Bucket Lists and Zip Lines

Skamania Zip Lines - Washington

Bucket lists can include many things. It never occurred to me to put zip lining on my list and I never thought it was something I would actually do.

Peer pressure applied by grandchildren is a powerful motivator, along with the fact that the opportunity would most likely never arise again.

Hannah and Savannah, our zip line tour guides, were patient, kind and helpful to a Grandma with bad knees. It wasn't easy to climb up the steps to hook up to the line.  Let alone "zip-away" as our guides would say to each other.

"Let go of the rope" the son-in-law says.

"Easier said than done" I squeal in mid-zip.

The most difficult task was the transfer to the ground  after zipping to the first few platforms and letting go of those pesky control issues. Stepping off a perfectly good platform high above the ground and trusting that the tiny little rope would actually lower you gently to the ground. Turns out I was right, well at least half right, as I landed on my rear end instead of my feet. Fortunately, only my pride was injured but I was vindicated when the son-in-law had a similar landing. BOOM!

Seven platforms into our adventure I was able to open my eyes and at least let go of the rope with one arm for a few seconds and then we were done.

While zip lining is not for everyone, and I did enjoy the swinging bridges, however, I don't think I will repeat the experience. I'm glad I was able to finish the entire course and face some of my fears and let go just a little bit.

Pink

Pink is such a beautiful color for flowers (it happens to be my favorite) and May is the perfect time to “stop and smell the roses” as my husband is always telling our grandchildren. Try to find time to sit a garden. Close your eyes and use your senses. What do you hear? What do you smell?

You aren’t done yet, get out your pen and paper (or laptop/tablet) and write it out. Describe it as though you were telling someone who couldn’t see it, hear it or smell it. Good writing includes sensory descriptions to pull the reader into the scene and keep them engaged and interested.

Writing is an expression of both who we are and who we want to be.

Enjoy your month writing and work on those sensory descriptions.

Linda Sue Forrister

Co-author of "Those Meyerson Women" (a work in progress)

Raindrops

Have you ever thought how raindrops are like words? One raindrop joined with others can end a drought. One word alone can have a multitude of meanings, but tied together with others the meaning becomes richer and more fluid. The quest for just the right words in just the right order is one we are all pursuing.

The elation that results from completing the task cannot be duplicated, nor can the satisfaction that comes with seeing your name on the cover of a completed project.

The more you learn about the process of writing the better you are able to string the words together and the better the end result will be.

I continue on my quest.



Linda Sue Forrister

Co-Author of "Those Meyerson Women" (a work in progress)

Everyday Book Marketing

http://www.lyonbooks.com/

My fabulous local book store, Lyon Books, bought in author Midge Raymond last week to talk about her book "Everyday Book Marketing". Of course, I had to buy it (one more book never hurt anyone did it). Midge did a fabulous job presenting her book and has some great ideas for "Promotion ideas to fit your regularly scheduled life". I highly recommend this anyone who is writing or needs to promote any type of endeavor and suggest you read it cover to cover. Very worthwhile read.

/http://www.midgeraymond.com/

UP

Someone sent me this in an email, it was a forward so I'm not sure who wrote it but I liked it and wanted to remember it and share it.  I can't take credit  but I hope you enjoy it too.

Here is one word in the English language that can be a noun, verb, adj, adv, prep.

UP
Read until the end ... you'll laugh.

This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is 'UP.' It is listed in the dictionary as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v].

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP, and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report? We call UPour friends, brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and fix UP the old car.

At other times, this little word has real special meaning.

People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.

To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.

We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP look UP the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it soaks UP the earth. When it does not rain for awhile, things dry UP. One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now . . . my time is UP

Don't screw UP. Send this on to everyone you look UP in your address book . . . or not .. . . it's UP to you.

Now I'll shut UP!