You're Never Too Old!

 

You're Never Too Old! 

Isn't this a beautiful painting? 

I didn't paint this - and I want to tell you about the amazing woman who did! 

Several years ago, I was introduced to Linda Appleman Shapiro. She was sent to WOW! Women on Writing to help spread the word about her beautiful memoir She's Not Herself. We had a fabulous response and an exciting book blog tour. That was in 2014 though it seems much more recent. Here's a link to the tour and our original author interview. 

Several years later, in the middle of the pandemic, Linda contacted me again asking if she could work with WOW! - this time it was for the audiobook version of She's Not Herself. This tour was even more special since Linda was the narrator for the audiobook. Isn't that exciting? Check out that tour and our second official author interview at this link. 

That's the business side of things - and what many people don't know is that Linda and I became friends and we talk at least weekly and in most cases daily. My children recognize her voice and she and her husband George love hearing about life on the farm. Our lives vary greatly and yet we are kindred. You can check out Linda's professional qualifications on her website, but one of the ways she has inspired me most is through her painting. (Now you understand the painting at the top of the page, and below you'll find a photo of the lovely Linda as well.)

Linda took up painting just a few years ago (2019) when most would say they're too old to learn new tricks, she sought out a teacher and began something new. Painting has become something she loves and it is very dear to her - as she is very dear to me. I have several of her paintings hanging on my walls at home, and she even made a very special Christmas painting for my youngest daughter. 

Do you think you're too old to...

*take up a new sport like yoga, mountain climbing, or horseback riding? 

*become a published author, artist, or musician?

*find true love or rekindle a love affair of old?

*travel to new destinations or even different countries?

*start a new business?

The truth is - whatever you think you can do, you can and whatever you think you can't do you can't - so if there's something you want to do, regardless of your age, get out there and do it! You're Never Too Old to do what inspires a fire within you! My last post was all about resting - and now that I've done that, I'm ready to go and I hope you'll GO with me! 

As a child, I worked on a horse ranch. I quit riding horses when my dad died which happened to be right about the time I got my driver's license. Two years ago, I decided I wasn't too old to pick up a hobby that brought me so much joy. I now have horses of my own and I ride 2 hours each week. I've even been in a few shows and next weekend, I'll be showing again and my goal is to bring home at least 1 blue ribbon! I may be old, but I'm not TOO old by any means! Thank you Linda for being a constant support and inspiration to myself and others! Because of strong women like Linda, the rest of us are made aware of our own abilities. 

THANK YOU to Linda and all those strong women like her! 

As our time together comes to an end, let me ask you:

Would you tell me about an amazing woman in your life who has done great things or inspired great things in you?

What is something you are going to commit to trying in the next year?

What have you done to show your appreciation of someone who has inspired you?

How has someone thanked you for being inspirational in their life? 

 Share your answers as a comment on this post!

Hugs,

~Crystal

About Today's Author:

Crystal is a foodie, farmer, and friend! She has 6 children and lots of special young people who call her "mom" even if she isn't 'their' mom! She starts each day sipping coffee and milking cows with the love of her life and occasionally ends the day with a glass of wine.  Crystal is raising kids and cattle while juggling cleaning jobs, bartending shifts, music gigs, her job as office manger and she escapes reality a few hours each week riding horses and reading books (not simultaneously)! And who knows, she may start blogging again sometime soon: http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/

In the meantime, you can find her posting pics of food, cattle, and more on Instagram and Facebook! 

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Leave a Comment inspirational women, inspiring joy, inspiring others, never too old, positive thinking, trying new things

Friday Speak Out!: Training Wheels

by Amie McGraham

I’m a writer, a title that often feels as unworthy as when I first started running thirty years ago. I considered myself a jogger then; real runners, I thought, win medals and trophies and prize money. For most of my adult life—spent largely in a financial career I never wanted—I believed the same about writing. Real writers publish novels and sell articles. They win contests. Thousands of fans follow them on international book tours.

But if running has taught me anything about writing, it’s this: training is everything.

To run a marathon I train gradually, building speed and distance over the span of months. I have no aspirations to win; the goal is simply to finish.

When we approach writing the same way, we deflate the all-or-nothing realm of perfectionism in which we too-often dwell. With pressure-free writing, everything we write is simply training for the next project. Weekly flash blogs are training to write tighter prose. Short fiction leads to a longer story; a novella; a book. Contest submissions train for rejection. Reading others’ writing improves our own. Slow walks and meditation train our subconscious, freeing the muse for inspiration.

At the start line of my first marathon in San Francisco so many years ago, my husband asked me this: When does a jogger become a runner? He’s a personal trainer who’s completed nearly twenty marathons. Heart pounding and nervous, I had no answer.

“When you pin the first race number on your chest,” he told me. “Put one foot in front of the other and repeat.” His words propelled me to the finish line and continue to inspire me in every race I’ve run since.

Today when I write, I put one word after another and repeat. And yet, I still struggle with the riddle: When does a writer become a real writer?

The answer is simple: When our words inspire others.

I train to run. I train to write. I train to live. And if my words inspire, then I am a real writer.

Follow the soul of a writer, runner, caregiver & beyond in my new Twitter flash writing project: 140 days of 140-character microessays

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Amie McGraham grew up on an island off the coast of Maine and is a writer, family caregiver and occasional petsitter. Her fiction has been short-listed for the Fulton Prize and the New Guard Review and she was a semi-finalist in the Tucson Festival of Books Literary Awards. 

She received her BA in English from Arizona State University and is currently writing a trilogy book series. Her articles have appeared in Motherwell Magazine, Writer Advice, The Caregiver Space, Best Friends Animal Society and elsewhere. Her flash blog, “This Demented Life,” is frequently featured in AlzAuthors and read in more than a dozen countries.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
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4 comments Amie McGraham, Friday Speak Out, inspiring others, perfectionism, real writers, writer inspiration

Friday Speak Out!: The Give and Take of Inspiration

by Margay Leah Justice

As I travel the internet on my self-designed virtual tour for the promotion of my debut novel, I am often asked variations of the same question: What inspired you to write? Or, what inspired you to write this book? Everybody wants to know what started it all. What started me on the path to publication and how the story idea came into being. I love answering these questions because inspiration plays a major role in everything we do. This is especially true for writers.

Well, recently, I was introduced to a different type of inspiration. Not the internal kind that affected my choices for career path and story ideas, but rather, an external form. I have become the inspiration for others. Just within the past two weeks, I have inspired two of my family members to write their own stories. One is my older daughter, who assured me that she still plans to attend college next year to pursue her degree in nursing, and the other is one of my nephews, who didn't even like to read until he picked up my book. Not only did my book set him on a path to reading more, he was inspired to write his own!

Inspiration is a heady thing, whether you are on the receiving end of it or the one dishing it out. With inspiration, you can literally scale the heights of the world’s tallest mountain, explore the depths of the ocean, find the cure for cancer, or create a heart-breaking work of cinematic beauty. With inspiration, you can mold the mind of an eager child and encourage her to reach – or even surpass – the heights of her own imagination, to become whatever it is that she wants to become.

As I sit here writing this, I think about the legacy I want to leave behind for my children and their children when I’m no longer here. Inspiring others to try something new and reach for dreams they didn’t even know they had until they read my book is quite a legacy to leave behind.

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A writer since she could hold a pen, Margay Leah Justice is the author of two published books, Sloane Wolf and The Scent of Humanity, and is hard at work on her next big idea. When she isn't writing, she enjoys knitting and reading. She lives in Massachusetts with her family.
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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Leave a Comment Friday Speak Out, Inspiration, inspiring others, Margay Leah Justice