Rebecca's Write Inspirations

As you may know, if you know me at all, I'm not a fan of scary stories. I'm not into horror books or movies. Trying to watch a spooky movie usually ends badly. Nightmares abound. Nope, nope, nope, nope. So, when my best friend mentioned Mary Downing Hahn as an excellent storyteller, I was intrigued. "Tell me more," I said. "She's a young adult writer who specializes in ghost stories," she explained. Nope, nope, nope, nope. Yeah. That was my immediate inner reply. I can appreciate the fact that Hahn is a master at her craft. It makes me happy to know my friend sees her as a mentor and has long enjoyed her reading material. Of course, I know how that feels. There are authors I love and love to share. The last two weeks, I've blogged about new authors I've recently read. They have books I've fallen in love with, and they've been the start of new learning and growing for me. I was more than happy to share them with you, as...

It's constantly amazing to me to read a book about someone else's life or personal insights and have an ephiphany moment of saying, "That sounds like me!" It happens with fictional characters, who are the product of their writer's life and imagination, as well as those real flesh and blood humans walking around and trying to live their best life. I'm astounded at how easy it is to relate to others and feel a soft, warm glow inside at connecting with another being. After all, I think the argument has been made by many, including Brené Brown, that we all just want to feel connected. In one form or another, consciously or subconsciously, we're all searching for the reflection of ourselves in others. Perhaps it's to finally get answers from another about how they've dealt with their personal struggles, or maybe it's to simply feel less alone. In a sense, when our fellow man rises, we rise; when they fall, we fall. Those closest to us are embe...

Do you ever have those days where you just feel trapped? That annoying sensation of not knowing where to go next or what to do? By chance, do you battle with anxiety, perfectionism, or OCD tendicies on top of it? How about feeling as if you're never enough? According to an article in 2016's Parent24 , 70% of girls feel as if they're "not enough." It's not just girls who struggle with self-image, as seen on the website notgoodenough.com and a 2012 article written by Kristen W. At least 90% of boys struggle with body image through adolescence. Teen anxiety is on the rise and so is suicide. Recently, a close friend of mine lost her son to suicide . Although, we can go through the lists of how and why, I think it's also important to start thinking about how to change the cultural outlook of how children are supposed to view themselves, but we also need to change how we see ourselves. Mental illness is something everyone needs to be aware of, but more i...