Amy M. Schaefer
  • Amy M. Schaefer, Writer
  • Blog: From the Front Porch
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From the Front Porch

I am an "accidental blogger". When I launched my writing career in March of 2014, one of the things that I decided to include was my journaling, which I have always found to be a comforting and therapeutic endeavor.  It was a big risk to open myself up in such a public forum, but it has taught me that, for the most part, we share far more experiences than we think. It's comforting to know I'm not alone!  (*the "Button Text" is the link to my first novel)
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Paging Amy Schaefer, Please Pick Up the White Courtesy Phone and Come Back to the Now!

7/7/2016

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I am ridiculously notorious for getting ahead of myself, which is why each day I make a conscious effort to remain in the now. This is NOT an easy task, no matter how much I know that while I can certainly guide my "future path", I cannot control all of the "other" things that are coming up ahead, or even prepare for them. I have, in fact, been known to vacillate from digging into my past, to over-thinking, ad nauseum, my future, obsessing over each and every detail to the point of giving myself a headache and missing out on the time that is tick, tick, ticking by. Thankfully, my forties have helped me dial back that character flaw to a degree that is much more productive and manageable.

It is an incredible balancing act to build your dreams with dogged determination, while keeping yourself firmly planted in today, one that is probably going to take me an entire lifetime to master. Sometimes, when I am plagued with bouts of insomnia, I lay there in the dark and wonder if my last words on this Earth will be ones filled with satisfaction, or frustration at all the things I didn't get to. There's this film clip floating around social media about a Hospice Care Nurse who posted about the dying wishes and regrets from her patients. As I watched what they all had to say, I thought that the most significant achievement of any one being on this Earth must be getting to whatever their "end" is without having ANY true regrets. So, while my future is still unwritten, even a bit uncertain and my day contains nothing "epic", what I do have in front of me is this...a scrambled egg sandwich that is calling my name, two books on my end table that I'm anxious to read, illustrations for my children's book that I can't wait to bring to life, and a Tribe of people I wouldn't trade for even one more hour of life! I'd call that a completely decadent "right now".
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    About The Author

    I grew up in rural North Carolina. When I was only nineteen, I moved away and became a military wife. My only aspiration at that tender time in my life was to create an adult life that "fixed" all of the "injustices" of my childhood. Secretly, however, I wanted to reach for the sky! I wanted to be a writer and find ways to "save the world" (my mother used to say, "You have Save the World Syndrome".). Mostly, I wanted to matter.

    Since then, I have learned to reach well beyond what I ever dared to think was possible. I've learned not to allow fear to stop me from whatever future I want to create!

    What keeps me grounded? My Tribe! What provides the wind beneath my wings? A well of reserves filled with unstoppable passion!

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  • Amy M. Schaefer, Writer
  • Blog: From the Front Porch
  • Novels
  • Short Stories
    • Children's Books
  • About the Author
  • Contact
  • Photo & Art Gallery