Breathe In, Breathe Out

Do you live your life as you breathe?

A scholarship donor posed that question at a banquet I attended recently.  She pointed out that there are two parts to breathing: 1) Take a deep breath and hold it for as long as you can.  Inhaling takes in oxygen that is vital for our bodies.  2) Now let it out.  Exhaling releases carbon dioxide so it doesn't build up and become toxic to us.  You must do both to survive.  

As a borderline asthmatic, I don't take breathing for granted.  Paint, perfumes, smoke, and cats are among the things that can trigger an attack, so I try to avoid those things whenever possible.  It's not fun going through the motions of taking deep breaths when you can only manage to take in a little air.  I know I'm not alone, but most people breathe without thinking about it.  I know I do when I'm not having problems.  

But do you live your life without thinking about it?

Hopefully not. 

Breathe in.  Living is exploring, learning, and experiencing. Take in as much as you can, and be open to new experiences.

Breathe out.  Give back.  Share what you've learned with others.

I try to breathe deeply of the writing life. 

Networking is important.  I belong to several writing groups and subscribe to too many writing loops, but I get something from all of them so I'm reluctant to give them up.  I participate in my writing groups by serving as an officer and volunteering as contest coordinator.  I edit a newsletter and co-host The Write Way Café blog.  I support fellow authors by visiting their websites and blogs, and follow them on Facebook and Goodreads.  And of course, I buy their books!

Life is a full-circle experience.  Some say you get out of it what you put into it.  So breathe in:  What are you learning?  What are you doing with your life?  What do you strive for?  What are your goals?  What have you accomplished and what are you working on?  

Now breathe out:  What are you giving back?  Are you sharing what you've learned and trying to help others learn? Are you setting an example for others to strive to reach their goals?  Are you sharing your accomplishments and encouraging others to share theirs?  What can you give that others have given you? 

Breathe in, breathe out.  Take in all you can, and then give back so others can follow in your footsteps.

Tell me what you think:  Do you live your life as you breathe?

You are always a student, never a master. You have to keep moving forward.

- Conrad Hall

Why Do We Say That?

I love words. Seems obvious, since I'm writer. I love the sound of a well-crafted metaphor, the flow of a description that really resonates, the hit from reading a word that just fits.

One of my favorite thoughts about the love of words was spoken by Archer Mayor. The thought was given a title and printed in The Writer years ago. It speaks to the writer's love of words.
The Music of Language
"You must discover what writing is for you. I have never thought writing was fun, but have always found the music of words utterly beguiling and as necessary to me as writing and breathing."

It was my interest in words that prompted me to pay attention to a recent discussion about idioms that aired on public radio. The expert source for the topic was Christine Ammer, author of The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. According to Ammer, an idiom is a set phrase of two or more words with a fixed meaning that is something different from the individual words. It was clear in the way she talked about idioms that she has a love of words and their power to express. People who love words wonder where certain expressions come from, when they originated, and how they acquired the meaning they're given. For example, why do we say Break a leg, when what we mean is to wish good luck? According to Ammer, this expression dates back to a superstitious belief in spirits or sprites, who were believed to create chaos. To break a leg was a suggestion to fight the spirits.

Ammer pointed out that there is often a kernel of truth in the idiom, especially at the time it was first created, and that gives it weight. The use of idioms dates back centuries, she said, and are an enduring part of the public conversation. They express things succinctly because we all understand their meanings, even if they don't seem to make sense. We all accept that blood is thicker than water, and understand the reference to the strength of family bonds.

Sometimes idioms express a commonly accepted belief or attempt to sum up something inexplicable. The phrase absence makes the heart grow fonder is one of those kind of idioms. The expression originated in 1602 as a line in the book, "Poetic Rhapsody" and it is a statement that tries to explain the complexities of relationship. At the crossroads, an idiom that expresses the state of being at a decision point, dates back to 600 BC, as does Don't bite the hand that feeds you. And we may think of the idiom chasing the American dream as a modern expression that means the quest for prosperity, but it dates back to 1835.

Ammer said that the armed services have provided a wealth of idioms, as have the Bible and works by Shakespeare, who gave us sea change, meaning a radical transformation, in "The Tempest" in 1610, and It's Greek to me in 1601 in "Julius Caesar." It is better to have one bird in the hand than two in the bush originated from a Biblical Proverb that referred to mediaeval falconry and suggested that a bird in the hand (the falcon) was a valuable asset and worth more than two in the bush (the prey).

But Ammer said not all idioms are old. In selecting idioms for her dictionary, she uses several guidelines, but in order to qualify as an idiom a phrase must have endured for a number of years and must be a part of regular conversation. So the relatively new phrase "to go viral" hasn't made it yet into her dictionary, though it may in future editions. Some idioms have expanded their meanings over time. For instance, a Trojan horse, a reference to the wooden horse the Greeks used to surreptitiously enter the city of Troy, is understood to mean something duplicitous, but now also refers to a type of computer virus.

Getting to know the background on the idioms we use every day without thinking because they fit the occasion is a fun way to enrich language skills. So the next time you don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth or you refer to yourself as an empty nester while trying to avoid the elephant in the room, think about the crazy thing you just said.

Do you have any favorite idioms? Share?

You can do anything if you have enthusiasm.  Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes rise to the stars.

- Henry Ford

Crimson Romance Authors Heat Things Up!

Crimson Romance authors love their leading men and are willing to fight for them. In celebration of Lover’s Day on April 23, we’re kicking off the first-ever Hot Heroes Faceoff.
     
The event will run each Tuesday for the next six weeks, in which two hot heroes will square off for your votes. The winning hero on April 23 will advance to the next round. On June 4 we’ll crown the hot hero for the summer and throw in some prizes here and there along the way!

Our first two heroes squaring off are Jordon from Save My Soul by Elley Arden and Chago from Seal of Surrender by Traci Douglass.

Here’s a little background on their hotties:
     
Jordon Kemmons wears a Versace suit like it's nobody's business. As a successful baseball agent, he's a tough negotiator who's used to getting his way, but he has a soft spot for free-spirited women who love him flaws and all.

Chago has always been the quiet one amongst his warrior Scion brethren—the brooding, immortal, Spanish combat expert with a hidden soft side. Still, his greatest joy comes not from the battlefield, but from tending the cattle herd on his remote Montana ranch.

Jordon and Chago are currently undergoing intense training with their authors and virtual coaches. How’s it going so far? Here’s what are heroes have to say:

“Honestly, I’m a little miffed she signed me up for something like this during the season,” Jordon said. “I have free agents who want to play ball. But then she talked about having a book to sell, and as a business man and competitor, I couldn’t argue with that. So here I am, wearing her favorite suit and promising to smile on queue. I didn’t promise to shut my phone off, though.”

As a combat expert, Chago was born ready for competition. When pressed, he stated he’s much too busy with running his ranch and saving the world to spend time preparing to be ogled. Brooding by nature and confident in his ability to handle any competition, his only response fit for print was, “Bring it on.”
      

Who will you vote for on April 23? Join us at:

http://www.facebook.com/events/339897632780350/

Join the conversation on Twitter, get updates on how the heroes are training and pick a team. #HotHeroFaceoff

What Books Represent You and Your Life?

My father-in-law's belongings were on the verge of being tossed out, his wife apparently uncaring that his adult children might treasure some of those belongings, especially now that their father is in a nursing home with Alzheimer's. He doesn't remember his children, let alone the belongings. So we rescued a minivan full of items to be shared with the siblings. Old tools, tool boxes, equipment, photo albums, and books. Hubby kept repeating "Mike and Frank (American Pickers) would love this stuff!"

There was one box of books that my father-in-law had kept over the years. Mixed in among the Bibles (my father-in-law was a minister), reference books, and high school and college yearbooks was one smaller tome wrapped in brown paper. The paper had obviously been wet at some point, and was tinted with faded red blotches. The top, bottom and opening side edges were yellowed and worn with age. As I pulled the book from the box, I realized the brown paper was not just any brown paper—it was Bradley's Tonal Papers (33 Beautiful Colors for Designing posters, costumes, room interiors and all "industrial art" work. Also for Paper Folding and cutting in Kindergarten and primary grades. By Milton Bradley)—something I've never seen before. I thought it was kind of cool.

Musty odors assailed my senses as I opened the book.  Several inscriptions grace the first blank pages on the inside:  "Practical and so usefull"; Loaned to: H.L. and B.L. – it helped us, B.J. and L.J. – very good. I kept turning pages and discovered . . . SANE SEX LIFE AND SANE SEX LIVING, copyright 1919. Definitely not a book I was expecting to find in a minister's holdings! But I guess ministers advise their parishioners on anything and everything. I admit to absconding with the book and checking it out. Google revealed it was re-released in 2007 by BiblioBazaar as a "pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality." It's also available through Project Gutenberg at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13161/13161-h/13161-h.htm.

These books were my father-in-law's keepers. They were representative of his life, his beliefs, and his interests. They were obviously important to him, or he would not have dragged them through numerous moves, including a period of time when they sold their house and lived solely in a motor home, traveling the country. I wish I could ask him what importance some of those books held for him.

I could never sell my home and actually live in the confines of a motor home, even though I wouldn't mind traveling the country in one. But what if I could only keep one box of books to take wherever I went? That it would have to be a large box is a given, but what books would I choose to be representative of my life?

The Bible would definitely be in my box. Black Beauty, The Black Stallion series, and Seabiscuit. James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small.  My unpublished book of poetry (Somebody's Dreams), written when I was a teenager, along with the poetry anthologies in which a few of them were actually published.  A selection of books written by my favorite authors—stories of adventure and growth,  hope and love; stories of families, friends, and lovers.

What books would I find among your belongings? What books represent you and your life?

Nobody succeeds beyond his or her wildest expectations unless he or she begins with some wild expectations.

- Ralph Charell