Dec 1 – The Writer’s Life (v-log)www.thewriterslife.blogspot.com
Dec 2 – Blogcritics (interview)
            Beyond the Books (interview)
Dec 3 -Bookopolis (review) 
Dec 4 – 1st Page (book spotlight)
Dec 5 – Bookopolis (interview) 
            www.thestorybehindthebook.wordpress.com (guest post)

Dec 8 – Zensanity (interview)
Dec 9 – Literature Chick (review)  
            www.bookexcerpts.wordpress.com (book spotlight)
Dec 10 – Scribe Vibe (guest post) www.scribevibe.blogspot.com
Dec 11 – The Book Connection (guest post) www.thebookconnection.blogspot.com  
              (interview) www.rebecca2007.wordpress.com  
Dec 12 – American Chronicle (interview) www.americanchronicle.com  

Dec 15 – The Book Rack (book review) www.thebookrack.wordpress.com 
              (book review) www.cindylovesbooks.blogspot.com  
Cindy Loves Books (interview) www.cindylovesbooks.blogspot.com
Dec 16 – (book trailer spotlight) www.bookvideos.wordpress.com
Dec 17 – The Book Czar (review) www.thebookczar.blogspot.com
Dec 18 – The Printed Page (review) http://printedpage.us/
Dec 19 – The Printed Page (interview; book giveaway) http://printedpage.us/
Dec 22 – Divine Caroline (interview) www.divinecaroline.com
Dec 23 – Boomer Chick (guest post) www.overthehillchick.blogspot.com

I write about joy, the silly and the occasionally serious. It makes people smile. We all can use a smile.

(yeah, I’m a sap.) here’s the joy letters link. go for a giggle.  xxkelly

see me at www.whenlifestinks.com

Have you ever bought a greeting card for yourself? I do all the time. If I like the quote or picture, it’s mine. I may scan and share with others via the almighty internet, but some cards are meant for keeping.

One that has priority viewing on my desk right now is a photo of a road with the fall trees forming a gorgeous leafy tunnel overhead, an arch of beauty. I stroll down that path in my mind when I need a break from deadlines.

The cover quote from John Burroughs also resonates with me: “I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.”

The days are short, and the older I get, even the years are short.  The inside caption reads: May your birthday find you with all the time you need to enjoy all the things you love.  (Card is “Moments” collection from Fravessi Greetings.)

Is there ever enough time to enjoy all that we love? The point is to make time for the things, and the people, we love. These words resonate with me more than usual this week as I reflect on the words spoken at a memorial service this weekend.

“We always thought we had time,” Patty said. Patty was one of my college roomies. Our junior year, a group of us girls moved out of the dorms and into a cool old house across the street from campus. So many memories are packed into that year and that house.

Pat’s boyfriend Dave became our roommate too that year. Pat and Dave got married, and welcomed twin girls a year later. They now also have an 8-year-old daughter, who was best pals with her daddy. Dave died in his sleep last week.

I realize that none of us are guaranteed a long life, but we sure operate under that assumption. We may all wish to die in our sleep, but not when we are in our 40’s.  

Amidst the sorrow of the service, there was laughter. As Pat said, “Over the years we had our moments, but we laughed a lot. We laughed a lot.” The photos on the poster board brought back the good times of our college years and yeah, we laughed a lot then too.

That is my goal from here on out. I want to laugh. I want to make time for all the thoughts I want to think, the walks I want to take (some of those walks will take me out of the country), the books I want to read, and most importantly, the people I want to see.

Dave had made Pat a 20^th anniversary DVD of pictures and songs of their life together, and he gave copies to friends and family. I am so glad I have it. His silhouette dance number finale is classic fun. It reminds me to be myself, to do what I love, and make time for the things and people I love.

My wish for you today: Do something you love, read something you love, and share a moment with someone who makes you laugh. The days are short; make time for the good stuff.

{Join Kelly’s joy network (a weekly laugh) at www.kellyepperson.com. Contact: kel_epperson@yahoo.com or PO Box 23242 Loves Park IL 61131.}

thanks! i hope you find your joy.

The forest is still. It’s peaceful. It welcomes me. Walking through the woods, no iPod in my ears, I listen to the sounds of the trees, and whatever is skittering through them. On past walks, I’ve seen deer, turkey, and the largest raccoon on the planet. I’m still not sure it was a raccoon; it was as big as a man, but he was on all fours in a raccoon suit.

Today I take the road toward the dam and the lake. I pass mommies with  little ones in strollers and dogs on leashes. I see daddies with little boys fishing. I overhear bits of conversations. “This is my favorite rock.” “I can do it. One step at a time. One… two….” “Thanks, sweetie.”

The lake is waveless. A few fishing boats are out, but the faint breeze is not enough to beckon the sailboats. The water is sparkling and murmurs contentment. At the end of a tiny piece of land that protrudes into the water, I park myself on a bench.

It’s a gorgeous day. I could sit here for hours doing nothing more but contemplating the world and my place in it. In the cement under my feet, I notice a bronze plaque:

Kathryn ‘Katie’ Rubendall

1949 – 2002

She Loved This Place

She loved this place. I didn’t know Katie, but I know she died young and I know she had good taste. I love this place too. It feels right that I should be sitting on Katie’s bench, lost in my thoughts. I silently thank her loved ones for placing this bench in her memory.

I watch a little boat bobbing and floating along. I need time to float. Life gets hectic and frenzied. Sometimes the best thing to do is to allow ourselves time to float; to relax, to enjoy, and to reflect on what really matters. When we’re floating, we can soak it all in with a deep sigh of satisfaction and gratitude. When we’re floating, we can think about what we really want.

Floating has its purpose, but there is a need for speed as well. Sometimes we have to go full barrel, blazing ahead with a whoop and a rush of adrenaline. Taking chances, exploring, reveling in the sensations.  Feeling giddy, feeling free, feeling the moment. That happens when we take the next step toward our dreams.

We can’t float forever and we can’t race all the time. The pace of life needs balance. Serene moments coupled with joyful thrills. If all we did was float, we would never experience the extraordinary high of new accomplishments.

Laughter erupts from the family fishing on the shore. Ducks are quacking. A few cars rumble slowly over the bridge. I hear them, but I want to linger a little longer in my meditation. The lake is still and peaceful. I feel welcome.

I know that even if I sit here for hours I will never understand the complexities of the universe and my place in it. But it is good for my soul to sit on Katie’s bench and enjoy the beautiful day, and beautiful life.

When I’m gone, there will be no specific place for my bronze plaque. I love a lot of places. I love a lot of people. I love this life. I don’t want to die young. When it comes my time to leave this earth, I hope that all of those whom I love can touch their hearts and know that it reads She Loved This Place.

Kelly can be reached at kel_epperson@yahoo.com and PO Box 2324,  Loves Park, IL 61131. Kelly’s book, When Life Stinks, It’s Time to Wash the Gym Clothes, is available at Barnes & Noble, Borders, and www.whenlifestinks.com. For speaking engagements, please visit www.kellyepperson.com.

Being a word nerd, I feel the last four words are closer to my interpretation. Joy is more than simple happiness. Joy has that wow factor, when you feel all is right in your world. It’s a taste of heaven on earth, a glimpse of personal paradise. When your heart is at peace, despite extraneous circumstances, that’s joy.

Joy is personal, yet universal. Joy is distinctly mine, yet I want to share it. What brings me joy may be not the same for you, yet we can feed off each other’s joy. We can help one another find his and her own joy.

Writing this column and connecting with readers ranks high among my joys, and has been the catalyst leading to other joys. Different speaking programs have led to unexpected connections and new joys. I even do a workshop now on finding your joy.

Feeling joy and a quest to maintain a state of joy brought me to a new form of exercise. Who wudda thunk it? Any exercise for me is technically “new,” as the only physical activity I get is carrying laundry up and down two flights of stairs.

I’ve joined a Nia class. Nia (an acronym for neuromuscular integrative action or non-impact aerobics) has been around for over twenty years, but is not a common offering in my area. What appeals to me is the “no pain, all gain” theory, and the focus is on the joy of movement.

Nia is a mind-body-spirit fitness practice that incorporates three martial arts, three dance arts, and three healing arts (T’ai Chi, Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, Jazz, Modern Dance, Duncan Dance, Yoga, Moshé Feldenkrais and Alexander Technique). The class has music and an instructor, yet there is not a too-skinny 26-year-old blonde in a curve-hugging leotard yelling, “Hold that squeeze.”

With Nia, I am outside dancing in the grass barefoot, feeling the peace and energy, and still working up a sweat. Nia is recognized as an innovative and safe cardiovascular exercise program.  It’s also fun. I like looking up at the trees and sky, and hearing the fountain gurgle and the birds twitter. It’s all part of the whole experience.

The philosophy is “through movement we find health.” Now that I’ve achieved a certain age (and it is an achievement), I think more about health issues. Nia also supports the Pleasure Principle: “If it feels good, keep doing it; if it hurts, stop.” That mentality is right up my alley.

No skills or coordination are required, thank goodness. Clothing is whatever floats your boat. The instructor wears flouncy Nia pants. One classmate wears jeans. It is not a hot-bod competition or a spandex fashion show.

Long-distance runners will tell you that a natural high can be achieved through running or physical activity. It’s the mind-body-spirit connection saying, “Thanks, I needed that.” I’m not a runner or any kind of athlete. To find a fitness program that accepts me for who I am and wants to empower me to achieve physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being, that gives me joy. The joy of movement.

{Write Kelly at this paper or kel_epperson@yahoo.com or PO Box 2324, Loves Park, IL  61131. To learn about Nia, visit www.nianow.com. To learn about Kelly, her book, and her workshops, see www. kellyepperson.com.}