Posts Tagged With ‘ Cheryl’s View ’

On a whim I decided to include a small pumpkin plant in my garden this year. My husband was less than enthusiastic, because he remembered the one and only time I planted pumpkin over 20 years ago. The plant spread like wildfire and quickly took over the entire garden. Eventually it began creeping over the back yard to the house. It was almost scary. And we only ended up with one small pumpkin. I told my husband not to worry, because the poor little plant was so small and puny that it probably had only a small chance of surviving. So, I gently patted the tiny plant in the ground, wished it well,... Continue Reading

Quite a few years ago, I was honored to teach a weekly Pilates mat class to a group of vibrant senior citizens who also happened to be close friends, and there were two couples in the group as well. They were quite a lot of fun to be around, and had many wonderful insights regarding life and many insights and pearls of wisdom. One afternoon, as they were walking into class and picking their spot on the mat, one of the women casually mentioned that it just happened to be her boyfriend’s birthday, which elicited a low groan from said boyfriend. I gave him a beaming smile and wished him a happy... Continue Reading

Nothing puts an author’s teeth on edge quite like waiting for the editorial reviews to start coming in when their book is finally published. These are reviews by unbiased readers giving their honest opinion of the author’s work. I think it’s only fair to share all of my reviews, not just the good ones. So, in the spirit of full transparency, here is the first review the book received last March, just a few weeks after it was released. Reviewed by A. S. for Readers’ Favorite: “I struggled to become engrossed in the book all the way through and was frequently met with reader fatigue. I’m... Continue Reading

I am honored and humbled to announce that my second book, “The Reluctant Ninja: How A Middle-Aged Princess Became A Warrior Queen,” hit #1 Amazon Best Seller in not one, not two, but three categories at the end of February, just in time for the first anniversary of its release. On the other hand, the last time I used the word “humbled” when the book won an award, I was corrected by a colleague that the word was inappropriate to use in the context of receiving recognition. Whatever. So, since humbled isn’t the right word, perhaps overwhelmed word be more appropriate. Because it is overwhelming.... Continue Reading

In my previous post, I shared my personal story about writing a poem intended for a friend of mine, which turned into an eye opening and painful realization that I was my own worst enemy. Self image is a tricky subject to think about, and even more challenging to talk about. I’m just going to throw it out there and say that a lot of us struggle with the image of ourselves. And I’m pretty sure a lot of us are hypercritical about our appearance. I used to think that this only applied to women until I recently discovered through one of my podcast guests that men struggle with their self image... Continue Reading

“If I could see what others see I think I’d be surprised If I can only see myself Through someone else’s eyes …” These are the opening lines of a poem I wrote several years ago. I was inspired to write it for a close friend because I was sick and tired of listening to her tear herself down about everything. And I do mean everything. From her looks, her body, her mind, her relationships — the list went on and on. I was tired of her negative and deprecating self talk, and I was exhausted from building her up. It was a full time job and it was wearing me down. Besides, she was a beautiful... Continue Reading

To knit or knot. That was the question that I asked of me. But what was the answer? I learned how to knit when I was in my early 20s, and I loved it. It was relaxing, entertaining, and I got really good at it. I even consider myself a master knitter, and if you could see some of the lovely tops, sweaters, afghans, baby blankets, Christmas stockings, etc. I created, you would probably agree with me. There was something so mesmerizing about the sound of the needles clicking, the feel of the yarn in my hands, and watching a simple ball of yarn turn into something beautiful to wear or to give away... Continue Reading

Ahhh, meditation. Every “expert” I know sings the praises of mindful meditation along with the many health benefits including stress management, reducing negative emotions, and increasing patience and tolerance. I have often been told by multiple experts, “You need to meditate. You’re so high strung, and it’s the only way to calm your mind.” To say I’m high strung is an understatement, but I prefer to think of it as high energy. One of my ballet teachers once said that I had “big energy.” I took it as a compliment until one of the dancers said, “That’s a nice way of putting... Continue Reading

I came up the title of this post over 6 years ago when I was having a casual conversation with a friend, who happened to be an acupuncturist as well as an athlete and a top notch martial artist. Our conversation turned to nutrition, and I jokingly said, “How about having salad for breakfast and chocolate for lunch?” Here it is, several years later, and I am now eating salad for breakfast almost every morning. And I’m loving it! After taking photos of my mega-nutritious, vitamin-packed breakfast salads and sending them to my sisters, one responded by asking me for the recipes. She said they... Continue Reading