating things that weren't real out of nothing -- dinosaurs and ice cream cones, play spaghetti and ducks. Mixing colors and cutting out shapes. It was messy. And it was fun!

I remembered how fun it was to be a kid, to make messes, and how easy it was to feel creative in those messes. Sometimes, as an adult, it's easy to lose track of this, so I enjoyed playing like a kid, on Saturday, at least for a little while (until all the kids went home, and I was scraping Play Doh off the back patio with a knife. . . but, we won't talk about that!)

What's a childhood toy (or mess) do you still enjoy playing with or making?

I like This Moment

Last night my husband and I had the rare date out of the house, alone. We went out to dinner, and while we were eating we overheard the couple next to us telling the waitress that they had just gotten engaged ten minutes earlier. We were sitting in this strange booth that had a privacy curtain, that my husband and I agreed felt more creepy than romantic, but anyway, we couldn't see what the couple looked like until we got up to left. We heard them talking, though, relaying the story of how they met and their dating history to the waitress and then after the waitress left, making phone calls to various friends and family members to relay the happy news.

It was kind of sweet to listen to them, and I guess I should mention that one of the occupational hazards for me of being a writer is that I'm fascinated in these situations where I get to eavesdrop on strangers and observe these kinds of things. But my point in all this, is this. Do you ever have a moment where you hear someone else's good news and you wish you could go back to that point in your life again? Engagements, weddings, pregnancy announcements. I've had that feeling before -- a feeling of missing something or longing for something I once had. But last night I didn't have that feeling.

Last night I thought about how happy I was in this moment in my life. Right now. How much I loved being with my husband ten years into our marriage, how much I loved our happy little family of two kids and four cats. I thought about the fact that I was pretty young, still in college, when I got engaged, and how uncertain my life was then. And I felt absolutely and truly happy to be in the moment of my life that I'm in now.

How do you feel about the current moment of your life? Do you ever hear other people's good news and picture yourself in that situation?

Now I Remember

I've been in a little bit of a reading slump lately. I blogged a few weeks back that I was planning on getting back to reading again, and I asked for some book suggestions. I picked up a few books from my night table, started a few, but then got too busy and distracted to actually finish anything.

But since I'm taking a break this week, I picked up my Kindle yesterday and started looking through the bunches of books I've downloaded and never actually followed through with reading or finishing. I had Every Last One by Anna Quindlen on there, and it was a book I downloaded before a trip last spring but never actually got a chance to even start. In fact, I'd forgotten it was there.

Anna Quindlen is one of my all time favorite authors. When I read Black and Blue years ago, it was the kind of book that reaffirmed my desire to be a writer. In my opinion it has one of the best first chapters of any book I've ever read.

I spent most of the day yesterday engrossed in her latest. I stayed up past midnight, reading until my eyes were tired and bleary. Then I was so involved with the main character and her ensemble of friends and family that I woke up this morning mulling them over as if they were actual people in my life. When I hit the point of the book where tragedy struck, I felt it deeply, as if it were real. I am almost finished with the book and I almost don't want it to end.

This is a feeling that I used to feel quite often when I read a book. This is why I love to read. So thank you, Anna Quindlen, for bringing me out of my reading slump!

What books have brought you out of a reading slump or reminded you why you love to read?

Of Family Days and Butterflies

Yesterday, we took a family trip to the butterfly house, a huge greenhouse filled with tropical butterflies. I've always loved butterflies, and this is one of my favorite places to see them up close. There's something about butterflies that always reminds me of serenity, beauty, and new life. Check out these twin butterflies -- the orange ones were younger son's favorite!

This one below was my favorite kind because these were the ones that kept landing on our fingers!

My husband took this shot of the butterfly landing on my finger! She hung out there for awhile, though, promptly flew away when I tried to transfer her to younger son's finger. (Smart butterfly!)

And because, of course, even though I'm taking a break this week, I can't really forget about THE TRANSFORMATION OF THINGS (out in THREE WEEKS!) Note the similarity to the above picture -- something which my husband pointed out as soon as he snapped the photo.

Where is your favorite serene place to visit?