This morning I woke up bright-eyed and bushy tailed, as my momma used to say. For the first time in a week, I had a good night's sleep. I drank the latte my husband makes for me every morning, and here I am. (A little late because I forgot today is Monday!)
And I am ready, willing and able to give this new decade the best I have to offer.
All the omens are in place for a wonderful ten years. To wit:
* Animal Signs--On New Year's Day, my husband and I saw the neighborhood fox on his trot through the yard. I'd been worried about him; he'd not been seen for weeks and a few blocks away another fox had been euthanized by authorities because it was obviously in distress. So seeing Sir Foxy, his brushy tail low as he was on the prowl, thrilled me.
* Media Signs--Carolyn Hax's column today discussed the decision for us to "choose joy" over "triumphant unhappiness," loosely defined as the decision to hang onto every slight and misery with a sense of overweening righteousness. In her words, "When you 're cumulatively pessimistic and/or fundamentally negative, you're actively choosing to accept a lower allotment of joy." Wow. How cool is that? It's a great prescription for the New Decade.
* Environmental Signs--I immediately pulled up this photo that my sister took at Disney World. My favorite rides are Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted House. Wandering out from the latter, I noticed this lettering on the side of the caravan (actually a selling kiosk). "Mysterious Tomes," well, isn't that what I write? I think so!
* Friendship Signs--Not only do I enjoy the best ever relationship with my blog sisters, but as I was writing this, my dearest pal from St. Louis called and said, "Happy New Year!" Olivia is unfailingly cheerful and positive. I take the timing of her call as a reminder how much we all enjoy being around upbeat people!
* Internal Signs--And more than anything, the sign for a great decade is my own internal sense of "can do." I've been working on new ideas for books, while finishing up Book #4 of the Kiki Lowenstein series, tentatively called Make, Take, Murder. We're on track to sign a contract for Book #5, Ink, Red, Dead. I keep getting emails from readers who are breathlessly waiting for Book #3--Photo, Snap, Shot. And my new agent is doing a crackerjack job of encouraging me and showing around my new stuff. Despite the turmoil in the industry, I will survive and thrive. My favorite movie has always been The Unsinkable Molly Brown. That's where I draw my inspiration: You can put me in that boat and set me in the middle of the big, cold, deep ocean, and I'm going to start singing my song and believing--hope against reality--that I'll come out alive. (I've done it before and I'll do it again. BOO-YAH!)
What do your signs tell you about 2010?
By the way, don't forget that you can read an excerpt of Photo, Snap, Shot on my personal blog at http://joannaslan.blogspot.com/2009/12/book-excerpt-from-photo-snap-shot.html
This is going to be a GREAT decade. I just know it!
8 comments:
You inspire me and make me think it can and well the best decade yet. When others around you are positive, I think it helps you.
Thanks for the positive thoughts. It is going to be a good decade!
Congratulations on all your accomplishments and the books sound great.
Great picture, Joanna. I love your enthusiasm.
Joy is always a good choice as far as I'm concerned.
I hope all your omens are right. Happy New Decade!
I know whom to call when I'm feeling a less joy than I'd like!
Thanks, Joanna, for getting us off to a terrific start on the first Monday of the new decade!
Love it, Joanna! All those great omens coming together, combined with your wonderful optimism, are inspirational. I'll buy into them for this decade!
We're off to a grand start, ladies. I'll raise a cup of tea to all of us!
"Triumphant unhappiness" -- what a great phrase! I've known people like that. What a great character description, I must take note and maybe create someone like that in a book. I know that at times I've been unhappy but never triumphantly so, what a dreadful way to go about in life.
I hope the new decade brings its triumphs, none of them unhappy.
Someone responded to a Carolyn Hax column by saying he/she had a friend who specialized in "triumphant unhappiness." I try to read the papers every day to pickup some ideas, thoughts and trends. Yesterday that particular phrase made it all worthwhile.
Oh my goodness -- I do know people like that and never could come up with a phrase that good to describe the phenomenon.
I'm a problem solver, and when someone tells me a problem, I like to help -- it took me a while to realize some people do not want to helped out of their "triumphant unhappiness."
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