Walk With Me

It’s suggested to know someone you should walk a mile in their shoes.

Imagine the feel of those cowboy boots as you tug on the straps and immerse your feet and thoughts in the life and stride that created that worn leather. Feel how confident you are as you strut across a crowded room. Notice how everyone hears the powerful, echoing sound of the unyielding leather soles as they meet the wood floor beneath your feet. You can almost hear the haunting whistle from the theme song “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”.

Now a code blue alert beckons your attention as you run down the hallway. You hear the sound of your rubber-soled shoes squelch against the polished tile floor. You arrive first to the room and thank your comfortable leather uppers for allowing you to move without concern for yourself as you concentrate on helping a patient during this crisis.

Who are these people? What do they do for a living? What happens in their life? How would it be to walk in their shoes for just a little while?

The fictional stories presented here give you a glimpse of another’s walk through life. So, come on, slip on those shoes and…walk with me.

Click here to view the short stories.

Life is Delicate

This week’s Photo Challenge from Michelle Weber at WordPress is to share a picture that means delicate to me.

I feel that I cannot concentrate as I watch the news today and think about how delicate life is. The tragedy that occurred today in Newtown, Connecticut is causing my heart to ache. I wish that I could hug each and every person in that community and everyone affected. I recall very clearly this period of my life and cannot fathom what it would be like to have to live through something like this. All I can do is encourage everyone to hug your children, grandchildren, parents and grandparents. Talk with your family and friends about this. Tell them that you love them.

Delicate
©2012 Tracy L. Constantine

I share with you the above image. I recall as I took this picture, the wind blowing gently, causing the delicate fronds to sway in the breeze. Let the breeze of love blow gently on each and every one of you.

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Winner, Winner...Chicken Dinner

“So, what’s with the title of this post?” you ask. Let me tell you. One month ago, I started a journey that many of my friends start in the month of November. It’s called NaNoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month. It’s a challenge sponsored by The Office of Letters and Light for writers to complete a 50,000 word novel in one month’s time. When I started, I thought I might be a little twitterpated, as you can see in my initial post:

Gone Writing…and a Little Twitterpated

I passed the 50,000 word mark on the morning of November 24th and kept writing. In the final week, I was able to write an astonishing 36,794 more words. I always knew I had a lot to say, but with 86,794 words, this just proved it. I proudly display the certificate presented for my accomplishment.

Winner, Winner…Chicken Dinner

The funny thing is that throughout this entire process, I still found myself editing, especially during that first week. Taking off my editor’s hat, even for a short time, was hard but very rewarding, as the characters took control of my fingers and told their story. The month of December will be spent entirely on conversing with them to determine what should stay and what should go. I’m sure there will be a few disagreements, but in the end, we should come to a mutual understanding about how their story should be told.

Back to your initial question. What’s with the title of this post? My husband promised that if I was able to reach the goal of 50,000 words, he would take me out to dinner. I chose chicken. Hence the title, Winner, Winner…Chicken Dinner.

To all my friends who participated in NaNoWriMo this year, I congratulate you on your accomplishments and thank you all for your support. And, as always, if you like what I’m doing, please let me know by clicking on the Like button. If you don’t have a WordPress account, don’t worry, you can type a simple comment letting me know. You can even do this anonymously if you’d prefer. Thank you so much for your feedback. I really do appreciate it.

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Gone Writing...and a Little Twitterpated

Each November, hundreds of thousands of writers come together online to share in a similar goal, to write as many words as possible in one month. The goal is to write 50,000 words toward a novel, without doing any editing. That’s 1,667 words per day. It seems improbable, you say? Well, I don’t know. We shall see, because I’ve decided to join in the fun and frivolity! You may think me out of my mind, a little warped, or simply twitterpated. Well, you and the Owl in Bambi may be right. You might say that I was walking along, minding my own business, looking neither to my left, nor to my right, when all of a sudden I ran smack into NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. I let out a hoot! And a holler! Said, Sign me up!

Now, before you all say I’ve lost my marbles. Let me tell you. I’m off to a good start. I’ve already written 942 words and yes, old habits are hard to break. I’ve already edited it once and had to remind myself several times to concentrate on the story. Don’t worry about the editing, that can come later.

This is going to be quite the journey. I hope I don’t end up going weak in the knees. I’m sure my head will be in a whirl before this is over, and as long as I don’t lose my head, I should be just fine.I hope to be walking on air as I reach and hopefully surpass the goal by November 30th. I just hope my quill is light as a feather as the words tumble out of my brain and onto paper.

They say becoming twitterpated could happen to anybody. Well I’m here to tell you, I’m willing to take the chance. I’ve prepared the snacks, stocked up on tea and hung up my Gone Writing sign. I hope to pop in every once in a while to give you an update, but just in case, there’s plenty to read in my archives, and you can always visit my other blogs to see what I’ve been doing there. Your words of encouragement are more than welcome. Thank you for being here and talk with you soon!

My blogs: Enjoy The View, Walk With Me, On My Mind and Ravenous Reader

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More Matter

I’ve just posted the second installment in a series of stories about Mel, David and their friends as they mark off items from their bucket list. I couldn’t help myself. The moment I saw the You Matter video from the TED Talks, my mind kept playing a fictional story in my head. Please click here to read It’s Time To Say…You Matter. I hope you enjoy it.

And, as always, if you like it, please leave a comment. Thank you.

These Two Words Can Change Your Life

A while ago, I saw a TED Talk by Angela Maiers. I came across it again just the other day and have been thinking about what she said. The topic was ‘You Matter’.

These two simple words can change your life. You matter. Two words. One fewer than its intended meaning…I love you. We say these words all the time to our family and friends. We say the words so often that we sometimes do them instinctively. It’s a habit. An extremely wonderful habit that does not need to be broken.

When you tell someone that they matter, you’re saying that they are a human being and they are noticed. They are important. They are necessary. They are significant.

Every person on this planet needs to know that they are cared for. Let’s notice one another. Let’s tell someone that they have been noticed. Then tell someone else. And then someone else. Change your life. Change someone else’s life. Make it a habit. I will start and tell you that…You matter.

If you like this, please click on the Like button. Also feel free to share and leave comments. Thank you!

What It Would Be Like Without Peace

What It Would Be Like Without Peace
©2012 Tracy L. Constantine

I searched through all of my images for something that would be suitable for today, the International Day of Peace. I felt this was most appropriate. Please let me know what you think.

The International Day of Peace is observed every year on September 21st. For more information, please visit http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org.

Falling Again!

Falling again! Visit the Indiana Dunes to see the majestic colors of Fall as the leaves change against the backdrop of Lake Michigan.

Click here for directions to The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

The First Time I Left Home

Have you ever felt that taking a vacation is like running away?

It’s been years since I’ve taken a real vacation. The chance to get away and relax. Do nothing. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to do just that. I didn’t plan it. It just sort of happened. Things lined up just right and before I knew it, my husband turned to me and said, “Why don’t you go see your Mom?”

“I can’t just leave like that,” I said with a searching look.

“Why not?” he contradicted.

“I can’t just leave you here alone.”

“This week is going to be a long week. I’m going to be working most of the time anyway,” he chuckles. “Just do It. Call your Mom and ask her if it’s okay that you come.”

“What about my writing?”

“You’ve got a laptop. You can write from there. It would be a good break.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

He picked up my cell phone and handed it to me. I dialed her number and popped the question.

“When?” she asked.

“Tomorrow or the next day,” I replied.

I could hear the surprise in her voice as we talked about it. She agreed, of course.

And as I hung up the phone, my husband hugged me. He gave me a kiss and said, “Get packed.”

I smiled and with excitement complied.

The next morning, I kissed my husband as he left for work. I got the last of the things I needed to do finished in a surprisingly short time, placed the bags in the car and turned onto the highway. As I drove I began to recall childhood memories and by the time I arrived at my Mom’s house, I had a complete story. Over the course of the next few days, I wrote what I had envisioned on my drive.

You know, there’s nothing like the feeling of running away…even for just a little while. Click here to find out what happened The First Time I Left Home.

Let's Make It A Great Day!

Seeing this turtle made me want to have the same great day! Let's all make it a great day! :々

Photo by Jack Wolf
https://plus.google.com/117717821003399521545/posts/bxdubPCQC2F

Announcing the Chicago Air Show

For days, I’ve heard the growling sound of jets in the sky above as the pilots prepare for The Chicago Air & Water Show this weekend, August 18th & 19th. It’s a free event that millions of people enjoy with their family and friends. The event takes place in Chicago, Illinois. If you are in the area, find a spot that gives you a clear view of the sky and you won’t be disappointed. Every year, the planes fly between the skyscrapers in the city and then speed toward the lake. The pilots perform acrobatics that will take your breath away. If you get the chance to sit on the beach, you will swear that their wings are about to brush the shores of Lake Michigan before they disappear in a blur, only return a few moments later to perform another amazing feat. Be prepared because once you start watching you will not want to stop.

The photo was taken by me a few years ago using a Canon EOS Rebel with a standard 75-300mm zoom lens. This was my first encounter with such high speed objects. I hope that I will have the opportunity to practice again this year.

The Fox In My Back Yard

A few weeks ago, we heard a noise at our front door. When we looked out the window, we saw a baby fox running off with a dead bird. A few nights later, I saw a bird laying on our steps with two puncture wounds. We quickly decided that the mother was training her pups on the art of hunting. We watched for over an hour and saw a much smaller baby fox approach. She was quite skittish. I call her ‘she’ because of her size. She was quite a bit smaller than the first fox that we had seen. Unfortunately, the photos taken were not very clear because of the triple pane glass and low light. However, upon waking the next morning, I made the unfortunate discovery of a dead fox in our yard. This was undoubtedly the baby girl fox from last night. I am posting a photo here of the poor thing.

Later that day, I decided to get some Vitamin D and laid my blanket out in the sun. I did bring my camera because you never know what wonderful things you will discover. After just a few minutes, I heard a very soft rustling and looked into the back yard to discover a baby red fox looking toward me.

I zoomed in on the cute little face and took a close up.

As I sat watching him, I saw his ear twitch like a radar homing in on a sound.

His attention was diverted by a bluejay that landed in the grass.

I’m sure one day he will be a great hunter, but not this day. The bluejay sensed danger and flew away, allowing the fox and I to continue gazing at each other with curiosity.

Enjoy The View

Our world is full of natural and formed beauty. I try to create simple, down-to-earth photographic images of these scenes, because I want to share the beauty that surrounds each of us. If I can inspire you to explore and cherish this landscape, why, that makes it all worth while.

At age 11, my dad gave me the gift of a camera and with his professional skill provided me with a tool that became an extension of myself. He allowed me to enthusiastically discover the wonder of this form of expression.

Photography has changed not only this world, but my world. I see this world through a camera lens and eagerly share the view.

Each week, I share my passion with you by posting one of the images that I have captured on my photography blog. Please click here to enjoy this week’s view!

Bucket List

I write fiction stories and have for quite some time and have just recently shared some of them on one of my blogs. I posted She’s Got Flare. It’s a short story about Mel and her friends. They’ve just graduated from college and one of the things they vow to do is to immediately start on their bucket lists. In their first drawing, David’s name is chosen and they set out to do the top item on his list. Click here to read the story to find out what they have committed to and the surprising outcome.

Discover wondrous places, thrilling adventures and magical moments as each item is crossed off their lists.

As always, I welcome comments and discussion. So, what’s on your bucket list?

Exciting Response!

I am so excited at your response to my blogs in the very short time that they’ve been active. I started blogging on WordPress just about a month ago. Each of these blogs has reached a milestone. There are over 200 wonderful followers of each of these sites. You must realize that this is extremely encouraging, especially to a relatively shy writer and photographer. 8)

I have quite an analytical side to my character as well, so provided below are the statistics:

204 people Enjoying The View

212 people reading what’s On My Mind

208 people Walking With Me

Thank you for your encouragement, feedback and for spreading the word. I appreciate the confidence that you have in me and am eager to continue sharing!

Tracy

http://tracyconstantine.wordpress.com

Fireworks background provided by Free Digital Photos .net

Is Your PC Slowing Down?

Do you find yourself waiting longer than you used to for your Windows XP PC to open a file or is it taking too long to load a page on the internet? Do you find yourself yelling for some serenity, right now? Before you go out and buy a new PC, try the steps in the attached file.

You should already be doing a routine backup of your system, so be sure to run another one just before starting this procedure. You should also have a list of usernames and passwords written down for all your internet sites. If you do not, now is a great time to jot them down because they will be removed. When you run this procedure, it will remove all the cookies, temporary internet files, offline web pages, old chkdsk files, temporary files, temporary pc health files and empty the recycle bin. Be patient while your PC works on cleaning your system. It will take time, especially if you haven't done it before.

The instructions are pretty straight forward, but if you don't feel comfortable doing this, just have a friend or relative who knows about computers come over and help the first time. Then, set a reminder on your calendar to run this every month to keep your PC running at its optimum speed.

Routine Maintenance for your PC (Microsoft Windows XP)

Serenity Now!

By surrounding myself with a calming atmosphere, I’m able to concentrate on the task at hand and avoid the urge to scream like George Costanza from Seinfeld, “Serenity now!”

I have purposely created a simple, serene work space that has little to distract my attention. I know it’s a little unorthodox. It’s basically a keyboard stand with a glass top, but it allows me to sit on the floor, sit cross legged on the sofa or work standing up.

You see that I also have some items on the top of the desk…my current inspiration. The bright colors keep my attention drawn toward the desk.

On the wall behind, you’ll notice several pictures. These are some of the photos that I have taken. The color on the walls is very soothing. I have a very big picture window that allows me to see the sun or moon, depending on the time. I do find myself gazing at the traffic or the people that pass by on their daily walk.