I was doing some cleaning and I found this fortune in a box. Totally random. But it is a good reminder that excellence speaks for itself.

Last year I went to a convention and one of the workshops was about self publishing. And one of the writer's there said that if you aren't a professional, then hire one. I am a terrible proof reader and I don't think any writer should edit their own stuff, you're too close to it. You have to have a new set of eyes to do it right. So I made the effort to get a professional editor and I professional graphic artist for my cover and I do not regret it.

PROSPERITY: a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition, especially in financial respects; good fortune. (From Dictionary.com)

It's funny that whenever I'm feeling discouraged something comes along to improve my attitude. I wasn't sure about the prosperity thing but to be thriving and flourishing in all areas of my life, not just financial, is something I would like to have. I write for the love of my characters and if they flourish and thrive in the minds of the reader I will consider myself successful.

Wednesday, March 20th, 2013 should have been like any other Wednesday preceding or following it except for one thing: that stupid fortune cookie I got on Dec. 20, 2012.

Remember this?

I wanted it to be true. Is that such a terrible thing? I rather live in a world of impossibility than plausibility.  To hope for something fantastic or unexpected.  Like Alice. “So many out-of-the-way things had happened lately, that Alice had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible.” I didn’t get the book deal I was hoping for nor was I swept in something so cool I couldn’t believe it was happening to me. But Wednesday March 20th, 2013 was not a total loss.

A co-worker of mine gave me a brand new pair of dress shoes that fit her in the store but not when she got home. I was in need of some new shoes for work. I’ve spent the last several weeks passing through stores, waiting to find the intersection of cuteness and price point. The shoes I have received I would not buy, but I like them all the same. They came when I needed them and they fit.

Coincidence? Probably. But I chose to believe the shoes were because of the fortune cookie. It makes for a more interesting story.

Shakespeare says in one of his plays, "I am wealthy in my friends."

I have been very fortunate to be surrounded by some of the most awesome people on the planet.

Fortune Cookie knows me so well.When I was job hunting I was considering a position with a start up. I've worked at start ups before. They are are exciting and each day is an adventure. But I was leaving a stressful job and the last thing I wanted was a different kind of stressful job.

I opted for the less money, less stress job. With my current job I have the peace of mind knowing that once I leave at 5pm I don't have to think about it again until 9am. Would the money have been nice, sure, but the long hours and uncertainty of each day I do not miss. Besides, I work with such a great group of people that I regret nothing.

I did male a specific and deliberate choice to pick a job that left me with energy and head space to write after 8 hours in the office. I wouldn't say that my job isn't challenging, but it doesn't drain me and that is an important difference.