Today I want you to consider the energy and power that resides in Change.

“Change?” you wonder. “How can Change possess energy?”

Well think about this. Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Think about all the energy and time that is wasted by doing the same thing time and time again only to have nothing different happen.

Think about what would happen if you took a different approach? Traveled a different path?

Nature inherently understands this. If you’ve ever spent time near the ocean you see how the water finds its way to the shore by following the path of least resistance. Although it may pound and pound and pound at the obstacles we throw in its way (jetties, docks, dams, etc.) inevitably it will take a different route to get where it needs to go.

I feel like I am at that point in my life. Doing the same things over and over without accomplishing anything different. It happened before many many years ago and the change I took then was what led to my writing career.

Now I look at my writing career after nearly a dozen years and ask myself, “Where do you go now? What can you change?”

Change being the operative word. There is power in Change. There is power in exploring new things.

That’s not to say that Change isn’t a scary thought. Most of us are creatures of habit and have built our safe havens where we are comfortable. It takes a lot to budge us out of those cozy nests, but sometimes you have to say, “Why the heck not?”

So with that challenge, I’m going to think about what I’ve been doing and how to effect Change. How about you? Are there things that you will challenge yourself to change? Will you empower that energy inside of you to try something different?

Also, if you’ve got a moment, visit the Carina Press blog to find out more about the inspiration behind THE FIFTH KINGDOM and the relic in the story!

The shock of going to the convenience store one summer weekend to pick up bagels and the paper and seeing that Princess Di had been killed.

Watching Princess Di marry Prince Charles on another summer day. My mom and I had gotten up early to watch together. She had been diagnosed with cancer just a couple of months earlier. Little did I know I would only have her for another short couple of months.

Still, it was a magical memory. The carriage. The gown. The traditions. I still remember it to this day!

So here’s a look back in time to that day. Tomorrow I will be recording the wedding so that my daughter and I can sit side-by-side watching the event. Maybe I’ll buy some scones and clotted cream. Whip up a little tea for us to enjoy while we watch.

So today I offer you a song that always chokes me up every time I hear it. I understand the amazing and wondrous gift that I have been given to be able to enjoy the American Dream. I also understand that the Dream is paid for by the sacrifice of our military men, women and their families, so this is to honor them today and every day. Never forget their sacrifice and never forget the words of John F. Kennedy when he said:

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.

Then there are commercials that rouse our emotions and wring them out. Make us remember things too important to ever forget. That’s the way I feel about these two commercials highlighting the promise of America. Vindicating its values and all that we believe to be good and true about this Nation.

The American Promise advertising style.

I’m glad to see them because it seems to me that lately too many of us are cowed by the media/politicians/celebrities into thinking that being patriotic is somehow rascist/stupid/hokey.

Well, I’m not afraid to say that when I see the American flag flying high or hear the National Anthem, my heart beats faster, my throat chokes with emotion and tears come to my eyes.

As I’ve said before and will say again, I’M AMERICAN AND DAMNED PROUD OF IT! Don’t be afraid to say it either.

For now, I’m sharing these videos with you that remind me of all that is good and possible in America.

If you can’t see the videos below, you can click here for the CHEVROLET Heartbeat of America commercial or you can click here for the Jeep Liberty commercial our cut and paste these links into your browser:
Chevrolet Ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYThjgJZFwo
Jeep Ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi0SbrrGaiw

According to Buffett, also known as the “Oracle of Omaha”, his father taught him how to live and Buffett believes that all parents can make their children “better human beings” with the power of one simple thing: Unconditional love.

I was lucky to have had a mother who believed in that. I never had any doubt that mother loved me with all my faults and that I could always turn to her when I needed support.

It was imperative to me to do the same with my child, understanding all the good and bad, but always being clear that my love was not conditioned on her getting good grades, being a better athlete, etc., although we always stressed to her that those things were important for her future.

It’s not always easy to be this way in some situations. Can unconditional love make you a doormat? What do you do if your child just seems to be going nowhere? Can you show “tough love” and still have it be unconditional?

I sure don’t have all the answers and I’m sure neither does Warren Buffett. But it’s an interesting news piece and interview if you’ve got a few minutes to spare this morning. You can either click on this link or cut and paste this link into your browser:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100708/bs_yblog_upshot/buffett-recounts-the-best-advice-hes-ever-received

You can also see his comments here:

Today we’re joining together for something different and even more important – to help our friend and Dangerous Woman Jennifer Haymore fight breast cancer. Please take a moment to visit Jennifer and also download one of these graphics for your website, blog or social media site. We’ve got a wide selection of items available at the Danger Women Writing Fight Breast Cancer store to help Jennifer and others like her beat Breast Cancer.

Right click to grab a banner to put on your site, Facebook page, blog or anywhere to help us spread the word or click on the banners to purchase apparel and other accessories at our store!

<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/dangerwomenwriting">Be Dangerous…Fight Breast Cancer!</a>

<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/dangerwomenwriting">Be Dangerous…Fight Breast Cancer!</a>

<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/dangerwomenwriting">Be Dangerous…Fight Breast Cancer!</a>

But I’m not complaining because I am so not a winter girl. I live for the spring and summer months because I love being outdoors. Whether it’s working in the garden or taking long walks along the beach, there is something about being closer to nature that energizes me.

I took this photo a couple of weeks ago during one of those walks. It’s of a huge kite that was flying in Belmar, New Jersey during a weekend kite festival.

That’s another thing I love about being down the shore. There is always something going on and its usually within walking distance! What could be better?

How about you? What is your favorite season and why do you like it?

This is a photo of boats entering the Shark River Inlet located between Avon-by-the-Sea and Belmar

Also, if you’d like some thoughts on how to deal with a day job and a writing career, take a moment to visit with me at the Savvy Authors blog!

I thought I’d share on these Thursdays some little known facts about Manhattan and also about some of the Jersey Shore locations in the SINS series.

Today’s New York Minute is about Sixth Avenue also known as Avenue of the Americas. Much like hearing someone say Houston St. (like the city in Texas) instead of like “Howston”, it’s a dead giveaway that you’re a tourist if you say Avenue of the Americas. It’s also very confusing since most New Yorkers call it Sixth Avenue.

The problem began in 1945 when Fiorella LaGuardia, one of the city’s most beloved mayors, renamed Sixth Avenue. In the years since then, the lamp posts bore plaques donated by the OAS – Organization of American States to symbolize each of the countries in the Americas. I remember seeing them as a kid whenever we came into “the city” for some event. Unfortunately, the plaques were lost when the city put in new lamp posts in the early 1990s.

Forgotten NY has wonderful shots of these plaques. You can click here to see the Sixth Avenue country plaques.

There are also a number of statues all along Sixth Avenue to honor famous people from the Americas. From the western most edge of Bryant Park (also along Sixth) to where Sixth runs into Central Park, there are gorgeous bronzes to be admired. This is a statue of Jose Marti, a leader for Cuban Independence from Spain. The statue sits at the entrance to Central Park on Sixth Avenue.

Above Central Park, Sixth Avenue once again changes names, this time to Lenox Avenue/Malcolm X Boulevard, also creating confusion with the use of two names!

Beneath Sixth Avenue run a number of things –The IND Sixth Avenue subway lines (B D F V trains) as well as the PATH Trains to New Jersey. As for how long Sixth Avenue is — it’s one of the longest in the city running from as far south as Canal Street at the southernmost part of Manhattan up through Harlem.

Want to know more? You can read more about Sixth Avenue by clicking here and visiting Forgotten NY!

May we all be so graceful and full of life in our coming years and remember — You’re as young as you feel!

Well, I am doing great! I’ve lost 6.5 pounds in about a month. I feel better and my clothes are starting to get loose. I’m counting the minutes until I can drop a size.

But to accomplish that I had to do some soul searching and realize something very troubling – I am a carboholic. Worse yet, that being a carboholic was so not good for my system. All that bloating and big belly started to go away as soon as I curtailed my carbs.

I did that in part with that wonderful book my daughter gave me — Eat This, Not That. I have the supermarket edition which is great because it lays out in no nonsense fashion what to buy and what not to buy and the reasons for those choices (although there is one with which I do not agree and more on that later).

First I cut back on my carbs and the carbs that I eat are lower in fat and sugar and higher in dietary fiber. Fiber is wonderful because it fills you up and keeps you from having that empty sensation.

How did I do that? Thomas’ Light Multi-grain English Muffins. At 100 calories per muffin, they have only 1 gram of fat and 8 grams of dietary fiber. In the mornings I will have it with a smear of one of those Laughing Cow Light Cheeses – also great! Only 35 calories per little wedge, but packed with flavor.

For Sunday pasta meals, we switched to Barilla Whole Grain Pasta (suprisingly on the Not That list, but I don’t agree). With 200 calories per serving, it has only 1.5 grams of fat and 6 grams of dietary fiber. Plus, it’s tasty unlike some other whole grain pastas.

At lunch I make sure to have veggies of some kind, whether alone or with grilled chicken, or a sandwich made with a muffin, low fat cheese and low fat ham (not a big turkey fan which would help, I know) or chicken.

For snacks – nuts, nuts, nuts. A handful of almonds (approximately 12), cashews or walnuts are a great snack at around 3 pm.

At night we try to keep it simple. Grilled steak, chicken or eggs with veggies and a salad. Actually, we’ve been eating a lot more eggs. They are not as bad for you as people think and if you buy some Eggland’s Best or another high quality egg, they are packed with vitamins and have lower cholesterol than regular eggs. I always look for a sale on them and stock up.

For a late night (around 8 pm) snack, I’ve been making our own desserts – like a low fat fruit-packed ambrosia — or having a small handful of Brookside Dark Chocolate Covered Pomegrantes. I get a 2 lb bag at Costco and they are absolutely delicious. 22 pieces are about 200 calories, but I stick to about half that amount because they are so decadent and dark chocolate and pomegrante are packed with anti-oxidants.

Adding all those fruits, nuts and veggies has gone a long way in helping as well. They keep me feeling fuller and I’m not having those horrible hunger pangs that wreck most diets. In fact, I’m not even thinking about this as a diet anymore, but as a lifestyle change because I can see myself eating like this for the rest of my life.

So, that’s my confession about being a carboholic and how I’ve changed some of my habits. I’ve also been going to the gym regularly and that’s been a big help. Any increase in activity is good for you, including a brisk walk!

Hope today’s Thursday Thoughts might be of help to you.