It was a very cold week, but luckily the girls’ schools did not call for any delays. I enjoyed reading while snuggled under blankets, especially the electric throw that my mom gave me as an early birthday present. The place I where I use it the most is the dining room. It is the coldest room in the house and happens to be where my desk is. It works for me to be under a heated blanket even during meal times, as I sit across from a barefoot, t-shirt wearing Amy. How are we related?! Sarah wears a t-shirt too, but she has started wearing a sweatshirt if she is in the dining room, and Amy often wears her cat bathrobe over her t-shirt, even if those feet are still bare.
Last night as Sarah was going to sleep she pretended to go to different places such as “Eat’n Park Place” and “Windshield Wiper Land.” I love how she comes up with ways to blend real life, her favorite shows, and her imagination in ways that catch me by surprise so that I guffaw loudly. We did in fact eat at Eat’n Park yesterday, and she does love windshield wipers. Sarah has been watching episodes of Dora the Explorer and Daniel Tiger, so I can see how she is using the fact that the Daniel Tiger trolley makes stops and Dora visits different lands.
Carl, Amy, and I watched two movies this weekend, both hearkening back to when Carl and I were growing up. Of all the movies ever made, I have watched Dirty Dancing more than any other. It is the most familiar thing I could watch, where I know every detail of every scene. I was nervous about watching it with Amy, just as I feel a little nervous writing about it here. This is such a precious part of my life experience that it is scary to open it up for possible judgment. We followed that movie with Footloose, which Carl had seen many times and I had only seen once. Amy liked them both. While they are quite different, they both involve dancing, weighty life issues, stories of growing up, and the clashes that can happen as kids become more independent. And don’t forget the eye candy. The learning-to-dance montages are fun, and it was hilarious to see them one right after the other. We also cracked up when we realized the young kids in Footloose are named Sarah and Amy!
When our cat does something I don’t want her to do, I refer to her as Amy’s cat and report it to Amy as what her cat did. Her cat often likes to explore Kitchen Counter Land and Stove Top Island. She leaves traces of her adventures, especially if there was a pan I hadn’t yet cleaned and she picked up a residue of grease on her paws. This week she left her mark of two very distinct paw prints on my stove top.
Speaking of leaving traces of where you have been, if you have been through the pages of my book, it would mean so much to me if you could leave a review on Amazon. This isn’t just me wanting to know what you thought, although of course I love to hear that too, but it is really about the algorithms and games of numbers behind book promotion. I have heard that 50 or 100 reviews is the magic number that will help a book be suggested more often when others search for something similar. In a little over five weeks it will be autism awareness month, and I would love to have my book waving its little arms for people to find it. I always want it waving its little arms, but April seems like a good target for when to have an accumulation of reviews. The thing to know about reviews is that you don’t have to write a summary nor do you have to write anything long or profound. You can just say one sentence about what you liked (or didn’t). You can also simply do a star rating without writing anything, although I think if you write even a few words it helps more. I have heard from some people that they post reviews for things that then get taken down or that they post a review and it takes a week for Amazon to post it. I also know sometimes people post a review and it shows up within half an hour. I don’t pretend to understand how that works, but here is my request to leave me an honest review, whether it is five stars or two greasy paws.
Having ample unscheduled time this week allowed me to visit the land of What Am I Doing With My Life Now? While I do have an idea for a second book and have even started it, that is way too big and overwhelming and hard and scary and and and. While I love having days to read, it is more enjoyable if I feel like I did something productive, impactful, or helpful first. Cleaning the basement could fall into that category, but often that feels harder than writing another book!
Anyway, I hope you are visiting some enjoyable Places and Lands, whether for real or in your imagination, and when you share something of your precious heart with others may they receive it with love.
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