Happy Thoughts

Okay, so as y’all may or may not know, I have really weird, really detailed dreams.  Most of my dreams have plots, antagonists, and at times, they cant be stressful, dark, disturbing, or all of the above.  Case in point: https://jackiesmith114.wordpress.com/2014/09/23/in-dreams/

And: https://jackiesmith114.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/haunted-dreams/

Last night’s dream was probably one of the most disturbing I’ve ever had, and I realized as soon as I woke up that it wasn’t the first time I’d had it.  Or I guess I should say it wasn’t the first time I’d visited that place in my dream.  It’s so strange.  There have been times when my conscious mind can’t remember a dream, but my subconscious dream mind will.  In fact, in my dream last night, the person guiding me through reminded me, “You came here last year, remember?” And I did.

The people in my dream thought I would be interested in visiting this particular building because it was said to be one of the most haunted in the nation.  And it was.  I’m not going to tell you why though.  I could barely get the word out this morning when I called my mom to tell her about it.  I could tell early on that she was horrified that I’d dreamt something so dark, so gruesome, so I didn’t go into detail.  I gave her a one-sentence summary.  But the images and ideas have stayed with me all day.

That being said, I am doing my best today to think happy thoughts.  Like fall!  Pumpkins!  Music!  Parakeets!  Two of my best friends and I are going to be spending Halloween in Houston at the Texas Renaissance Festival, so that’s something fun to look forward to!  We’re going to go shopping for costumes next week.  I’m also puppy sitting for those same two friends this week, so that’s fun.  I haven’t had a puppy since I was two so I’m having a lot of fun with Glorious Dorian as we call him.

There’s not a whole lot new on the book front, except for some awesome new reviews for all three books and lots of new Instagram friends who have been so sweet and supportive in their reviews and pictures!

Challenge

Today is a good day, everyone.  The weather is beautiful, at least where I am.  The spring flowers are all blooming.  I’m finally getting the opportunity to read my friends’ book and my other friend sent me the second copy of his manuscript to go over.  Yep, life is pretty awesome. 

It’s the kind of day that requires one of my very favorite desserts, peanut butter cookies and chocolate milk.  It’s a dessert I don’t get to enjoy very often because, honestly, it’s difficult to find a REALLY GOOD peanut butter cookie.  I first tried them when I was working as a counselor at a summer camp, and oh my goodness, those cookies were heaven.  Those three summers were also some of the best times in my life, so any reminder of them that I get is most welcome.  I’m really excited because in two weeks, I’ll be back there for the weekend!  

It’s so beautiful and one of my favorite places in the world.  

So today, on this excellent Friday (yay!), I want to challenge all of you to do something that makes you happy.  Watch a sunset.  Reread your favorite book.  Eat the best dessert in the world.  Call up your best friend for a spontaneous adventure day.  Go out and enjoy something this weekend.  

Love you all!  

Life is a Mystery (Machine)

This morning, I woke up in a crap mood.  Not a bad mood, a crap mood.  I’ve had two nights in a row of lousy sleep, the plumbing is all messed up at the house I’m watching for the next three weeks, and to top it all off, I saw two dead rabbits in the road this morning.  That just about did me in.  I had to force myself not to start crying while I drove.  It didn’t help that everywhere I looked, drivers all around looked just as miserable as I felt.  Sometimes I feel like to everyone around, life is not a gift, but an obligation.  We wake up every day with this attitude of, “Ugh, I just want today to be over.  I don’t want to do this.  This sucks.”  Life has become something of a nuisance, and that’s just not the way it’s supposed to be. 

Thankfully, life saw fit to remind me of that this morning on my way to work.  Driving down the street, just outside my window… was the Mystery Machine. 

No, seriously.   

 

I can’t tell you why, but that just made my entire day.  Isn’t it every kid’s dream to one day be cruising down the street and have Scooby Doo and the gang drive by, on their way to solve a mystery?  Okay, I’m not really a kid anymore, but that 8-year-old who watched Scooby Doo every single Halloween still lives inside of me, and let me tell you, she was ecstatic.  

After I texted the pictures to my mom, she mentioned that the lady who was driving the van probably thought it was a total creeper, but as I so keenly pointed out, if she doesn’t want people taking pictures of her car, she shouldn’t be driving around in the freaking Mystery Machine. 

 

The point of this post, and the point of seeing the Mystery Machine driving down the street, is that life is not a nuisance, nor an obligation, nor something that needs to be tolerated.  Life is awesome.  Life is fun.  Life is full of wonderful things and opportunities that are just waiting to be discovered and appreciated.  We don’t have to be serious or stoic or stressed out about life.  None of us were put here to be miserable or to just “get by.”  We were put here to live.  I’m hoping that I remember that next time I wake up in a “crap mood.”