Smiling does not only improve the quality of our face, it also benefits us in different other ways. We are more likable. Also, smiling allows us to share our humanity, in sociable settings as well as the work environment, and it also, surprisingly, improves our health. As we age, we smile less often. According to studies, a child smiles up to 400 times a day, as compared to the average adult who smiles only about 20 times within 24 hours. Considering we are truly improving our family and work-life by smiling, we need to learn how to smile and laugh again.
Smiling releases cortisol and endorphins, which improve our well-being by:
Reducing blood pressure
Increasing endurance
Reducing pain
Reducing stress
Strengthening immune system
If we take all the advantages into account that smiling gives us, and the only con would be a few laughing lines around the lips, I would like to highly recommend: ‘Live your life and smile away’.
Picture courtesy of Google.com
What is it that makes you smile? Tell us about it in the comments.
When Jake got so very sick, I had to take him into emergency care on a Sunday. That day I got so much help from friends, family, and readers, followers and many more! I’m so very grateful! When we left that vet-urgent care, there were good news, and not-so-good news. I had opened a Go-FundMe fundraiser for Jake. I am a very loving and caring cat-mommy, but unfortunately not a rich one. The pandemic hit me hard, and I didn’t know how to take care of my boy.
Jake’s tail wound was severe, but it had been taken care of and got better. He slowly started carrying his tail high again, full of pride, as he always did.
Unfortunately, his respiratory infection did not improve at all, but worsened. At the follow up appointment I was told that it’s essential, Jake starts to eat again, or organ failure and suffering to death would be the immediate results. By that time, Jake weighed less than a Yorkshire Terrier, but was double the size.
Three days later, I had to clearly see, that Jake decided to leave me. He did not start eating and stopped drinking too. I did, whatever I could to convince him to stay longer with me and Tjara, but Jake decided, it was time for him.
Jake crossed the Rainbow Bridge and left me here…
I tried to keep you all updated on the GoFundMe page, and I can assure you, that all funds are going towards Jake’s final vet bills. I cannot express how much all your help means to me! Thank you very much for your generosity and your compassion!
The ‘Paranormal Romance Guild’ is a writer’s guild, offering promotional services and author services for its members.
As a premium member, you can get interviews, reviews, beta-readers, Featured Author posts, giveaways, Blog Tours, critiques and much more!
We care for our members!
MISSION STATEMENT
The sole purpose of the Paranormal Romance Guild (PRG) is to support and promote all authors of the paranormal romance genre and their works through its website and events.
WHO WE ARE
The Paranormal Romance Guild, AKA (“PRG”), was formed by the banding together of paranormal romance genre readers and writers, through the internet, with the sole purpose of supporting and promoting authors of the paranormal romance genre through the organization’s website and special events. The Paranormal Romance Guild (PRG) was officially organized and recognized on October 31,2009. PRG is a non-profit organization. All fees and dues collected are to sustain operations of the PRG. No assets of the corporation are to benefit the officers or members.
The ‘Readers’ membership is an unlimited free membership that allows you to read what is going on within the guild. It is easy to sign up – and you can later still upgrade your membership.
The Paranormal Romance Guild accepts a limited amount of writers from other genres as well.
Writers (and other humans) tend to suffer from insomnia, fatigue, depression, headaches, digestion problems, anxieties and other ailments, due to sitting too long, constant overflowing of their brain and thinking, and for other reasons, basically too many to count.
However, there is a possibility to help with some of these ailments in a natural healing way. My experience showed me some improvement in my general well-being, which helped me to better writing as well. I’m talking about essential oils. We breathe, and the smell of some essential oils help us with some of our ailments.
We just need to remember: Too much of a good thing can be bad.
Let’s have a look at what I found:
CITRUS
These light oils often have fruity scents that are characteristic of the rinds from which they are extracted. They can be described as tangy or tart, fresh, clean, vibrant, invigorating, exciting, energizing, and uplifting.
Lemon
Orange
Grapefruit Bergamot
Lime
Tangerine
Citronella
Lemongrass
Mandarin
Litsea Cubeba
Tagetes
Most often top notes
Energizing
Uplifting
Emotionally balancing to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety
Deodorizing
Cleansing; popular addition to antibacterial oil blends
Refreshing
Stimulating for mental and spiritual vigor
FLORAL
These scents are often reminiscent of the flowers from which they are extracted and can be described as being feminine, powdery, subtle, modest, romantic, and even poetic. They are often sweet-smelling and create a feeling of cheerfulness. Floral scents are considered to be classic and timeless.
Chamomile
Geranium
Jasmine
Lavender
Neroli
Rose
Rosewood
Ylang-Ylang
Petitgrain
Most often middle notes
Comforting
Promotes rest
Sometimes sleep-inducing
Mood balancing
HERBACEOUS
Essential Oils that have herbaceous scents can be further described as smelling green or grassy. These Essential Oils often have mild floral yet invigorating spring-like scents that are associated with lush, wet foliage. They are reminiscent of the aroma of fresh leaves, moss, mown grass, herbs, and trees.
Chamomile
Angelica Root
Clary Sage
Eucalyptus Radiata
Fennel
Hyssop
Marjoram
Melissa
Rosemary
Thyme
Oregano
Bay Laurel
Catnip
Sage Dalmatian
Parsley
Tea Tree
Yarrow
Most often middle notes
Calming
Promotes positivity
Encouraging
Emotionally balancing
Grounding
CAMPHORACEOUS
These Essential Oils have strong scents and are known to be beneficial for clearing the respiratory system due to their clarifying, penetrating, energizing, purifying, and almost medicinal aromas.
Camphor
Cajeput
Eucalyptus
Pennyroyal
Laurel Leaf
Lavandin
Most often middle notes
Stimulating
Refreshing
Focus-enhancing
MINTY
Essential Oils with a minty scent are strong-scented and are distinctly known for their bracing, fresh fragrances. They are reputed to be clearing and cooling when used in aromatherapy and topical applications.
Spearmint
Wintergreen
Peppermint
Can be top, middle, or base Notes
Motivating
Cooling
Invigorating
Mentally clarifying
SPICY
These Essential Oils have exotic, warm, intense aromas that are often reminiscent of baking and other warm memories. With strong scents, they are commonly used to stimulate energy and focus.
Aniseed
Basil
Black Pepper
Cardamom
Cinnamon
Coriander
Cumin
Ginger
Nutmeg
Allspice
Cassia
Clove Bud
Middle or base notes
Bracing
Rousing
Crisp and penetrating
Lively
RESINOUS/MUSKY
These Essential Oils exude deep, rich scents that are smoky, woody, earthy, sweet, leather-like, and warm. Their mellow, alluring, and long-lasting fragrances lend a reassuring quality that makes them ideal for use in spiritual practices.
Benzoin
Elemi
Frankincense
Myrrh
Peru Balsam
Middle or base notes
Grounding
Promotes relaxation and sense of inner calm
Emotionally balancing
Uplifting
Known to be commonly used for intimacy enhancement
Tend to be associated with a casual feeling
WOODY/EARTHY
These Essential Oils have deep, warm, lingering scents.
Often described as smelling “brown,” these oils are reminiscent of the scents of a forest floor or damp soil. Their fragrances are soft, masculine, musky, and sensual. Their alluring, seductive, and hypnotic qualities create an atmosphere of mystery.
Cypress
Juniper Berry
Pine
Sandalwood
Fir
Cedarwood
(Atlas & Virginian)
Palo Santo
Rosewood
Patchouli
Vetiver
Valerian
Carrot Seed
Most often middle or base notes
Grounding
Uplifting
Emotionally balancing
Promote feelings of comfort, security, and well-being
Often considered to be aphrodisiacs
I copied the above mentioned information from a website I consider an excellent source for beginners.
But please, read about how to use them, the disclaimer, and the side effects. Essential oils are a wonderful addition to our life and can help us, not only with our writing, but they shouldn’t be used thoughtlessly or without limits.
When I read that quote it didn’t go out of my head for quite some time. The quote made me realize that currently I am forced to dance in the rain. I could imagine to many people this quote means many things. To me, currently, it means to live one of my strengths: resilience. I have to adjust to the difficulties that life challenges us with at times.
What, if we were spoiled at all times, never challenged, nothing ever changes? Besides being bored, wouldn’t we forget how to be grateful for what we have; for the comfortability in our life? I think, sometimes we need a ‘rainy day’, or overcast, otherwise we couldn’t appreciate the sunshine anymore.
Going through rough times doesn’t mean ‘giving up’, or being forced to give up. It means, fighting for what we had, what we want, what we desire to have, or have back. Sure, I could have sat there and hoped the ‘storm would pass’. But I didn’t know what would be after the storm: would the sunshine be back? Or would there be a flood, and I’d be forced to swim, after having lost everything?
After everything that floated into my direction, I found it made more sense to learn how to dance in the rain. And that’s when I decided to read the ‘signs’ life showed me… the bad weather forecast, so to speak, and start swimming into a new direction… I am going to dance in the rain for a while, and then I will see, where the sunshine is going to lead me, and what miracles and wonders it will show me in the future.
I look forward to meeting you by the one or other puddle, or, maybe, somewhere soon, when I will see the sunbeams.
Picture courtesy of Google.com
Vivian Greene is a visionary, artist, author and entrepreneur who spreads her messages of greater love and awareness to everyone on the planet.
Her intrinsic values are recognized by business moguls who seek her advice and major corporations who are encouraged to balance the highest good with the bottom line.
Vivian also enables artists, authors, photographers, speakers and visionaries to serve others and prosper by turning their works into inspiring products. This is your chance to dance in the rain with her and see this world be the best it can be: http://www.viviangreene.com
For quite a while now I kept re-blogging warnings of scams and fraud in the literary world, most of them written by Victoria Strauss in the ‘Writer Beware’ blog. I thought it a great idea that she posted a review of 2021, and I decided to share that post too. It might help some of us to escape a trap or two.
Ah, 2021. The year that was supposed to deliver us from the pandemic, and instead delivered…well. You know.
At least one expectation didn’t change: scammers gonna scam. Writer Beware was ready. Below are highlights of a busy year of scam hunting, scheme exposing, contract analyzing, and just plain crazy stuff. IT CAME FROM OVERSEASI know I’m kind of a broken record here, because I’ve written so many posts about them…but the tsunami of publishing/marketing/fake literary agency scams out of the Philippines really is one of the realest and most present dangers for self- and small press-published writers, who are almost exclusively these scammers’ target.
So you’re considering the possibility of becoming a freelance writer, but you’re not really sure what steps you need to take to make it all happen. Sound about right?
Becoming a successful freelance writer is a bit of a whirlwind; nobody seems to fall cleanly into the career path. Instead, those who ultimately become successful will almost always tell you that there was no shortage of pure luck at hand. Every success story is different—someone may tell you they got their start with one blowout piece and the work has been rolling in ever since. More likely there were a lot of smaller pieces that paid a bit here and a bit there that ultimately went into building a strong reputation.
Regardless of how most people start, if you are serious about giving freelance writing a shot, there are a handful of things you can do to prepare yourself. Of course, there is no step-by-step guide to success, but having the basics figured out at the start can put you off on the right foot.
Unfortunately there are too many writers who are not supported by their loved ones. Thanks for this great article, Anne R. Allen!
I’m always amazed at how many people I know — friends who would go out of their way to help me physically — cannot say one supportive thing about my writing. Some even ask for one of my books and then never mention it again. Others make fun of the fact I’m a writer. “Yeah, but what do you do for a living?”
When I tell them I’ve written a blogpost about a subject that interests them, they make elaborate excuses for not reading it. Or they say “I’m not a blogger” as if that prevents them from reading online content.
Even after three bestsellers, a highly successful blog, and multiple awards. I have a lot of unsupportive friends who don’t acknowledge that I’m a writer. And I’ve discovered I’m not alone.
It turns out a whole lot of people can’t deal with having creatives for friends.
If you follow me on social media you know I love talking about publishing. I love talking about writing because writing is my life, but I also love to talk about publishing.
The difference is simple: writing is art, but publishing is a business.
If you’re serious about writing and publishing, chances are you already know about agents. If you don’t, here’s the 101: agents are folks who get your book in front of publishers and other folks who might give you money for it.
Yeah, they do a lot of other things, as you’ll see below, but that’s their bread and butter.
Because agents sell books to publishers, almost every writer out there wants, is looking for, or has an agent. Unfortunately, the thing I’ve learned after spending the last half decade talking about publishing online is that a lot of people are confused when it comes to agents.
So here are some things you should know about them.
Writer's Treasure Chest 
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