I love fall! The nights are cooler, the days warm, the colors in nature reminding everyone that colder temps are on the way and get ready to snuggle in for winter. October is definitely my favorite month. It holds my birthday, Halloween and my wedding anniversary, which we just celebrated our 23rd. I love how the leaves change, and the colors nature paints as she helps her own creatures transition into winter slumber. This will be our second fall in the Arkansas mountains, moving our ranch from the Colorado mountains. Since fall lasts a bit longer here in the “Natural State” than it does in Colorado, I’m able to enjoy all of the scents, views and sensations fall has to offer.
Which brings me to what I love the most. Offerings. Our society is filled with offerings. Birthdays we give offerings to that person’s celebrated day. Christmas we give offerings to family and friends, Valentine’s day we give offerings for our intimate partner or partners, so on and so on. Taking it down to a smaller, but just as important level, we used to offer smiles, thanks, words of kindness. We have been losing the ease of the latter. Our society is being force fed fear, hate, separation, segregation and we have lost the art of offering humanity. I refuse to conform, and while there have been times I have bent, feeling that anger and frustration, I developed habits in my personal life to go back to seeing the smaller acts in offerings of kindness.
When my girls and I head into town, we make it a point to say something kind to a stranger, whether it is to compliment an outfit, hair style, perfume, anything to bring some positivity to that person’s life. We don’t care what religion they practice, who they chose to love, who they voted for, their stance on the world. Our goal is to focus on the offering of a moment of positivity we can give them. When we started this, we received their offering back; a genuine smile, a thank you, a response of having a wonderful day, but as time went on, more and more people would stop and wanted a deeper connection, to stay in that moment of positivity a bit longer. We have spent 20 minutes and more listening to strangers who have craved the connection with another human being. Needing to look another person in the eye and being able to connect on a human level and not through circuitry or keyboards.
As I move forward in this upside-down world and my book tour approaches, I choose kindness offerings. I’m excited to meet people in person, offer a compliment, offer a smile, offer a conversation even if it’s not related to my books. I want to help spread the feeling of being heard and being seen. I even love hugs!
While I know I can’t talk with each of you in person right now, offer a smile, a hug, I can offer acknowledgement. I see you on my email list, I’m grateful for the offering you give me by reading my posts, following my journey and supporting me as an author. It’s so important to me, more than I can express in words, and I’m grateful for your offering. Thank you. To show this, I have put End of Crows eBook free on my website, you can grab it here, and if you want to meet in person, check out my tour dates for a convention or Comic Con near you!
All my love, RaeAnne