Amy M. Schaefer
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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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Season Here, Saute' There, and Voila'...Balance

5/18/2016

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During the work week, my days tend to blur, setting a routine that if I'm not careful will become too much like merely existing from one moment to the next. I am sure I'm not the only one who is subject to being caught up by this dilemma. I have to force myself to take a breath, be deliberate, and focus on each little bit of joy or beauty happening around me at any given moment. This small act of conscious awareness is important to me, because I don't want the bulk of my life spent strapped to whatever whims, tugs, and pulls life wishes to yank me around towards.

I've learned that some measure of routine is a big comfort to me. It makes me feel as if there is order and reason to my "world". I need these things. They are my steadying anchor. But I've also learned it's not healthy to become stuck in the "Comfort Zone". In that space, growth is nearly impossible and fun spontaneity is non-existent. I need those things, as well. Life's routines are my substance, and those other things, growth and spontaneity, are the seasonings for said substance. Add in a splash of the unexpected, a streak of wild, and a depth of passion that makes me a ridiculous romantic and the end result equates to an almost perfect balance for me.

So, why should any of this interest you? I share it now because it has taken me many years of getting it "wrong" to finally find the right combination of seasons that make life taste "just right", and honestly, I nearly gave up a thousand times at the prospect of ever being down-to-my-bones happy. For a long time, I didn't even think I deserved happiness, and that, mixed in with the tough stuff life has thrown my way, was nearly enough to squish every speck of joy from me. I almost gave up...but, I didn't. Being tenacious, even when I didn't want to be, has gotten me right where I always wanted to be. No, everything in my life isn't "perfect", but that doesn't matter so much anymore. I am right with my soul, focused on each day, and living a life fully awake and aware. If I can get here, so can you!
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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