Opinion/Musings

Multiple Personalties in the Cow Pasture

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

Hello World,

If you’re wondering about the different looks my blog has had over the past week, it hasn’t been a mirage. And no, I don’t have multiple personalities. Although, based on, “I Write Like …”  I’m not so sure.  Having run samples of my writing through this intriguing site, the instant analysis I received said I wrote like HG Wells, Cory Doctorow, Kurt Vonnegut, HPLovecraft, David Foster Wallace, and most often like, Stephen King.  You draw your own conclusions, but I digress.

My blog has and is still undergoing an overhaul. I am combining my blogger, of which I have multiple, and my WordPress accounts into one. It has not been an easy task and I ask for your indulgence. I had thought I was rather tech savvy until I nearly sent all blogs into the stratosphere never to return. Why bother? Well, plain and simple. I’m not getting any younger.

I am doing this for two main reasons. 1) For simplicity and organization. To clean house. And, 2) To get me back in the game of writing, something, anything. I have been out-of-pocket for a long time due to illness. You have heard from me  with a post on occasion, but the truth is I had no focus or energy to write. Then the docs gave me a huge dose of prednisone; a medication I detest taking because of the side effects. However,  with it came  a renewed focus and the energizer bunny has nothing on me.

I began blogging  in 2009 with Friendship of a Lifetime .  It was for a different reason than why I blog today. I spent time this week  reading through, Friendship, Morning Pages, my short stories, and other writings I’d completed since all this began in October of 2009. I discovered I’d come a long way as a writer, but  still have much to learn.  I’ve shared great writing tips along the way, as well as some heart-felt stories. Not to mention a few strong opinions and the occasional creepy flash fiction.

As time-consuming and exhausting as this process has been this week, it has reawakened my muse. Over the next week or so I will continue to re-vamp my blog. I am relocating my first blog,  Friendship of a Lifetime and featuring it as a page.  Written after the loss of my best friend of 37 years,  the posts are a poignant reminder to value friends. I am putting it out there, as is. At the time  I gave no thought to grammar or style, it was written from the heart and in a state of grief. So fair warning, you will find an abundant use of adverbs.

Also, I will be sharing more of my writing, and perhaps exerts from works in progress. I may continue to share tips or things of interest to fellow writers on this journey, but my Cow Pasture Chronicles will be more personal. You will see ME  revealed in the things I write and share with from Cow Pasture. Or perhaps it will be,  Cory, David, Kurt, HG, or Stephen…..

Make Your Life Spectacular

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments
Robin Williams

Robin Williams (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I like everyone else have been stunned by the untimely passing of Robin Williams. I am not surprised by the outpouring of love from across the globe for this man. We as a people and a nation are hungry for laughter and joy in our lives, and Mr. Williams gave it to us in spades. He uplifted our souls with laughter each and every time he stepped out into the public arena wiping away our worries and fatigue, if only for a brief interlude. And we loved him.

There is a reason the masks of comedy and tragedy are shown together. Humor often hides deep wounds. He brought us much joy, laughter, and comic relief after a many stressful and trying day. He not only uplifted our spirits but encouraged us, moved us with the passion of his words and performances and inspired us.

Comedy and tragedy masks

That we were unable to return the favor and provide a measure of the same rest for his soul, is a tragedy. Perhaps, his legacy to us all will be that we will learn to be more sensitive to others, to listen more carefully, to reach out to help someone in need long before it is too late, and to live extraordinary lives full of joy. Thank you Robin Williams for a life time of laughter and inspiration. 

“Please don’t worry so much. Because in the end, none of us have very long on this Earth. Life is fleeting. And if you’re ever distressed, cast your eyes to the summer sky when the stars are strung across the velvety night. And when a shooting star streaks through the blackness, turning night into day… make a wish and think of me. Make your life spectacular. I know I did.” 

Valedictorian, Jack Charles Powell (AKA Robin Williams in “Jack”)

 

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Happy Thanksgiving

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

This time every year, people are busy preparing a feast and welcoming family. Thanksgiving is the one time of year families and friends gather and give thanks for the blessings God has bestowed upon us. It is a tradition, a time of excitement as the beginning of one year is ending and a new one is beginning. Decorations come out in anticipation of the upcoming sacred holiday and shopping lists made. It is a joyous time for most families.

This year is different. I am struggling find things for which I am thankful. This has been a dark year for my family and me. In fact, it has been a year from Hell. I won’t list the all my family has been through this year; it is too personal and painful. It strains credibility. But as the saying goes, “Truth is stranger than fiction.” 

Given the stress we were under, I had the opportunity to cancel our family thanksgiving, but it is our tradition not subject to the whims of our sorrows.

I believe traditions are important. Thanksgiving is the time of year when families pull together, laugh, reminisce, and embrace each other. A time to reinforce the values we hold dear and pass them to the next generation.

As dark clouds hover over our family, I am trying to focus on the things and people I cherish and hold dear. 

I am thankful for life. Not long ago, turning sixty would have been traumatic, evoking fear and depression. I am a vain person and the aging process is something I fight tooth and nail. However, cheating death, twice, in the span of six months gives you a new perspective. Now I want to celebrate. I’m here. 

I am thankful for the miracle of modern medicine and the high percentage of women beating cancer. Thankful my stepdaughter is returning to her glowing and vibrant self. Thankful my niece is winning her own battle in this dreadful war.

I am thankful for the airlines who bring my daughter and sister home safely. 

I am thankful for my precious grandchildren who light up my world and make me feel young again.

I am grateful for talented friends who support me in my writing endeavors, even during down times.

I am thankful for my precious dogs, Cooper and Piper. For turning naps into an hour of unconditional love and solace.

I am thankful for my husband, his love, tenderness, and patience. He is my safe place to fall and my foundation. 

I am thankful for my children’s love, compassion and devotion to family. It is inspiring.

I am thankful for opportunities to mend old hurts, before it is too late, and minister to those I love. I am thankful each day brings another chance to extend forgiveness and find peace.I am thankful that today and all of the tomorrows given to each and everyone one of us is a new moment, a second chance to get it right, and an opportunity to change, grow and move the world.

To each of you, God bless and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Father Time

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 3 Comments

Funny thing about time; mistakenly we believe there will always be enough. Enough to accomplish our dreams, see the world, or tell those we cherish how much they are loved. The truth is,  Father Time isn’t your friend. No respecter of persons, the clock of life ticks away whether we want it to or not.

When we’re young, we never give a moments notice. We mark our calendars in red, set our smart phones to chime,  setting  people and things we most treasure aside, all in the pursuit of days of  endless busyness.  We’ll have time tomorrow or the next; it isn’t going anywhere.

Only it is, we’re just too busy to notice.

One moment you’re a twenty something graduate excited about making your mark on the world, or a young bride starting her family.

Then you blink.

Your kids are grown leaving retirement and an empty nest to greet you each day.You notice the crow’s feet, greying hair and wonder aloud. Where did all the time go? You protest, But, I feel the same today as I did when ….

Then it happens.

A young cashier or waitress tells you about the senior discount. You catch a glimpse of yourself, the way you favor that left hip or the slowness in your step. Denying the obvious, you work an extra half-hour on the treadmill; schedule a makeover with your hairdresser and shop for a trendy new outfit, trying to hold time at bay. But the god-forsaken neon lights only highlight the age spots, saggy arms, and tits that look wilted rather than perky. The woman in the mirror isn’t who you thought she was.

Father Time has left his mark.

The wake-up call begins. Gripped with urgency whether from vanity or fear, you refuse to accept the subtle signs believing a few laser treatments and Botox will turn  the clock back.

But, you can’t out run Father Time.

Looking in the mirror, I see a woman who doesn’t sashay like she used to. Cheating death twice in less than six months tends to change one’s perspective. I assumed, when the time came, I would handle these heavy issues with grace and dignity. Now, I’m not so sure. It’s hard to feel safe struggling with the changes in my life, with all the things I haven’t done or said. I wish I could go back and start over.

All the brave, “I would never’s…”uttered I take back.

I hear the whispers of Father-time. “Youth and beauty can’t hold a candle to time NOT wasted.