One of my favorite bands is 21 Pilots. They write a lot of deep, authentic music and advocate strongly for mental health. Sometimes the phrase “Don’t believe the hype” (from one of their songs, The Hype) will come into my mind when I find myself distracted by something in the world. “Buy this product” American society says, or “Join this group; network with this person; this is what success looks like–don’t you want to be like them?” Or “worry about this catastrophic event now”, says the 24/7 news cycle. Sifting through this information overload, trying to sort the gold from the fool’s gold is sometimes an impossible task. “Don’t believe the hype,” I will sometimes tell myself. “Just keep walking. Don’t be distracted.”
I have been walking through a difficult season in my life. It’s involved exhaustion, being extremely overworked and other personal challenges. It’s devoured my time and energy and, a long story very short, enough has been enough. I have been stumbling along with the guy in dusty sandals through the ordeal, learning to lean on him and not myself. He is leading the saint and I to calmer waters, but it’s taking some time to get there. These past few weeks have felt like the last miles in a very long bike ride. Pedaling, pedaling, pedaling. Eyes on the finish line, eyes focused forward, trying not to be distracted by any sideline games and foolery.
Writing wise, I have a few updates I’ve been posting. As a recap, I will be publishing a short horror story, “The Letter” this Fall in an anthology with other authors (preorder link here). My first short children’s story, “The Mermaid and the Yellow Jellyfish” is coming out this December as part of Fae Corp’s Kid’s Week (preorder link will be up later). I hope you’ll check out both and leave reviews. I have another short story I’m waiting to hear back for another anthology, and have been continuing to submit my novel to agents.
A more personal achievement–I donated blood for the 25th time recently. This was a goal I had been working towards for the past few years. If you ever thought about donating blood, I encourage you to check it out. It’s a constant need, as blood has a limited shelf life. Each donation can save up to three lives.
I also wanted to share a podcast I came across recently, for those interested in Christian and Jewish history in context of the Bible. It’s called the BibleProject. Currently, I’m listening to a talk on the 10 Plagues and Exodus. The history, the original Hebrew text and words–all so fascinating. So far, I have really enjoyed their balanced, loving approach to presenting and understanding the Bible and Christianity. I’ve also been on an Egyptian history kick, so all boxes crossed there. Good to listen to while bee-bopping on the rider, or doing some gardening. They’re funny, too.
I’ll end it here with a another song that’s been my jam lately. Stay well and happy writing.
Peregrine Arc 