Skip the Resolutions

We all have bucket lists but often they border on the impossible or way-too -expensive to really be realistic. As my friend and I discussed bucket lists one day, we drifted slightly off the subject to another friend of hers. Apparently this woman has the habit of doing unusual things at least once a month. The concept is to expand personal ability and continue to learn new things. Wow! Doesn’t that sound great?

My friend and I continued to chat about new experiences and decided to somewhat copy this idea. We’re calling it a cup list. It’s much smaller than a bucket list and much easier to obtain. We have vowed to do something each month that we’ve never before done. For January, I registered to take an American Sign Language class. I always wanted to learn beyond the few words that I do know.

My friend and I are talking about maybe doing some sort of food by going to non-American-style restaurant that we’ve never tried. That might be difficult for me, as I’ve eaten plenty of unusual foods in my life. But I’m game. Although there have been times I really didn’t want to know what I was eating. (It tastes like chicken, it tastes like chicken, it tastes like chicken. Yeah, right. NOT!) This time, I can choose. The idea is to learn something ahead of time about what we are eating or the country from which it came. We’re not in school and we don’t need memorize the gross national products. But wouldn’t be interesting to know where this particular fruit…

This year will be the year of personal growth with cups filled with new things to explore and do. I don’t know what will go into February’s cup or any other cup. I think it might be fun to just wait and see what things become available or where my interest might take me. Maybe it will be a class in art history, or an opportunity to do something I would have never dreamed of doing, but now I have eleven cups to fill. I must fill them. I’ve filled my first one with classes in ASL (American Sign Language).

We should never stop learning or pushing ourselves to try new things. Besides it’s easier to place a tick mark next to a cup than it is to try to put one beside a bucket. It’s also a whole lot cheaper then those things on the bucket list. If you’ve never eaten… You just might like it and discover that you will frequently eat it. Remember the cup needs to be new or different. Maybe you’ve had Asian food but you’ve never tried taro. Stick it on your cup list. Have you always wanted to take a class in baking or cake decorating or maybe a class on brewing your own beer or wine making? Maybe a class will come available this spring and you can stick it in a cup.

The fish that I am, would you believe I’ve never snorkeled? I’ve had those cheap kiddie things that if weren’t careful the water poured in through that tube. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find such a thing available near where I live. Maybe I’ll order that exotic coffee I’ve wanted to try. I’ve got eleven cups to fill!

In a convoluted way, I should have an interesting year, and when I’m finished, I can look back and see all my accomplishments. Pick small things like mini treats for the brain to savor. If I make my tongue happy, too, that’s even better. What if I discover that zip-lining is something I never want to do again? That’s okay because I can at least say I did that once. No, I’m not going to jump out of airplane! I don’t mind pushing myself to do things, but there are activities that to me are off limits. Parachuting is one of them.

The other fun thing about cups is that they don’t have to cost a thing. Other things might cost a few dollars, but remember to keep the cups reasonable and not something super expensive that might be better on a bucket list. But if that bucket list item pops up, don’t ignore it!

Doesn’t this sound like more fun than resolutions? I’m looking forward this list and if I sneak in a few extra cups, I will!

So what’s on your cup list?

From Sea to Shining Sea

O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

 

This song has come to mind quite often over the past 10 days, especially on July 4th. Hubby and I left home on June 25th, dropped our Catahoula puppy off at the boarding place (or should I say dog resort! http://www.lonestardogranch.com), and headed across the plains of West Texas on a research trip. We did two research trips last year–one to the Blue Ridge Parkway to do research for a book I’ve been working on and the Smoky Mountains to do research for another–and the other to New York, Maine, and Boston for a children’s book I have planned.

This year we’re doing research for the sequel to Superstition and for a possible photo book. We’ve been to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the Superstition mountains in Arizona, made a quick stop in Los Angeles to see the boys, and headed up the 1 (Pacific Coast Highway). We drove all the way to Seattle (more Superstition research), and back down to Yosemite. For the next week we’ll be camping out, taking pictures, and writing.

On my bucket list is to visit every state in this beautiful country of ours. I’ve now been from Seattle, WA to Naples, Florida and from San Diego CA to Maine. I’ve seen at least part of 39 states, including Hawaii. I’m hoping to complete that list next year with a visit to Alaska and the remaining 1o states. I have an idea for a series with each book set in a different state. It’s an ambitious project, but one I hope I can do someday.

Do you have a bucket list? What’s the number one thing on it?

Sealed With a Promise

A promise is a promise. No matter what. I’d like to say I’ve always kept promises. I can’t. I can think of only twice in my life I’ve broken a promise. There are exceptions when a promise would hurt rather than help the one you’ve vowed to deliver your word. Not only would the promise hurt the receiver, but could alter their lives. I don’t want to be responsible for life-altering decisions in others. Both times I broke a promise, the other party hadn’t failed to thank me. Phew! That was a relief. Believe me. I’m extremely careful now when I give my word.

The heroine in my next book wrestles  with such a promise. Her situation isn’t, nor has it ever been mine, but I believe many of our traits, thoughts  and beliefs hit the page. We may not like it, but where else do our words come from? Our inner selves. Things we’ve experienced or would like to experience. Things we wish we’d never experienced.

We can make all the Bucket lists all we want, but unless we act on them, we may as well light a fire with the paper. Probably get more from the paper’s warmth than holding onto dreams we have no intention of building on.

Building dreams and confidence that we can reach for those dreams, are promises we can make ourselves. Those we should keep unless circumstances beyond our control keep us from them.

Because promises matter.

Here’s a blurb of my next novel.

After nine years of being estranged from her father, Megan Phillips now faces the second most difficult time in her life. The man who hurt her the most, has summoned her back to Vail, Colorado, her childhood home. Even in death, her father dishes out the last word. One thing she knows for sure is, she won’t allow her father to dictate her future from the grave.

Either Megan secure responsibility for Adam, a seven-year-old brother she hadn’t known existed, or she loses a vast inheritance. Megan wants nothing from her father, and refuses the inheritance. But, her father’s love child has nothing to do with the rift between her and her father. She won’t abandon Adam without placing him with family or in a good home. Unable to locate the mother and after finding out the boy’s grandparents are only after Adam’s inheritance, her search ends. Megan’s life is altered in ways she never dreamed.

Then, there’s her father’s lawyer, the hunky Bret Evans. A bachelor, all business, Bret is married to his law practice. Love and a family of his own is far down the ladder of achievements. Megan, the woman who catches his eye from the start, could be the one who removes a few rungs in his ladder.

Whatever will Megan do with a man who makes her forget she never wanted children, a family? The man who takes her breath away.

Hidden in the shadows and bent on revenge, is a man Megan helped put away for abusing his children. Now it’s payback time.

My books are available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Kobo, Sony, Diesel, Apple and Smashwords.

You can find links on my website, here. http://caroldevaney.weebly.com/my-books.