life

Little Moments, Cautious Hope

astheheroflies3 Comments
A spikey dragon looks down at the number 2026.

Another new year is almost upon us, and I’m feeling…introspective. There’s a lot I want to accomplish next year: Things related to writing, publishing, marketing. Things about healthy eating, exercise, weight loss. Stuff about trying to earn money, save money, and just be more financially responsible.

It’s all important stuff, and I really want to do it. But I think what I want most is just to be patient. To not feel like I’m rushing through everything. To enjoy little moments as they happen. To appreciate the gifts I have, and I have so very many.

I want to look at that sunset and stop what I’m doing and just stare at it for a moment and think, Wow. I want to suck in a deep breath of winter air and taste the woodsmoke, feel the snowflakes melting in my throat. I want to laugh when my cat licks my toes. I want to be happy when things go right, rather than worry about all the future stuff that might go wrong. I want to be a good friend, a good daughter, a good coworker.

I saw someone driving like a maniac today, cutting people off, getting honked at, the whole shebang, and I felt a twinge of pity. I wished that person could feel some peace. Slow down a little. I’m pretty sure the Kroger will still be there in thirty seconds.

We can all be a little better, drive a little slower, reach for the quiet joy in those tiniest of moments without letting life pass us by in a 75mph blur of smartphones and streaming and death-defying morning commutes.

Just outside that window, the sun is rising, and it is BEAUTIFUL.

All we have to do is look.

A pink sunrise with purple clouds and trees on the horizon.

Where there’s smoke…

astheheroflies1 Comment

Dear Readers and Guests:

You may have noticed that lately the updates to this site have been, well, nonexistent. Not to get all “dog ate my homework” on you, but I do have a pretty decent excuse for neglecting ATHF. Actually, it’s a really GOOD excuse: during the recent violent weather in the US, my home was struck by lightning and subsequently caught fire. The blaze was so bad, it took numerous fire crews almost three hours to douse the flames. No one – human or animal – was injured, but the damage to the structure was substantial. In the weeks since then, my whole family has been grasping for some sense of normalcy as we struggle to make arrangements for the near future and plans for the distant one. While I would never include my recent experiences on my top ten list of “favorite life moments,” in some ways the fire really was a gift, because it certainly showed me the very best that humanity has to offer:

As a woman I’d never met before ran over to take each cat from my arms as I carried them, one by one, out of the burning building, I marveled at the kindness of strangers. As a firefighter made trip after trip upstairs to rescue my birds, I couldn’t help but be amazed at the bravery of those who put their lives on the line every day. As my brother and his family sheltered and fed us, without question or hesitation, I knew that even though my home had just burned down and many of my possessions were lost, I was still the luckiest girl on the planet.

Right now, things are in upheaval. Very soon, that should change. And I just want folks to know that although the updates to this site might be sporadic for the next month or so, there WILL be updates. Whether I have home access to the Internet or not, I have no intention of abadoning this website. In fact, here’s a little sample of what I have planned for the next few entries:

Fan Stuff:

-Long overdue reviews of The Mentalist and Supernatural season finales (The Mentalist one is already 98% written!)
-Reviews of Iron Man 3 and The Man of Steel

Writer Stuff:
-Tips and resources for self-editing and taking critiques from others
-Rejection Letter Revisited (I’ll be posting one of my old rejection letters and discussing what I learned, and what YOU can learn from my mistakes!)

I want to thank everyone who has stopped by ATHF, both the one-time visitors and most especially the regular readers and followers. When I see that little “like” message, I know someone’s reading, and that makes it all worth it. 🙂 I appreciate your patience and support during this difficult time. The writer in me misses writing, reading, and submitting. The fan in me misses fan fiction and TELEVISION! (I don’t care if it’s reruns, I still need to see my shows!) Hopefully soon there will be time for all of these things. In the meantime, thanks for hanging in there.

Sincerely,
Gretchen