After 40 years in the classroom, the advice I would give a new teacher is to not take yourself too seriously and to be able to laugh at yourself. Teaching presents an opportunity every day for embarrassment, and if you are a high school teacher like I was, you will be embarrassing yourself in front of teenagers. As long as you have a sense of humor everything will be fine, and you will have great stories to tell. Here are a few of my more epic moments.

The fall from the platform shoes

I was wearing ridiculously high platform shoes and a pretty blue dress. The class had been doing some crafts on the floor. Right before the bell rang everyone was in their seats and I was walking across the floor. I forgot that there were plastic craft boxes on the floor, my foot went in one, the box slid, and I fell hard. I jumped back up, threw my hands in the air, and yelled, “I give myself a ten!” There was dead silence and they all looked horrified. I said, “It’s okay everyone. I’m fine.” A boy told me later, “Madame, you went down hard! We were worried.” I went home and told my family, and whenever I wear those shoes I warn the people around me that I have fallen off of them before.

Falling down the stairs

I was walking back from chapel while talking to another teacher. I was trying to be attentive and make eye contact, but I forgot there were three stairs leading down to the road. I missed all three and landed on my knee ripping my pants where I landed. There were about 200 people behind me. One boy said, “That’s what happens when you drink before lunch!” I acted like I was fine, but my knee was pretty bloody. I still laugh at the fact that it had to happen with the whole school behind me.

Two different shoes

Quite a few embarrassing things happened because of pregnancy. When I was 8 months pregnant I couldn’t really see my feet and twice I came into school with two different shoes.

The disintegrating shoes

I love shoes and it is sometimes hard for me to throw them away, so some pairs are old. One day, I kept seeing small pieces of wood as I walked around the room. I couldn’t figure out what it was and then suddenly my heel fell off! Luckily I had a free period and I lived right down the road. That would have been okay, but a month later it happened again. My class probably was ready to start a shoe fund for me.

The microwave fire

I had a jar of Nutella that I wanted to heat up, but I wasn’t sure if I could put it in the microwave. One of my students who was a science genius was with me, so I said, “Jasmine, can I put this in the microwave?” She said, “I think so. Maybe put a napkin on top.” “Oh. Okay.” We didn’t notice that there was still some aluminum on the top, so when I turned on the microwave there was an instant pop and fire which caught on the napkin we had placed on the top. We got it under control, but I almost destroyed the teacher lounge.

Meeting Travis Tritt

One day, my class was working on the floor. Our headmaster stuck his head in the door to say hello and then went back into the corridor. Two minutes later, one of my students approached me and said, “Dr. T wants you to know Travis Tritt is in the hall.” I almost knocked three students over trying to get to the door. When I came into the hall Travis was there with his wonderful wife and all I could think to say was “I love your music.” I’m sure he had never heard that before lol.

Not quite done up

I know parents of small children will understand this. Both my children at the time were under five and I was sleep-deprived. I had thrown on my clothes and rushed out to daycare. I was in the middle of a class when a student said, “Madame, the zipper on your skirt is down.” Luckily, I was wearing a slip, so no one was too shocked.

The bat

I am terrified of bats. I was teaching at a school that is located at the foot of a mountain and 500 acres of woods and I had a classroom that opened out on that woods. One day, I was focused on teaching when I looked up at the ceiling and saw a large bat. I would like to tell you that I acted with calm and decorum, but I screamed, threw down my papers, ran out the door, and closed it behind me. The students had no idea what had happened but when they saw me panic, they panicked too following me out in the hall. The Spanish teacher came with a broom and shooed it out into the forest. I apologized to my class and said that we now knew that I was not going to be the one to save the day.

The game that injured a student

We used to play a game where students raced another student to the board and wrote the answer to a question I asked. The first one back to his seat with the correct answer on the board won a point. It was total chaos, but if you wanted to wake up students this was the game to play.

There was a boy in the class who had injured his ankle in soccer. He had been wearing an air cast, but on this day he did not have it. Everything was going well until Sam ran up, wrote his answer, and turned to come back. His ankle gave out and he went down. I managed to get him in a chair, but he was obviously in pain. The nurse came to get him. I’m sure she was thinking, “When did French become so dangerous?”

The sneeze

This is disgusting but it definitely qualifies as embarrassing. I was teaching when I had to sneeze. It wasn’t one of the gentle sneezes, it was the kind that comes from your depths, and unfortunately, quite a bit of fluid came out with it. I turned around quickly in search of tissue, but I’m sure there were a few students who were thinking, “Ewwwww!”

Teaching requires you to be on a stage every day, and it is inevitable that life and all its crazy moments are going to happen. If you react to them with humor and resilience it could be one more teaching moment for your students.

Some of the best writing advice I have heard was to create a writer’s footprint by publishing often and making sure that your name was easily found as a writer. To create that footprint though you have to know where and how to be published. There is quite a large range of ways to accomplish this, so let me tell you what I know so far.

There are several writing books I use that will give you names of publishers to contact as well as what the publications are looking for, and what payment they offer. Here is a list;

Writer’s Market

Writer’s and Artist’s Yearbook

Writer’s Handbook

Christian Writer’s Market

There are more specific writer’s market books including one for poets and children’s writers.

I started by sending articles to magazines and newspapers. I sent articles to my local media and began writing a monthly column in two of the local magazines. Neither magazine pays writers, but I wanted to have samples of work to give publishers and a way to improve my writing resume. If you are willing to write for free, it is easy to find spots that will accept your work. Once you have established yourself, you can step away from not being paid for your work.

Working for free can have other benefits. I fell in love with an online parenting magazine called Screamin Mamas and started to write for them. When I recently published my second book the editor did a beautiful feature on me, and I have used it at several talks and book signings.

If you want to publish articles in magazines and newspapers read several back copies to know what topics they accept. Write a query letter describing your article, find the contact information on the masthead in the magazine where staff is listed, or in one of the books listed above, and send it off.

If you want to publish a book you have more decisions to make. Here are some choices.

A traditional publisher. This is a publisher who signs a contract with you and pays you for your work.

A vanity publisher/self-publishing. You pay someone to produce your book.

Hybrid publisher. This is in between traditional and self-publishing where you pay to be published, but you might share in the profits.

Electronic publishing. This is self-publishing but less expensive.

Amazon Publishing. Here is the link for this. https://www.bookwritingcube.com/book-publishing-services/?keyword=publish%20your%20books&matchtype=p&cid=16735414254&aid=133776897263&loci=&locp=9010848&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4bipBhCyARIsAFsieCwQej3TvWDQyvOOGDw7LpPQM1po_-OaU6Rt5Idf8Ur9hmymF_30VWQaAghYEALw_wcB&adp=&gad=1

Be sure to research which type of publishing is the right fit for you. Good luck!

I remember feeling overwhelmed when my oldest was born. I was terrified I would be a bad parent, and I had no idea how to be a good one. I had wonderful parents, but they weren’t perfect either, so I went blindly into parenting hoping love would be enough. Here are some of my more epic failures.

Too much screen time

When my grandson was born my daughter declared, “I am not going to just stick him in front of a screen.” He now watches at least one movie a day, and my daughter now says, “Okay, Mom, I understand now. Moms need a minute to breathe.” I know I should have played more educational games and turned the television off, but with a full-time job, I was a tired parent like so many others.

I didn’t monitor social media use

If I had to go through the teenage years again I would monitor the phone usage closely. There are too many negative possibilities with social media these days. I was naïve to think my children would not engage in anything inappropriate.

I had my priorities wrong

My biggest regret is that I put work before them. I worked at a boarding school for much of my career, and that required me to coach and work long hours. I remember my ten-year-old son begging me to stay with him instead of going to soccer practice. I cannot get that time back, and now he is the one who is too busy.

I felt anger when understanding was needed

The teenage years are hard for almost everyone. I should have listened more and tried to understand instead of reacting.

Along with these epic failures, I know I had some shining moments too. As parents, we can only do our best, and love our children. What would you have done differently as a parent?

Kindness is a superpower because it affects everyone involved in a positive way. If you do or say something kind it elevates your mood as much as it does for the recipient which makes both of you want to pass the feeling on to someone else. A positive domino effect is created.

If you are struggling the quickest way to take your mind off your burden is to focus on lifting up someone else. The energy that passes between both of you will lift you both up. An example of this was when I saw an older couple struggling to pay for their breakfast. The husband was searching for enough coins, so I stepped over and slid my card into the machine. The man thanked me and seemed very surprised. After my daughter and I sat down to eat the man came over and said, “You don’t know how much that meant to us. My wife has been very ill; today was the first time she felt well enough to eat. He said he had blessing stones that he handed out to talk with people about Jesus. He handed us each two and told us he knew we had the love of Jesus. My daughter and I both still have those stones.

You never know when a kind word to someone will turn someone’s day or life around. It could be something simple you say at just the right moment that makes a difference. Shower compliments like confetti. We all like to hear we are doing something right.

Kindness is so easy to do. It doesn’t take much time or effort, but it has a powerful effect. Here are a few acts of kindness to try.

If you can afford it pay for someone’s meal or coffee.

Tell a parent he or she is doing a good job.

Bring a meal to someone who needs it. Food is love.

Spend time with someone. Listen to his story.

Help out wherever there is a need. United we are strong.

Praise hard work and say thank you.

Make a commitment to practice kindness every day.

I’m sure there are writers who can write anywhere, but I know I sit down to write more because my office is perfect for me. One of the secrets to being a successful writer is consistency. If you enjoy your space you will keep coming back to it to create more amazing work.

Is there a spot in your house that you can turn into a workspace? It would be ideal If you could find a space with a door otherwise you may find yourself dealing with distractions. My office opens to the sunroom and the living room, so my family comes in all the time while I am working. I can have my head down clearly creating the next great novel, and my youngest will come and sit on the sofa and give me that look that says, “I am available for you to entertain me now, and just when I think I am on a roll the dog will rest his head on my knee and make me feel guilty that I have not let him out in the last five minutes. I do my best to work when everyone is occupied doing something else.

Decide what will make your space special. I love flowers so I have several fake flower bouquets with vibrant colors, and I have plants everywhere. I also have photos of the people I love, and words of inspiration posted. There are days when my motivation is low and I’m sure I’m the worst writer in the world, so I need some words to lift me up. I have floor-to-ceiling windows in my office because I love light, and if I need a break I can stare out at the backyard.

Have the tools you need close by you. I have a file cabinet with important papers like contracts, and I keep any of the journals and books I need next to me. I often like to write down ideas, so I have a podium with a whiteboard for that, and I have another whiteboard to keep track of projects I need to do as well as the deadlines for those projects.

Sometimes, a quick nap will revive your creativity, so having a comfortable sofa or chair and a warm blanket can come in handy.

The wonderful thing about your writing corner is that it is completely up to you how you create it. Make it a space that you love so you will enjoy working there.

I have been running for over 40 years, and for 10 of those years, I was a running coach. I did my best to help my runners improve. I showed them the important aspects of running, but it wasn’t until recently I realized how important it is to practice what I preach. Here are a few pearls of advice of which I have learned the importance the hard way.

More is not always better

I know I’m not the only runner who only wants to run. I like to bike, hike, and swim, but I never felt like I had done a real workout unless my training included a run. I was obsessed with how many miles I was doing each week. I was also probably doing too much cross-training as well. At one point, I was running every day, lifting weights three times a week, going to karate class three times a week, and participating in a triathlon class twice a week. I also taught from 8 am-8 p.m. I started to have burning sensations in my calves and feet. When I went to the doctor and told him my schedule he started to laugh, and said, “Jen, this is very easy to figure out. Your body is tired.”

Eventually, my body started to send me other messages that it was time to back off from so much activity. When I strained my knee I had to put running on hold. I began to realize the benefits of performing activities that strengthen other muscles and give my body a break from running.

Don’t go out too fast

I told my runners this constantly, but I have always found it to be difficult advice to follow. I have been telling myself if I start out fast while I’m fresh I’ll have a time cushion when I am tired later in the race, but what happens is after the first mile I have entered the pain cave, and I am praying for the end of the race.

I coached a runner who would start out at the back of the race, and then she picked off runners one after another. Now, I know this would make most coaches too nervous, but this was a mental game that worked for her every time.

At my race this weekend, I decided to run it slow and steady because I was recovering from a bad cold. It was difficult at the start because so many people were flying past me, but I told myself I would see many of those people within the first mile because they had started out too fast. I ended up with a faster time than normal, and I enjoyed the race instead of being in the pain cave.

Losing makes you stronger

Think about how you feel when you perform well at a race and when you don’t. I can only speak for myself, but the race where I did not perform well is also the race where I started to commit to training harder and making positive changes.

Respect your body

Your body is a magnificent machine, but if you don’t care for it correctly, it will start to break down. I have learned so much about my body through my failures at ultras. Each time something goes wrong it helps me to know what to do differently.

Rest is part of your training

This has always been hard for me, but when I realized that I ran better after a day off I realized the benefits of resting.

Time on your feet is the key

I used to think walking didn’t count, but time on your feet is the key. That’s why I love doing ultras because you are free to walk or run as long as you keep moving forward.

I have so much left to learn about running, but I am enjoying the journey.

The question I am asked the most about writing involves the steps that are necessary to publish a writer’s work. There are definitely steps to take to be published as well as decisions to be made, but the first thing a writer needs to do is determine her identity.

Start with a series of questions to find out who you are as a writer. Here are a few that might help.

Why do you want to write?

One day, I was complaining about not making enough money with my writing and my husband gave me the puzzled look I see so often. He said, “Why do you write?” I replied, “Because I enjoy it, and I want to share my experiences with others in the hopes of helping them.” “Then stop worrying about the money.” I don’t know about you, but I will always hope that my writing will be profitable, but the truth is I have to write because ideas insert themselves in my brain and won’t leave me alone until I put them into writing. Is that why you write? What are your reasons for wanting to be a writer?

How much time can you devote to writing?

Being successful as a writer is not always the cushy job that some people envision. There are deadlines, query letters to write, and research to do. How much time you can spend doing it can determine what kind of writer you can be.

What type of writing do you want to do?

I have never agreed with the writing advice that says you should find your niche and then stick to it. I agree that if you are an expert in an area it would be great to share that knowledge, but if you have eclectic taste like I do you might want to delve into a variety of topics.

I’m sure you have heard the advice that says to write about what you know, but writers often need to write about what they feel which might require some research.

Do you want to do technical writing? Fiction? Non-fiction? Maybe you want to do a little bit of everything.

Who do you want your audience to be?

What age group do you want to write for? Do you want to write novels, magazines, picture books, or something else?

All of your answers will help form your writing identity. It will help you in your publishing journey if you know who you are as a writer.

Many of us suffer from insecurities, and we would rather avoid trying something new and failing at it, but if we don’t step out of our comfort zone we cannot grow, and we will end up being stagnant with what is comfortable.

Stepping out of our comfort zone can be terrifying. You have to realize that fear of failure is a dream crusher, and it defeats us before we even attempt something. I truly believe if you are convinced you will fail then you will, but If we believe there is a possibility we can do it, that first step is a little easier, and as we start to see success and the possibilities, the sky is the limit. I have a sign on my desk that says that something is only impossible until you do it. Here are a few things that will help you believe that you can do those things that seem out of reach.

Adopt a positive mindset. Positive thinking can send out strong energy and when you use positive words of affirmation, it is amazing to see the results. After you prove once or twice that you are capable of difficult tasks, you will gain confidence and continue to be stronger. Possible mantras are as simple as, “I am strong enough to do this.” “I am capable.” Also adopt a growth mindset. This means that if something is difficult for you to accomplish, acknowledge that you might need some additional knowledge or experience and although you haven’t accomplished it yet, you will.

Write down what you want to accomplish but write it as if it is definitely going to happen. I will run a great race next Saturday. I will be so happy with my performance.

Ignore the haters. No matter how well you do something, there will be people who find something to criticize. Worrying about what other people say is wasted energy unless it is a good critique that you can use to grow. If you are passionate about something, you need to do it, and sometimes that means you do it even without support from those around you.

Be patient. Make goals and plans for what you want to accomplish, and if something doesn’t work, then reflect on what needs to change. Let’s say your dream is to complete a marathon. You can’t be ready for that in a week. Give yourself time.

Be persistent. It is so easy to give up when we don’t find success right away. You have to keep trying, and if you fail at something, so what? Get back up and try again.

Remember you are special. This sounds like you have an ego, but it is a good practice to remind yourself of your good qualities on those days when you are feeling down.

Visualize your success. Imagine yourself completing whatever it is you want to do. Take some time every day to focus on that success.

O.k., it’s time for you to go prove that you can. The first step is to believe you can.