In these Crazy Times, Sharing Your Smile Can Improve A Life – Daily Quote 

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 14 Comments
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Evening temperatures drop, and chilly air promises autumn is approaching. My neighbors ignite their firepit and raise a glass to toast the day. I light a candle to celebrate my favorite time of year. Candles have a soothing effect. Their yummy scents fill the house, calm my mind, and they make me smile.

With the requirements we wear masks when we can’t be physically distant, there is one thing I have missed — smiles. When you smile, the world smiles in return. A Swedish study revealed when test subjects were shown an image of a smiling person and the researcher asked them to frown, the subjects imitated the face in the photo, smiling instead of frowning. Your smile is contagious, and it changes everything.

A smile makes us more attractive, lift our mood and the moods of other people, and it extends our life expectancy. Yes. Smiling can actually help you live longer. And can we talk about the exceptional party a smile gets rolling? Smiling floods our brains with neuropeptides, dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin. Drugs, baby. They are all-natural, 100% organic, create no negative side effects, don’t require a doctor prescription or a dealer, — and wait for it — they are FREE.

Buddha was a smart man. By sharing a smile, you get tremendous benefits, and you can transmit happiness to random strangers. Chances are, they will smile at the next person they meet. These days I go out my way to substitute my unseeable, masked smile with other uplifting gestures, I give others the thumbs up, and I wave to everyone. My neighborhood walkers were initially suspicious, but they are now returning my visible greetings. And I can now detect a twinkle in their eyes. With any luck, a smile-chain may travel around the world today.

Are you smiling yet?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – September 10

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 2 Comments

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 254 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? Half of the year is in our rear-view mirror, and I am drawing a line in the sand. The targets I missed, the stories I didn’t compose, they no longer matter. These last six months are history. Done. I won’t lie, 2020 kicked me in the head, leaving me stunned, unsteady, and incapable of completing anything beyond basic tasks. I bet I am not alone, but don’t count me out yet. They say what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right? I am confident I will discover I am more capable than I have ever been. I dug deep, reevaluated my annual goals, and I decided to double down. Can I get a year’s worth of work accomplished by Christmas? We will find out.

My turning point happened when I remembered reading somewhere that anxiety and excitement create similar emotional responses in the body. Anxiety raises your heart rate, your cortisol level increases, and your nerves prepare you for action. Most often, we respond by stress-eating a late-night pint of chocolate ice cream. The only difference between the two emotions is anxiety has a negative connotation, while we view excitement as positive. The answer seemed clear. I needed to reframe the context of my emotions and proceed as if my success lies on the horizon.

All that remains is for me to divide my workload into bite-size pieces, and do the next right thing. I am aligning my creative endeavors to focus on writing, editing, and creating a brighter future.

Try it, and let us know how you did in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Believing You Can Fly Helps Create Adventures from Thin Air – Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 8 Comments
the-focus-and-the-concentration-and-the-attention-to-detail-that-flying-takes-is-a-kind-of-meditation.-i-find-it-restful-and-engaging-and-other-things-slip-away.-harrison-ford.

A red-tailed hawk visits my house. I often notice him soaring overhead on cloudless afternoons. I admired him as he catches air currents and drifts in slow circles. One day I arrived home to find him resting on my garage roof. I stepped from my car, and we regarded each other for a long time.

He has perched on the gas grill on the patio, in the maple tree outside my window, and the white fence post on the property line. Other days he does a fly-by, swooping past my windows to let me know he is watching. He is a very serious fellow, but I enjoy our talks. Our discussions are not lengthy, but nothing interrupts them. He occupies my undivided attention.

Writing is like speaking with the hawk. It consumes my thoughts. It demands focus and concentration, the ability to see the adventure as it stretches to the horizon, and each word that leads the reader down the chosen path. On bright afternoons the words slip from my mind, flowing through my fingers and onto the page. The story twists, turning in novel directions, the plot sucks me in until it is the only thing that matters. These are my favorite times.

Where do you discover your inspiration?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – September 9

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 2 Comments

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 253 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? Half of the year is in our rear-view mirror, and I am drawing a line in the sand. The targets I missed, the stories I didn’t compose, they no longer matter. These last six months are history. Done. I won’t lie, 2020 kicked me in the head, leaving me stunned, unsteady, and incapable of completing anything beyond basic tasks. I bet I am not alone, but don’t count me out yet. They say what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right? I am confident I will discover I am more capable than I have ever been. I dug deep, reevaluated my annual goals, and I decided to double down. Can I get a year’s worth of work accomplished by Christmas? We will find out.

My turning point happened when I remembered reading somewhere that anxiety and excitement create similar emotional responses in the body. Anxiety raises your heart rate, your cortisol level increases, and your nerves prepare you for action. Most often, we respond by stress-eating a late-night pint of chocolate ice cream. The only difference between the two emotions is anxiety has a negative connotation, while we view excitement as positive. The answer seemed clear. I needed to reframe the context of my emotions and proceed as if my success lies on the horizon.

All that remains is for me to divide my workload into bite-size pieces, and do the next right thing. I am aligning my creative endeavors to focus on writing, editing, and creating a brighter future.

Try it, and let us know how you did in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Can Your Favorite Repetitive Song Help You Access Your Inspiration? – Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 5 Comments
Songs of different moods are like keys, which help me enter the world of my book's characters. Amish Tripathi

I had an English teacher who taught grammar with song lyrics. She used printed copies and had the class parse the stanzas while the songs played in the classroom. Grammar was never my favorite subject, but identifying parts of speech to popular tunes was not unpleasant.

Many studies suggest listening to music aids divergent thinking. It is a technique that uses free-flowing thoughts to generate ideas and solutions in a short time. One study reported that replaying a song multiple times blocks mind wandering and increases focus. Other benefits include reducing stress, improving sleep, reducing symptoms of depression, and raising IQ and academic performance in young children.

With that impressive list, I figured it was worth doing a few experiments. So, I queued my playlists and hit repeat as I composed stories. The results surprised me. While not scientific, I noticed words and thoughts seem to flow better, social media is less distracting, and my productivity per session has increased. I have even experienced a phenomenon where the lyrics provided the exact word my mind is seeking.

While I’ve not determined if my stress levels are lower, the ability to get more accomplished in my scheduled writing sessions makes me a happy camper.

Do songs inspire your writing?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – September 8

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 3 Comments

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 252 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? Half of the year is in our rear-view mirror, and I am drawing a line in the sand. The targets I missed, the stories I didn’t compose, they no longer matter. These last six months are history. Done. I won’t lie, 2020 kicked me in the head, leaving me stunned, unsteady, and incapable of completing anything beyond basic tasks. I bet I am not alone, but don’t count me out yet. They say what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right? I am confident I will discover I am more capable than I have ever been. I dug deep, reevaluated my annual goals, and I decided to double down. Can I get a year’s worth of work accomplished by Christmas? We will find out.

My turning point happened when I remembered reading somewhere that anxiety and excitement create similar emotional responses in the body. Anxiety raises your heart rate, your cortisol level increases, and your nerves prepare you for action. Most often, we respond by stress-eating a late-night pint of chocolate ice cream. The only difference between the two emotions is anxiety has a negative connotation, while we view excitement as positive. The answer seemed clear. I needed to reframe the context of my emotions and proceed as if my success lies on the horizon.

All that remains is for me to divide my workload into bite-size pieces, and do the next right thing. I am aligning my creative endeavors to focus on writing, editing, and creating a brighter future.

Try it, and let us know how you did in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Anticipating the Fragrant Memories of A Pumpkin Spiced Autumn – Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 9 Comments
a-leaf-fluttered-in-through-the-window-this-morningas-if-supported-by-the-rays-of-the-sun-a-bird-settled-on-the-fire-escape-joy-in-the-task-of-coffee-joy-accompanied-me-as-i-walked.-anai.

The weather is rainy, and the evening air is chilly. While the trees haven’t shed their chlorophyll to reveal their brilliant foliage, leaf-peeping people will soon busy. The other season harbinger has hit the streets – Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

They make me laugh since there is no pumpkin in Pumpkin Spice. They should correctly call it Spiced Coffee. The seasonal seasonings typically include cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, and allspice, or some combination. The other trick they play to create an olfactory illusion is to mix in the aroma of a browning butter and sugar mixture.

It turns out that we learn to recognize odors through associations. The traditional spices used to highlight the taste of pumpkin pie form a link to our memories of warm cozy fires, gatherings of family and friends, and the bounty of an autumn harvest.

They say eighty percent of flavor is in the aroma. Maybe that is what I love about autumn, the perfume of leaves, a crackling fire, fresh-baked treats, spiced candles, and my morning cup of hot, black coffee. It must be time to enjoy a brisk walk and maybe a Pumpkin Spiced sugar cookie.

What is your favorite part of fall?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – September 7

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 3 Comments

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 251 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? Half of the year is in our rear-view mirror, and I am drawing a line in the sand. The targets I missed, the stories I didn’t compose, they no longer matter. These last six months are history. Done. I won’t lie, 2020 kicked me in the head, leaving me stunned, unsteady, and incapable of completing anything beyond basic tasks. I bet I am not alone, but don’t count me out yet. They say what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right? I am confident I will discover I am more capable than I have ever been. I dug deep, reevaluated my annual goals, and I decided to double down. Can I get a year’s worth of work accomplished by Christmas? We will find out.

My turning point happened when I remembered reading somewhere that anxiety and excitement create similar emotional responses in the body. Anxiety raises your heart rate, your cortisol level increases, and your nerves prepare you for action. Most often, we respond by stress-eating a late-night pint of chocolate ice cream. The only difference between the two emotions is anxiety has a negative connotation, while we view excitement as positive. The answer seemed clear. I needed to reframe the context of my emotions and proceed as if my success lies on the horizon.

All that remains is for me to divide my workload into bite-size pieces, and do the next right thing. I am aligning my creative endeavors to focus on writing, editing, and creating a brighter future.

Try it, and let us know how you did in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Capture Your Soul’s Quest for Knowledge to Fire Your Imagination – Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 8 Comments
astronomy-compels-the-soul-to-look-upwards-and-leads-us-from-this-world-to-another.-plato

Do you gaze at our brilliant blue atmosphere as clouds drift by, and imagine pirate ships, cannon fire, and pirates swinging from the yardarm? Do you see creamy silver-lined bunnies chewing dandelions and carrot tops they pilfered from Mr. McGregor’s garden?

I spy an elephant ankle-deep in a river, using its trunk to splash water on its back. I have watched puffs of white cotton run from the approaching tempest and wondered if they found a place to hide. Or did the slate gray, rain-laden thunderheads swallow them whole?

The night sky conjures images of galaxies light-years away with extraterrestrials orbiting their planet. I wish upon the north star, plastered against velvety black heaven, and I wonder if someone in another universe is seeking confirmation from this same illumination. Are they alone, frightened, in need of a friend? It is human nature to chart the skies. Daytime clouds and nighttime stars demand answers to impossible questions. Energy crackles through the cosmos that sparks our imaginations and conjures fantastical explanations that change our world.

What worlds do you discover when you look upwards?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – September 6

/ JoHawkTheWriter

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 250 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? Half of the year is in our rear-view mirror, and I am drawing a line in the sand. The targets I missed, the stories I didn’t compose, they no longer matter. These last six months are history. Done. I won’t lie, 2020 kicked me in the head, leaving me stunned, unsteady, and incapable of completing anything beyond basic tasks. I bet I am not alone, but don’t count me out yet. They say what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right? I am confident I will discover I am more capable than I have ever been. I dug deep, reevaluated my annual goals, and I decided to double down. Can I get a year’s worth of work accomplished by Christmas? We will find out.

My turning point happened when I remembered reading somewhere that anxiety and excitement create similar emotional responses in the body. Anxiety raises your heart rate, your cortisol level increases, and your nerves prepare you for action. Most often, we respond by stress-eating a late-night pint of chocolate ice cream. The only difference between the two emotions is anxiety has a negative connotation, while we view excitement as positive. The answer seemed clear. I needed to reframe the context of my emotions and proceed as if my success lies on the horizon.

All that remains is for me to divide my workload into bite-size pieces, and do the next right thing. I am aligning my creative endeavors to focus on writing, editing, and creating a brighter future.

Try it, and let us know how you did in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer