thank you

November 8, 2011 in Book Writing by Tristina | 5 comments

I received a handmade hand-written card in the mail today from a very dear friend whom I’ve never met in real life.

Yesterday, I received two texts checking on me from two other friends I’ve never met in real life.

Yes, I’m taking a bit of a social media break at the moment, but I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has tweeted, facebooked, emailed, texted, mailed, and called me either in response to something I’ve said or just on your own regarding my writing.

I’ve been told you’re proud of me, you’re inspired by me, you can’t wait to see me published, you can’t wait to read “it” (even though none of you don’t even know what “it” is!). Your thoughts, prayers, messages, everything nearly bring me to tears (some of you have, KATE and CARRIE ANN) because you constantly remind me that I. Can. Do. This.

I can conquer that voice in my head telling me I can’t. Because I battle that voice every goddamn time I sit down to my computer. You guys drown it out.

And, for that, I’m eternally grateful.

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eighteen

November 8, 2011 in Baby, Family by Tristina | 4 comments

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve done a post on Olivia. Lo and behold, she turned 18 months on Sunday. Yes, seriously. EIGHT.TEEN.MONTHS.

I will let you digest that for a moment.

Done?

She has an opinion on everything. And smirks frequently. Like, SMIRKS. Little baby corners of her mouth twitch upward imperceptibly and she squints slightly. Then moves about her business. Her very important toddler business.

She can sign dog, fish, banana, diaper, eat, more, want. She will often use them interchangeably just to make sure you’re paying attention.

She RUNS everywhere and is afraid of NOTHING…including, but not limited to, her own well-being. The child has no sense of self-preservation and will pitch herself off anything no matter the height. I must be part cat with the number of lives I’ve lost snatching her from busting her face on the floor or edge of something.

It’s as precious as it sounds.

She loves music. LOVES music. Especially music on TV. She even understands when a song ends because she’ll grin really huge and look at me and clap. She appreciates performance and demonstrates thusly. That’s my girl.

She is still chubby though a lot of it is slowly lengthening into toddlerhood. At 18 months, she wears a combination of 2T and 3T clothing. Size 6 shoes. So there’s that happy wardrobe change.

Her imagination is beginning to blossom. The other day, she crawled around on the floor barking then stood up and patted her belly, which is her sign for dog. This cracked her up immensely so she repeated it, totally oblivious to me watching.

She’s a such a treasure. My little angel. I could sit and watch her read for hours. I could watch her delight in a Disney song, clapping excitedly and twirling and dancing, forever. She constantly reminds me to find the happy in everything, no matter how innocuous.

We’ll pretend I was thinking something deep and profound there and not mentally calculating how much laundry I have to do.

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Show Gratitude for Books

October 31, 2011 in Book Writing by Tristina | 3 comments

It’s a well-known fact that I love to read. Nothing makes me happier than curling up somewhere cozy and devouring a book. My imagination soars and worlds open up. I lose myself for hours/days/weeks and love every moment of it.

So, when Beth Revis asked everyone what book they were most grateful for I was stumped. How could I pick only one? So many books have touched me in so many ways, influenced how I think, how I write, how I perceive the world around me.

But one book sprang to the front of my mind unbidden and I knew it was the one. And it may surprise you but bear with me.

Yes, Memoirs of a Geisha…

If you haven’t read it, please do. The story is overwhelming and gritty and magical and beautiful in the middle with soul-crushing roughness around the edges.

There’s this image of water that creeps through the whole story. Her eyes, her soul, her life.

Imagine a trickle of water at the top of a hill. At the bottom of the hill is the ocean. The shortest route from point A to point B is a straight line, yes? But, along the way, the water runs into obstacles – ruts, logs, stones, hills, animals, etc. And what does it do? It adapts and changes direction if nothing but to get over/around/under/through that obstacle and continue its journey to the ocean.

That image really spoke to me and continues to speak to me to this day. Our lives are like that trickle of water and our dreams/goals/wishes/hopes are at the bottom of that hill in the ocean. And, through life, we hit obstacles that may seem insurmountable. But, by adapting and solving the problem, we overcome it.

So, the book I’m most grateful for? Memoirs of a Geisha because it changed how I view my personal obstacles. I’m not just going to pool up in a hollow and give up. I will find a way to flow to the ocean.

What about you?

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