5 things that always help

Posted on May 6, 2019 by Sherrie Cronin

So I spent over an hour on the phone today to learn that because of a misunderstanding/delay in something regarding my health insurance, I am out thousands of dollars. The details don’t matter (and yes I am appealing.) The point is I was upset. Very upset, actually.

My plan after the phone call had been to get groceries and do the mile walk I’ve recently committed to. Thought about not bothering, but the adult in my head insisted I go.

Five minutes into the walk, I realize I forgot my water bottle. Shit ….. This day keeps getting worse. I can’t walk without my water bottle. Water makes everything better. In fact, there is probably no problem that cannot be improved by a drink of water.

This thought sends my mind spinning off onto all the lists I read on other peoples blogs. 10 ways to make your hair behave. 14 things you cannot live without.

So? What are other things that improve almost any bad situation. Well, a short walk. Like the one I’m taking. Preferably in a beautiful place, like the lake I happen to be walking around. Oh look. There are baby ducks over there. A walk around a lake with baby ducks? Yeah. That improves anything.

So does a deep breath. In on a count of 8. Hold. Out on a count a 8. A couple of more. I’m feeling better now. I smile. An oncoming jogger smiles back. Yes, a friendly smile helps anything. So does a hug.

I’m back at my car now and glad I came. Of the five things I thought of to make any situation better, I’ve just had three of them. Really, the lack of water is my own fault. And the hug, well, it would have been kind of weird given I didn’t see anyone I knew.

I drive home ready to handle the evening. My husband greets me at the door.

“You look like you could use a hug,” he says. This day just keeps getting better.

Home for the Holidays

Posted on December 25, 2012 by Sherrie Cronin

In the climax of x0, as my newly telepathic hero Lola speeds around the world trying to outrun an evil man, there is a part of her that is still also trying to get home in time for Christmas dinner with her family. For all that she has transitioned into becoming a sort of super hero, she is still very much human.

Today, I am lucky to celebrate my own Christmas holiday with those I love the most, and as we start in with the chaos of making a feast, I recognize this time as well worth cherishing. Whatever your traditions or your situation, I wish you your own celebrations in the year ahead, and may they be filled with the warmth of time spent with those that bring the most joy into your life.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and may your days be filled with hope, with joy and with peace.

write about what you do, or what you wish you were doing?

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Sherrie Cronin

The hero of my first novel, x0, spends her days largely doing what I do. She interprets seismic data for an oil company, loves her husband and three children, plants flowers and loves to travel. Okay, she also spends a little time reading minds, but basically she and I both have similar lives. It’s a very nice existence, but it’s not the only one I find appealing.

y1, the second novel in this collection, takes place largely on a sailboat in the Pacific. Have I been there? Barely. Do I sail? Not really. But I did wake up one morning about twenty years ago filled with a fire to sail around the world. It came out of nowhere and there was no explaining it. I had to do it. When I wouldn’t stop talking about it, my family finally bought me sailing lessons. Looked at maps with me. Agreed that it could happen. Then slowly it became apparent that my husband could think of few things he would rather do less. He hates being confined on anything, gets seasick, yearns to run around playing any sport involving a ball. My children were growing up and their wasn’t a budding sailor among them. I had to face the fact that while I could still do this thing, it would be years spent on a solo venture, far removed from all those I loved.

And then I discovered a secret. That’s what my writing was for. Those of us who create stories are blessed with the chance to enjoy alternate existences that would come at too high a price in our real lives. Conventional wisdom says that you should write about the things you know. That makes a certain amount of sense. However, writing a novel takes a tremendous amount of research, thought, planning and plain old day dreaming. Why not use that energy to enter a world you barely know but yearn for? y1 let me learn to sail well, let me hear the sounds of the gulls and feel the thunk of the waves hitting my boat. I woke to the smell of salt air, ate cold canned goods when I was too tired to cook, studied navigation charts and planned my routes. It was a wonderful year at sea, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. And, just like my hopeful readers who might also enjoy sailing around paradise, I never had to leave my front porch. That’s is what books are for.