Daily Archives: June 12, 2008

A Writer’s Pursuit…

Of Feeling Good

So what do you do to stay in a positive frame of mind? Not just when you struggle with your writing, but when Life springs at you from around the corner bashes you on the head with a cast-iron griddle.

For example, some of you already know that my 23-year-old brother-in-law has been in the hospital for the past five weeks, fighting a scary battle for his health, and will most likely be in there a bit longer. My family and I haunted the halls of the ICU for nearly two weeks and held his hand, encouraged him, and even now when he’s in a regular hospital room, he still needs our support, encouragement, and good cheer as he faces complication after complication.

All of us go through tough times like this (I’m certainly not alone in this), so here’s my question for you: What helps you stand back up, dust yourself off, and straighten your spine, ready to face the battle(s) ahead?

Here are a couple things that have put me in my “happy” place over the past month. And in turn, they’ve helped me stay positive.

* Laughing helps quite a bit. Do you like to watch comedies? Listen to comedians?

We saw Flight of the Conchords live at the Orpheum a few weeks ago, and damn, for a few hours, it just felt good to let go of that 25-pound stone that seemed to be lodged in my chest. We also own their first season DVD from their HBO series, which my DH and I watch often, and listen to their musical comedy album on iTunes. Obviously, we’re fans of this New Zealand band.

Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clements put me in my happy place.

* How about listening to a favorite song before you begin your day or when things get stressful?

One of my favorite bands, MUSE, covers the song “Feeling Good” and I love to play this a couple of times in the morning. Below, is a live version from their concert at Wembley Stadium in 2007 that MUSE posted on YouTube (they also post videos for embedding on their MySpace page). Be sure to turn up the volume… 🙂

If you already read my personal blog, then you know I’m obsessed with this British band. LOL

MUSE definitely puts me in my happy place.

So what about you? What helps you? Do you read a favorite book or series again? Listen to music? Watch a favorite movie? Get together with friends and laugh?

Take Care,

Michele