I know I said I’d not be posting here this month, but the exciting news that I’ve been included in Modern Creative Life’s Annual Anthology: 2016, got me off my butt to let you know about it.

Happy Holidays to you all!

My mother and me, many years ago.

Yes, I’m here a day early to let you know I’ve written a guest blog post for Kathy Pooler here.

Kathy is the author of the memoir, Ever Faithful To His Lead, about domestic abuse and how she climbed out from under it.  She has been a major support for me during the writing and publishing process. I couldn’t have done it without her and the others who have cheered me on.

Tomorrow, on my books official birthday,  I will be back with another a link to another guest blog post.

An old family photo of me with my brothers, Reid and Zed. That is my mother in the background.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’ve been looking back through old blog posts lately. The main reason was because I have a very busy writing schedule for the next month or so doing some guest posts along with keeping up with my weekly posts here and my monthly newsletter. I thought going way back in time would bring up an interesting post or two that I could reblog. It would save me time and and the effort of coming up with new idea to write about.

Well, it kind of backfired. It’s been at least a year or two since I looked through those ancient posts. I’m in a very different place than I was when I wrote them and even when I last perused them. I believe that it has to do with aging and the changes occurring within and without my mind and body. I’ve become fascinated with the way I used to think and how the aging process brings about those changes.

One of those changes is my reaction to places I go to or have been to. A year or two ago I noticed that whenever I went to our local multiplex movie theater and walked through the doors, I felt as though I’m on another planet. The the high ceilings from which loud rock music bounces, and the larger than life posters advertising headache inducing, sci-fi, fantasy, shoot em up bang-bang, car chase, and dystopian themes are gut wrenching for me. And the game room off to the side often exudes the sound of gun violence, making it even worse. Even when I go to see something quiet and dramatic or funny, the million trailer’s they show are for movies I’d never go to see in a million years.The turned up volume of those trailers has forced me to remove my hearing aids and plug my ears with my fingers. When I go there now to catch a flick that is not playing elsewhere, I feel that if this is my beloved, blue planet, Earth, then I’d best be getting off as soon as possible. Needless to say I don’t go there often.

Fortunately, we have a much smaller multiplex theater with large, comfortable, cushioned seats, and much smaller viewing rooms. Some have only six rows, seating as few as thirty people. And all of the smaller rooms have wonderful recliners where you can put your feet up, lean back, and be really comfy. Fortunately, I have not yet fallen asleep in them. You can also order a salad, pizza, beer, or wine to take in with you. Along with a few noisy, pop culture films, they show a great selection of independent and foreign films which are my cup of tea. They show only a few trailers and they are similar in nature to the film I’ve come to see, and though a tad louder than the feature film  the sound level is manageable for me.

I’ve found that journeying into past blog posts isn’t saving me any time at all. I get all caught up in what I wrote ten years ago and what it all meant at the time. Then I think about what more I can add from a different perspective. It’s huge fun and I’m delighting in learning more about myself and where I’ve been and where I am now. I will continue to revisit old posts from time to time and share my observations with you.

I suddenly understand what the older folks in my young life used to tell me, when they said, “I don’t understand this younger generation. I’m too old for this stuff.”