Sometimes You Need to Get Away

Sometimes you need to get away. 

They (the people who form the generic “they”) say “Don’t dream, just do it.” Others say “Never stop dreaming.” I think there must be a balance. There are tasks we must do, appointments to be kept, yet we have that open ticket ready in our heads – the ticket that takes us to places we’d rather be, at least for a short visit. 

 

I was thinking today about the places I like to go when I want to get away, but can’t actually, physically, go. One of those places is a wide, clean sandy beach – a peaceful and beautiful beach in Emerald Isle, NC that nature allows me to share while the waves set the rhythm and high-level winds direct the clouds to other venues. Another place I like to visit is a path in the woods amid rolling hills. Nearby a creek is gurgling over rocks and around tree roots, making liquid music, and the scent of tall pines fills the air and their needles create a fresh carpet underfoot. Or I might visit a dock at a mountain lake where a boat and a breeze awaits me, where life’s cares are left behind on shore.  

 

These are ordinary places. Places like this are easy to find in any number of locales, but my favorite spots exist only in my head. And in my books. And I go there when I can, and when I write.

 

I presume that’s true for most story tellers, and story lovers, too. It's not just for those who write the stories down. We tell ourselves stories or imagine exotic locations or peaceful scenes. Maybe it’s a form of meditation, but I’ve never studied or tried meditation, so I don’t know. I do know that when I’m in the dentist’s chair for more than a simple cleaning, I can visit those and other locations. Sometimes I hear music with the visuals – strains of Vivaldi and Corelli long ago engrained in my auditory memory. It’s impossible to pay attention to what the dentist is doing in your mouth when a Baroque orchestral arrangement is tuning your brain.  

 

Where do you go on your “dream” trips? Do you have special destinations? Are they special to you because of memories you made there? Or maybe a destination inspired by a picture you saw in a magazine that caught your attention and got caught in your brain? Or is there a location in a book you read that took root in your imagination and won’t let go? Please let me know in the comments. Maybe there's a great destination I'm missing!

 

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~:~

 

Grace Greene writes Women's Fiction with romance, mystery and suspense. The Emerald Isle, NC novels feature romance and sweet inspiration. The Virginia Country Roads Novels offer romance with more mystery and suspense. Please visit her website and she'd love it if you signed up for her newsletter.

 

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The To-Do or Not-To-Do List

The holidays are fast approaching. Are you ready? All done? Barely started? Is your list overloaded? Or are you the master of your calendar and your life? If so, I applaud you.

I’ve been almost overwhelmed juggling tasks like preparing for a new release, Leaving Cub Creek (the sequel to Cub Creek) along with family issues, a full time job, etc. LIFE. We all deal with this stuff, right? A list of what we’re committed to doing, aspire to doing, that which we must do despite our wishes…and that list is always longer this time of year. Except for a few presents, I’ve done no Christmas shopping and I’m feeling the pressure to catch up. On the flip side, we won’t be home for Christmas this year so I’ve scratched Christmas trees and other decorations from the to-do list. We are going to be in Hawaii for Christmas, so planning and packing must replace them on the list.

 

Have you ever felt the need to pare down and simplify your life? That thought brings Cub Creek to mind. 

In Cub Creek, Libbie Havens left the city because she couldn’t think amid the chaos. Some people love city hustle-bustle, but not Libbie because she has sensory issues that cause her to overload emotionally. A move to the country and acres of woods seemed the perfect solution. Removing the extraneous would reduce the chaos and allow her to focus on her life and live on her own terms. Unfortunately, most of her troubles were her own, inside her, not borne of the outside world. Many of her troubles went with her to Cub Creek. After many ups and downs, Libbie found love. In Leaving Cub Creek, Libbie discovers that love can be easier to find than to keep. 

Libbie thought that removing the external chaos would allow her to better manage her life. I’d like to strip away the unneeded excess in hope of finding the peace and joy hidden within it. I really do want to stop and savor the moments of life—not to be consumed by checking must-dos off the list.

 

To return to the original question: How are your preparations for the holidays progressing? For those of you who, like me, are feeling over-burdened—I have learned a lesson over my many years of preparing for the holidays. Make up your mind that, at a certain point, that whatever hasn’t been done, won’t get done. Be okay with it. The truth is that, more than likely, no one will notice but you. By the time your family and friends start gathering, get your mind out of the list and into that happy space and cast off the must-dos and what-ifs.

The most important point of all: When you’re looking to lighten your ‘life’ list, make sure you toss the truly extraneous and hold on to what’s important—the joy.

 

Here’s a brief description of Leaving Cub Creek (the sequel to Cub Creek) released on a few days ago:

In the heart of Virginia, where the forests hide secrets and the creeks run strong and deep ~ 

Libbie Havens never fit in. She bought the old Carson place on Cub Creek and moved to the Virginia countryside to prove she could live on her own terms. In the process, she learned some truths about herself and found love ~ but love, acceptance and belonging can be easier to find than to keep.

While on a trip to Sicily with Libbie, Jim Mitchell must leave suddenly because his son is injured in an accident in California. Now alone, Libbie is surprised by an old friend, Dr. Barry Raymond, but Dr. Raymond is a reminder of her troubled past and she’s glad to see the last of him when she leaves Sicily ~ until he shows up at her house on Cub Creek.

Years before, Dr. Raymond had told Libbie that if troubles weren’t dealt with, they’d keep coming back. With Jim still away helping his son, Libbie’s troubles are returning in force and wreaking havoc on her confidence and their relationship.

Libbie would rather hide than risk rejection, but she must face down the past and fight for what she wants, or the troubles that haunt her past and present will forever doom her future.

~*~

Grace Greene writes novels and novellas of Romance & Inspiration in her Emerald Isle, NC stories, and Love, Mystery & Suspense in her Virginia Country Roads novels that include Cub Creek and Leaving Cub Creek. Please visit Grace at www.GraceGreene.com and subscribe to her newsletter.

 

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