Laurie Ryan: It Takes A Village

I am truly delighted to have author LAURIE RYAN as my guest on today’s blog. Laurie writes fantastic stories and I hope you will give her books a try. Am sure you won’t be disappointed.

First of all, thank you to Kit Domino for having me here. I’ve been a fan of her writing and her artwork for quite a while so I’m thrilled to be a guest on her blog.

I write stories in both romance and fantasy genres. It took me a lot of years to figure out the theme running through my stories. When I finally did, it made perfect sense.

It takes a village.

That is true now more than ever. We have to pull together, be mindful and helpful, so we all get through this mess that is 2020. 

There are also things we can do for ourselves. Below, I’ve listed 10 ideas that I’ve tried to use to keep my mind and body active and happy.

1.  Walk. Outside or in. I have a friend who is plagued with allergies. Cold weather triggers issues for her, too. So it’s hard for her to go out for walks. Most days, she gets her 10,000 steps in by walking a circle in her great room. Since there’s nothing to get in her way, she reads while she walks.

2.  Music. Listen, enjoy, dance. And sing. Stretch those vocal cords.

3.  Audiobooks – close your eyes and disappear into another world.

4.  Clean out closets – one of the bonuses to doing this (for me) is that I found some unfinished projects to work on.

5.  Finish those long term projects that are collecting dust. It took my 30 years to finish a crocheted baby blanket, but I finished it during this at-home time.

6.  Garden. I should have put this at the top because it checks all the boxes. Physical activity, mental health, outdoor activity.

7.  Hug your pet. And, if you don’t have one, hug a stuffed animal, a pillow. Seriously, hugs from family and friends are the thing I miss the most these days, so hugging anything just feels calming and makes me stop and breathe.

8.  Sitting a lot? Do those ankle pumps and circles, and shoulder rolls, to keep the blood flowing. Stretch, stretch, stretch.

9.  Reach out. To friends, family, acquaintances. Communication is vital to get us all through. I do a lot of zoom sessions with family and friends and I love that time with them. I also am online with my grandchildren several times a week, helping to keep them diverted and learning.

10.  Be gentle and kind to yourself. Take a long soak bath, sit on the deck with a good book. Stare at the stars. Whatever feeds your soul. That’s what will help you thrive.

These are just a few ideas I have. Ideas, ingenuity, and inventiveness are what makes life interesting.  I’d love to hear what you do to stay happy and active these days.

And again, thank you to Kit for having me here.

Laurie Ryan
Where fantasy and love co-exist.

Where to find me, or more information about my books:
Email: laurieryanauthor@gmail.com
Website:  https://www.laurieryanauthor.com/
Newsletter:  http://eepurl.com/beVXAr
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/laurie.ryan.79
Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/laurie-ryan

Thank you so much, Laurie, for some really thoughtful and helpful ideas there to help keep going during such strange times. Garden and art are top of my list, as you might have guessed. 🙂

---

If you’d like to write a Guest Post for Kit Domino’s World, be it on Loving Life or about writing, books, reading, blog tours or book releases for Kit’s Library, please contact me.