Hello, my friend!
I hope you’re enjoying the last day of July! My kids and I had a wonderful morning visiting the botanical gardens in our neck of the woods. Parakeets, Macaws, Conure parrots, a ginormous (technical term for it) iguana, Texas tortoise, bearded dragon, ball python, and various other snake species were among the friendly fauna we got to see and interact with.
Even though it was a typical, Texas-y July day, we truly didn’t mind the heat too much. There was plenty of shade, a slight breeze, and the tidbits of knowledge percolating in my brain, reminding me that sunlight, green spaces, and fresh air are literally life giving! I highly recommend you give this podcast episode a listen, or this article a read. I can almost guarantee they’ll inspire you to prioritize time in the sun!
A few mind-blowing health benefits of getting enough sun exposure:
- Just 15 to 20 minutes of sunlight exposure can help boost the immune system and potentially even ward off chronic disease.
- Vitamin D is a known anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that supports immune health, muscle and brain function.
- The sun also produces infrared light, which has been shown to relieve pain and inflammation.
- Some recent studies have found that the more time spent outside in sunlight, the less likely people are to die of all causes, including cancer.
- “Growing evidence shows that sunlight has health benefits through vitamin D-independent pathways, such as photomobilization of nitric oxide from cutaneous stores with reduction in cardiovascular morbidity,” – Dr. Richard Weller, professor of dermatology
In other news, I just approved the cover image for my upcoming fantasy novel, Ring of Wishes! Please keep your eyes peeled for a giveaway email featuring the cover reveal, along with an official release date! A huge thank-you to everyone who’s been reading advanced copies. I’ve loved receiving your feedback and encouragement!
Alrighty, onto this week’s Top 4! I hope you enjoy them!
BE BODY-AWARE
“The body whispers before it screams. Listen while it’s quiet.” – Unknown
THE COST OF EASE
“Strangely, life gets harder when you try to make it easy. Exercising might be hard, but never moving makes life harder. Mastering your craft is hard, but having no skills is harder. Uncomfortable conversations are hard, but avoiding every conflict is harder. Easy has a cost.” – James Clear
RING OF WISHES EXCERPT
A piercing throb in her right ring finger reminds Rosalind of the sting that had ejected her from her bed in the first place. She touches her finger, rubs it gingerly, then realizes that Grandpa Chess’s ring is missing.
“Did you take my ring?” She presses the heels of her hands against her eye sockets and whispers, “Wake up, wake up, wake up.”
“Darling girl, I assure you this isn’t a dream.” The voice creeps closer through the darkness, following the sphere of light.
lowers her hands, then watches in equal parts awe and terror as the light diffuses, softening into a snow-like mist before it fades to nothing. “Finally.” She should be waking up any second now.
“I’m going to appear to you now,” says the woman, “so you may see that it’s no phantom or Christmas spirit who is visiting you.”
Rosalind rolls her eyes. What did she have for dinner last night that’s caused such a kooky and persistent dream? Hadn’t she only had leftover roast and potatoes? Oh yeah, and a KitKat bar. But that was it. She shouldn’t be hallucinating like this. It’s as if she’d taken a psychedelic.
“Are you ready?” the woman says.
Rosalind sits on the edge of her bed and flicks on the lamp. “Go for it.”
She feels the vibration again. The dresser, and the bed beneath her begin to shake. The windows rattle. The dirty laundry strewn allover the carpet jumps like fish out of water.
In front of the door, the purple lightning flashes, and the woman appears.
“NEVER TOO LATE”: OVERCOMING EXCUSES AND CIRCUMSTANCES TO BECOME A GREAT MOM
That’s the title from one of my Substack posts this week. If you’re stuck on the “Whether to have kids” question, or you didn’t have your first child until later in life, like me, I encourage you to check it out, along with my other posts at The Late-Blooming Mom.
Thank you, as always, for your time, and your support of my writing. It truly means the world to me!
Check out my books HERE!