Days of Change (OUTOT #1)

by Sheralyn

I’ve published over a dozen books but I have never been more excited about a book I’ve created than I am for the Once Upon This One Time (OUTOT or #OUTOT) journal series I’ve bringing your way now.

I firmly believe it is time for people to tell their stories, which is a daunting task for many.

Where do you start? What do you say? What do you include? What do you leave on the cutting-room floor?

I’m going to help you with all this, but you’re going to need some information first — information only you know, and it needs to be stored in ways that you can find and record easily.

That’s what the Once Upon This One Time journal series is all about: Capturing events in ways that make it easy to write about later.

The first journal in the series is: DAYS OF CHANGE. This is a journal you ONLY write in when you experience a notable change in your life. When that happens, you fill in a one-sheet in the journal and that’s it.

Do this each time you have a big change and soon you will have a book that is filled only with days when your “normal” changed into something new, allowing you to see some of the influential days in your life in sequence.

Other journals will record other things, making everything easy to find when it’s time to write your story and I’ll be guiding and sharing things I’ve learned with you along the way.

And I am looking forward to helping you write your story in a captivating way that family, friends, and strangers will love to read.

Start by clicking on the link and getting your copy of DAYS OF CHANGE now.

Return of the Story Problem

by Sheralyn

I was playing around with the idea of creating fun tools to help with at-home learning.

Obviously, I would need to upgrade the art and video elements. This is just a concept test with a question: Would story problems like this be a fun way to help your kids/students learn at home?

@ me on Twitter if you’re feeling it. @SheralynPratt

PRESENTING DK: SUPERSTAR

by: Sheralyn

The verdict is in: the world needs more satire!

Or, at least, my caricatures do. That’s feedback on this week’s postings in a nutshell:

MORE SATIRE, PLEASE.
HOLD THE NUANCE.

And I hear you. I totally do. So:

New Pivot:
GOODBYE: Editorial newsroom vibe (and characters)
HELLO: Full-on Comedy

This is exciting because comedy is something I have never done, and I am REALLY excited to succeed at it right out of the gate!

I’m also so lucky that I don’t have to agonize whether to try a comic strip or stand-up comedy first, given the fact that I’m pretty sure open mic nights are currently a Class B Misdemeanor in my city.

So comic strip/memes it is!

Although, there is one issue: I don’t really know how to art. It’s not really a thing I’ve ever focused on. I’ve always preferred to have people who do it well do it for me so it meets my tough standards.

But after 4 decades of getting away with not creating my own images, it would seem I finally need to learn how to draw. So I hope you’re excited to witness that learning curve as an added bonus!

And with that enticing preamble, I hereby present my very first comic character:

DK: Superstar

DK: Superstar. Bringing enemies together since 2020

How to describe DK: Superstar? There are so many ways, really…

You know when you’re arguing in private with someone and a stranger helpfully pops in with the answers to all your questions?

DK: Superstar is like that — ON STEROIDS.

Solutions … answers … bright ideas … ALL FREE. You don’t even need to ask!

DK will just fly in and inform you. Because that’s what Superstars do!

And I know you’re asking:

What does DK stand for?
What are DK’s superpowers?

And all I can say for now is: Answers coming soon!

You’ll be getting to know DK really well in the future, and I know you’re going to love having DK swoop in — unrequested — and save your day!

It’s just what every citizen dreams of.

DK: SUPERSTAR

More Coming Soon!!!

Morning Memo

Policy Update

by: Stan (Keeping you up to date on current standards and conversation points that will help keep you safe in difficult times.)

Good morning, citizens. I hope it is a beautiful Spring day wherever you are.

For those of you who are busy and on-the-go — who don’t have time to dive into every article you see in your feed — I thought it might be helpful to create a morning digest to update you on the relevant conversations of the day.

(Note: This is an article that could be ongoing — if there is demand. Please, respond via social media if you have interest.)

MORNING TRENDS

Sean Reed was shot and killed by Indianapolis police. This is within 24 hours of Ahmaud Aubrey‘s murder going viral for justice, and the same week that Calvin Munerlyn was shot at a Dollar Tree store in Flint, Michigan for asking a customer to wear a mask.

Search Terms: #SeanReed #JusticeforSeanReed #AhmaudAubrey Calvin Munerlyn

Antibodies from a 4-year-old llama named Winter in Belgium may hold the cure for Coronavirus.

OTHER TOPICS

National Nurses Day might have been yesterday, but it is always a great day to show your appreciation for the medical care workers on the front line of our current pandemic. #ThankYouNurses

A great celebrity focus at the moment is Dolly Parton. Dolly is funding cutting-edge COVID treatment research and it looks promising! Stay tuned for more updates.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is in the hospital being treated for acute cholecystitis (a gallbladder condition). She is resting comfortably and set to take oral arguments via phone today. We wish her the best on her way to recovery!

The Pittsburg airport is the first in the nation to deploy ultraviolet-cleaning robots. This is likely to become the new standard of operation and you will see more airports following their lead.

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That’s your morning digest. As always, wait for topics to shift as the day evolves.

And, to all you service workers out there, remember: The last super moon of the year is behind us!

Have a great day.

Ask Capella

New Age

by: Capella Nion

(Oracle to an ever-changing future. All prophesies have room for correction, unless otherwise stated.)

Dear Capella,

I saw a meme the other day that said:

Are we going to talk about the fact that the last normal day any of us had was Friday the 13th?

I can so relate to that! Life has been so crazy through this pandemic, all routine has been upturned, and everything feels so unsure. I’m doing everything right that I can, but the anxiety is getting to me.

What can I do to de-stress and find balance again?

Sincerely Yours,

A Seeker

________

Dear Seeker,

Fulfillment is found in joyful expression; anxiety is the opposite of this. Ironically, this is one of the reasons it is hard for smart people to be happy: because joy is not expressed by thinking through things, but by experiencing them.

Joy is a feeling we find in moments of pure thoughtlessness. And it is hard to be thoughtless when we are afraid.

So I ask you, Dear Seeker, when is the last time you expressed yourself so joyfully that you brought everyone in the room with you? No pre-planning, no gimmicks. Just the joy of a moment, plus you being you.

When is the last time you found the joy in a moment, despite the uncertainties around you? When is the last time you expressed yourself — without thinking or saying a word?

Bonus question: How can you elevate your immediate environment to spark joy in you and others?

To find balance, I would suggest setting some time aside each day to follow joy when you find it — especially if the world is still closed for quarantine around you as your news feeds fill with threats and frets that haunt you when you should be sleeping.

We can find peace in hard times but only through authentic expression, untouched by guilt or worry.

Worry is a waste of imagination

is one of my favorite catchphrases for expressing how the power of thought is directional. For what is anxiety but an imagination fixated on outcomes of catastrophic failure?

Anxiety is a torturous fixation that cuts at your spirit with little knives until you are defensively focused on pain avoidance.

Reverse this fixation by releasing the need to be smart about things that are out of your control and redirecting your thoughts to joyful, immediate action.

This is my remedy for the anxiety that ails you:

Crawl back into your own skin, find a pocket of joy, then embrace it.

Do this often and balance will return.

Wishing you the best in your ongoing quarantine!

Capella Nion

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BONUS TIP FROM CAPELLA

People of certain constitutions may have been experiencing symptoms over the past several months, due to the increased electrification of the earth’s atmosphere.

Symptoms include:

  • Poor circulation (especially to the hands and feet)
  • Sense of an onset of arthritis or MS
  • Tickling of throat ~30 minutes into/after sun exposure
  • Asthmatic reactions to minor exercise (with no prior or recent history)
  • Low sense of fragrance (although honeysuckle fared well in my area)

If you’ve had any of these symptoms, you may be having a response to the 5G upgrade in our atmosphere.

There are many ways to respond to these symptoms, but might I suggest:

Licorice Root Tea

I’ve been drinking Yogi Egyptian Licorice tea lately, and find it to be a great licorice flavor to sip while wrangling fraught thoughts.

Help support this advice column by using my affiliate link to give this yummy tea a try!

Thank you for your support.