The Happiness Thread

^ I suspect about as often as it does in hell. Could be wrong though.

 

As @Xoic said, not so often. It used to when I was a child and it snowed a lot (I'm at the Northern suburbs), but you know... greenhouse effect and all. A few days ago I was wearing a freaking T-shirt outside!!!

 

One of my most pleasant memories is of a long solo walk I took in a nature preserve years ago, on a cold still day. All was quiet. A soft snow began and I could hear it faintly hissing as it hit the tree branches and tall dead grass. I never knew snow could speak, and it was like discovering something that had always been hidden around me.

 

Lot's to be happy about this week!
Last year I submitted my book, Facing Racism, to a Writer's Digest competition. Though I found out in January that it didn't place, I just received feedback. It did pretty darn good for my first book! I really couldn't have asked for a better editorial review. Also landed a speaking engagement with the USA Volleyball team staff to talk about my book as a part of their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

On another note, excited (and a little nervous) to be planning out my next book(s). It's a different direction than my first, but even so, it's thrilling to see myself actually finishing and putting my work out there - and seeing it helping people.

Finally, super excited to see my new authors in transformation (editing/coaching clients) doing well. One has submitted 7 out of 15 chapters of her manuscript on eliminating RA pain. Another has just completed her outline and will probably start writing next week. My newest author just started today and has already identified her ideal audience and her message. At this pace she'll be writing in no time (and probably planning her second book). I feel so blessed to witness their growth as writers, coaches, and thought-leaders in their communities/fields. More importantly it's an honor to see them so inspired by their commitment to showing up for their readers.

It's like my whole world just really flipped.

 

It hit almost freezing today!! It literally feels like a heat wave compared to what it's been for a week or so now. The snow is melting, the sidewalks are even beginning to clear! Hopefully the Polar Vortex is over and done now, retreating back to the North Pole to await next year, when it can come back and wreak its havoc again.

In other news, I now have a small bird, a finch or something, living in my house. I opened the door for it to get out and it flew past it contemptuously like 6 times, just to let me know it has no intention of leaving while it's so damn cold out there! I can't say I blame it. I don't think it touched the stale cat food I put out for it. Then I remembered I have some old Chia seeds still in a sealed pack, but several years old. The internet tells me birds can eat them and might prefer them soaked, so I have a little jar lid with some soaked seeds, some dry ones on the floor next to it, and another jar lid with water. Can't tell if he found it yet or not, I'm waiting to see the seeds scattered—that'll mean he's at least tried them.

 

I didn't have a depressive episode today and I had more self control and self confidence.

 

We finally got water back after having frozen pipes for a week!! (In Texas de-thawing after the ice storm). Showers and laundry for the win. Now if the supply chain could get fixed so the stores could have bread, milk, and eggs again that would be great....

 

Glad that the sort of tiresome task of using the snowblower and roof rake is all I have to worry about up here in the frozen north, where pipes are insulated and the power runs free. Nice to come in to a warm cup of coffee and sit down at the ol' laptop for a few minutes.

 

Roof rake?

 

A device to rake the snow off your roof in order to prevent ice-dams.

 

Ice-dams?

 

Huh, I'm from Chicago and that's a new one on me.

ETA: Roof rake

 

Ok, an ice dam is the mass of ice on the edge of the roof with all the icicles hanging from it. Got it.

 

I didn't know what they were before last winter.

 

You, my friend, have been an expatriate too long.

Actually, I didn't know much about the rakes until a few years back, when we had a very very snowy winter and the snow piled up massively on my roof and threatened to cover the furnace intake. This has been another such winter.

 

We bought a new roof a couple weeks ago expecting to wait till April before they started work. The roofing company called today to let us know they’s be getting the materials delivered Thursday, and starting work Friday.
It was a fair bit more than we had planned for, but if the roof lives up to the marketing, it should out live me and my wife.

 

I found ~4 pages of backstory/worldbuilding notes, which I wrote like a year and half ago and thought I had lost, for my current WIP. Perfect timing as I felt like I was getting stuck, good to have something to remind me of bits I meant to write but had forgotten.

 

I got to my brother's house last night to surprise my niece this morning. She was so excited to see me that she went squeaky voiced and told her mom, "It's Ca!!!"

Best reason to be awake so early.

 

I have no idea how I just managed to write a 1,063 word story in under an hour, but I'm proud of myself anyway.

 

Sometimes they just roll on out like that. Enjoy them when they appear.

 

Today marks the start of my favorite three months of the year. I love spring so much and hopefully we have a nice one here in Iowa. Last week was wonderful and this one looks like it will be, as well. This time of year lifts my spirits.

Hope you all also have a nice spring.

 

Just back from a nice walk, temps in the 40sF and at long last the snow is melting, like glaciers retreating, little rivers rushing along the curbs, consolidating into a rock-ribbed and bottomed ravine, where the water gurgles around the rocks and makes mini-rapids and tiny waterfalls. A sense of nature in motion after a months of dormancy. It takes a long, wonderful, time for a foot of frozen snow to melt.

 

My company made a huge amount of money this year. So mid month this month, I get a large bonus, a secondary larger bonus, regular biweekly pay check, and another small bonus.

This is a good month.