Tag: calmness

The Spanish Siesta

It’s been a minute!

I’ve been on vacation, touring four different cities in Spain. (Almoradi, Alicante, Madrid, and Guardamar.)

One interesting thing we noticed is how the stores close in the middle of the day.

In some parts of Spain, businesses take a few hours of break in the afternoon. They actually close their stores, and you won’t be able to go in until after the break.

They call this a Siesta, which means “a midday or afternoon rest or nap.” It comes from the Latin sexta, the 6th hour after dawn. The Siesta was a traditional break for agricultural workers in Spain and Italy, usually taken at noon to avoid the intense heat of the midday sun.

Imagine going to work and then taking a nap after lunch to be refreshed and ready for the evening hours.

This made me think about how other countries prioritize rest compared to America’s “no sleep” philosophy. Spaniards are so rejuvenated after the Siesta that many stay up all night, and some restaurants do not close until midnight.

And I mean they have a time! Card tables are out, children are running around, and the city is buzzing with life. The people seem content and joyful.

Meanwhile, we are over here exhausted, overworked, and stressed out.

We can use this as a lesson and appreciate breaks more whenever we need them, not just when society says it’s okay.

Let us refill our cups as needed to ensure we have everything we need to continue.

I wish you peace, and I wish you rest!

When It Rains

Photo by Danielle Dolson on Unsplash

The rain gives me the permission to slow down. As the sky darkens, I feel safe to retreat under the covers and do nothing without guilt. The growl of thunder speaks a language it knows I understand. “Rest,” it says and just like the water falling from heaven nourishes the ground, I too am recharged by laying my burdens down. I love it most when the sky darkens. It’s like the earth turned off its lights. Giggling at the revelation, I turn my lights off too and listen to the thundering command my next move. I am a kid again thinking of things to do before the grownups come back. The body is such a beautiful creation, releasing melatonin to induce drowsiness when natural light disappears in the evening. When this happens in the middle of the day, it is a special treat. I sit down to write something to match the energy bursting forth from the sky before the sun returns from its sabbatical, and my body releases the cortisone that will get us up and going again. I sit in the darkness with only a lamp of light to write before the tranquility of the moment passes, taking with it these words.

Dear Indie Author, Don’t Let People Rush You

It’s easy to get caught up watching everyone else publish their books when you are still writing yours. In the Indie world, people publish frequently; some writers are churning out hits every month. And as we sit there, watching them hit Best Seller’s Lists and USA Today Best Seller’s list, we must fight the urge to rush our WIP (Work in Progress) just for the sake of getting something out there. Some people write best-sellers in a few weeks or months and some people, a few years.

It’s not just watching others publish that can make an author anxious, but it is also excited readers. Authors love their readers and rightfully so! Without a reader, there is no book, so authors cater to the literary needs of their tribe, listening to feedback, praise, criticism, suggestions, and recommendations. But, even in this instance, the author must hold ground!

Authors, lean in close…

No matter what these people say to you, stand firm because the compliments are captivating! Readers know how to stroke the ego. They are truly good at what they do. Do not underestimate it. Suddenly, you are the best author they’ve ever known (yes, more than Toni Morrison and Ralph Ellison, JK Rowling, and Maya Angelou), and your book will give them life. Like, literally give them life. They will die without your next read.

Everyone breathe.

It is going to be okay. I can assure you, the reader is not going to die.

Simply smile, nod, and inform them the next book is coming, but it is not here now.

Trust me. Everyone will live.

Take as much time as is necessary for your masterpiece. Make sure it is as polished as you can afford to make it, and then, when no one is paying attention, it is done.

Your people will love the surprise!

Here are classics that took longer than a few months to write:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley  (1 Year)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (2 Years)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling (6 Years)

The Lord of The Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (12-17 Years)

 

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