Forgive The Cliche...
As writers, we're supposed to avoid them at all costs and come up with a more original or creative way to say the same thing. But the thing about cliches is... they're true. Life is a journey (not a destination) and I don't want to say it another way.
I remember when I was a young girl thinking, "When am I ever going to be older?" I didn't have a specific age in mind, I just wanted so much to Be Older, to What Seemed So Great About Older?
Well, for one, it looked to me like none of those 'Olders' were getting told what to do. (Cue the buzzer: WRONG). Let me preface this next one with: it was the seventies. All the Olders got to smoke cigarettes and drink out of fancy glasses, they got to stay up late, wear makeup, and say bad words. They were so darn cool. I, at the graceless, scrawny, awkward age of seven (eight, nine, and ten through twelve) wanted to be that. Cool. Older.When The Hell Did That Change?
I can't pinpoint it exactly, but I think I was about forty when I realized I was that mythical creature, that perceived unicorn: Older. Maybe you read that and thought, "Jesus, honey. Forty?" What in hell's bells was I doing in those previous twenty some odd years?! Believe it or not, I was adulting, aka, being older. I just didn't feel like I was.Delusions, Confusions, Illusions...
Among the aspirations of being Wonder Woman, a beach bum, a writer, an actress, and a veterinarian, I developed a strong desire to be and do something less popular in the Age of the Independent Woma n
Life Is A Journey
I Make Light...
It's been many years since those dark days, so I can. Revisiting those days is something I chose not to do, at least not often Suffice to say is based
About Livvy Takes the Long Way...
Livvy Handler is at the crossroads of her life. Married to a man she now can't recall ever loving, although she must have. She must have believed she did. How could she have gotten here - at this precipice - otherwise? Livvy knows she has to get out, but that word - how, how, how - repeats like an endless echo in her mind. She's trapped in a gilded cage of her own design, her own choices. Or is she?
When a face from the past returns, Livvy comes to believe it might be the sign she's waited and longed for; her path to freedom from a man who tears her down as if for sport. Should she takes the fork in the road that leads to who-knows-where, or stay on the one paved with unhappiness but safety and familiarity? Tread water for the sake of her child, or swim fast and hard to a new life? These are the private dilemmas of a woman quietly breaking down.
It's also the metamorphosis of a woman discovering her worth, realizing her strength, and finding her way. It's a story for any woman traveling the hard road, fear and doubt lodged firmly in heart, but undeterred and head held high. And it's the story for any woman who thinks she can't...
Forgive Me...
This perhaps isn't your traditional romance book, but don't worry, it has a happy ending! When I learned that this month's theme is about Life Lessons, I knew this was the book I wanted to share with you. I poured so much of what I've learned in life into that story. Honestly? It was terrifying to put something so close to home out into the universe, something so vulnerable and exposing. There was a time when I hated Livvy and felt so angry with her for doing everything the hard way (yes, there's psychological subtext in there) but IAs For My Journey...
I love every bump, twist, and turn in the roadCare To Share?
I'd love to hear about YOUR life lessons and how they impacted the way you live! Here are ours:
Oh, and here's our November Giveaway!
I feel like it's a life tricks plays on us--waiting to get older. Then one day yikes we are old. I remember the day I was forty something and the teen cashier asked if I was a senior. Yikes. She said she couldn't tell so she asked everyone so she could give them the senior discount. I spend a lot of time then considering my age and if I needed plastic surgery. Glad you have found your place in life. That's a great accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteBeing in the moment helps me to enjoy the journey. But I need lots of reminders. Often the grass looks greener for others....
ReplyDeleteLife is a journey. I watch my forty-something children going through what I once did and wish I could help them. But it's something they must do by themselves. It made me a better person, and I hope they will be better too for surviving.
ReplyDeleteI remember years ago, when my children were younger, my oldest daughter (who is now 30) asked me why I didn't wear lipstick. I stopped and thought about that. I finally replied that I thought of putting on lipstick as something grown-ups did. She just laughed at me and said, "Mommy, you are a grown up." But I'd never felt like one yet at that age (and I was well into my 30's at that point). So it just goes to show that age is just a number. And you know what...I still don't wear lipstick...because I still think of myself as not old enough to.
ReplyDeleteI'm still learning with every new stage of my life. Now, I have way more wisdom than then. And smarts...I'm smarter about things now.Know myself better than I ever have. I'm glad to have made it to this point.
ReplyDeleteLife is a journey. You're very right. I find that every five years or so, I come to a new realization and I change. When I was 30, I thought I had reached adulthood and knew everything I needed to know. That's so wrong. Now I am actually looking forward to what I'll know when I'm 50.
ReplyDeleteI love how you told your story. I guess what I've learned is that while destinations are often overrated, journeys never are. They are just so...much.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Elsa. We focus so much on our destination that we overlook the importance of the journey. Livvy Takes the Long Way is a book that should resonate with women.
ReplyDeleteStill learning...mostly treasuring each day more since we lost our daughter.
ReplyDeleteEpic, life long learning is real. Everyone goes through different things on this journey through life. All part of the experience.
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