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Thursday, May 23, 2013

Five Things That Make Me Happy

The always delightful Jo Wake of Jo On Food, My Travels and a Scent of Chocolate tagged me in this post. I'm just not fast enough to outrun folks anymore. It seems every child over two years old could render me frozen or it at will. But this is not a tag from which I'd choose to run.

This is a happy tag, literally. I'm to list Five Things That Make Me Happy.

I've chosen to bypass the obvious, most important things that I've mentioned many times before: wife, children, grandchildren, a good job, a good life, all that wonderful stuff that makes me perpetually happy.

Instead, I've decided to choose very specific things that make or made me happy. And I'll start by choosing...

1) Jo! She really made my day/week/month/year when she posted this after reading my manuscript. Happy begins to cover it.

2) My taskmaster, Al Diaz. Father Dragon, who can chide me, prod me, encourage me, and critique my writing all at the same time and still have me laughing. That, people, is a gift. Having Father Dragon as a partner in blogging, writing and friendship makes me very happy.

3) Finding a component free of charge that should work beautifully in my Magic Music writing app made me quite happy. Of course, development time is at a minimum until at least June 12. I somehow kinda sorta made this commitment and noble knights value their word as much as noble dragons do. Let's just say Night Writer has been very very busy this week and will continue to be for the next few to follow.

4) This special editor I have the pleasure of knowing has expressed an interest in my latest short story. That made me very happy. Hopefully, I'll be fortunate enough to make an announcement regarding it sometime soon. I'm also happy to have amazing critique partners with their own unique approaches to criticism offering brilliant feedback.

5) I was invited to submit a short story (still unwritten) to a competition. (Fortunately, the deadline is after June 12.) The fact that I was among those selected to vie for a very nice grand prize made me very happy. I don't have to win. Just being selected made me happy.

To those folks I referenced above, I'd like to say, thank you for making Jeff a very happy boy.

Now, I had to chase down five folks who are slower than I am--not an easy achievment. I shan't freeze them, but I shall tag them as it and humbly ask that they continue this wonderfully happy tradition.

And they are:
Elsie Park at Elsie Park
Linda Jackson at Writers Do Laundry Too
Kellie at Delightfully Ludicrous
Julie Kemp Pick at Empty Nest Insider
Gary Pennick (or Penny the Jack Russell) at Klahanie

28 comments:

  1. Good luck with the competition!
    Al won't let you fall behind, but like a true friend, his prodding will all be positive.

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  2. I love hearing everyone's happy thoughts.

    Good luck with the short story, and surviving until June 12.

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    1. So much better than hearing all the negative stuff, right?

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  3. And you've just achieved to fix my smile a bit truer on my face and my heart a bit more in place today. I know we'll have reason for huge celebration. I just know it. Way to go. :)

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    1. You, me, the dwarves, we'll bring the house down!

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  4. Those were indeed very happy thoughts! Thanks for sharing the smile-- it's encouraging. Yay for your short story-- that's wonderful, Jeff!

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  5. Jo's comments are just what you need if you're looking for motivation; sounds like an intriguing story.

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  6. Like your happy's Jeff. Wonderful about the stories. I enjoyed the short story in the anthology I bought. Remind me never to go in a magic shop.

    I just emailed you by the way.

    My biggest problems with his book Richard, he hasn't finished book 2 yet.

    JO ON FOOD, MY TRAVELS AND A SCENT OF CHOCOLATE

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    1. That's the thing about magic--anything can happen. And thanks for the tag!

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  7. Excellent reasons to be happy. Good luck with the competition and with the short story. Jo and Al are wonderful, and you too!

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    1. There are so many wonderful people in our little corner of cyberspace. It makes me happy. :-)

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  8. Glad your short stories are getting attention. You have some very good reasons to be happy Jeff.

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    1. Thanks, Sheena. I like any excuse to be happy.

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  9. Good luck with the competition. Great reasons to be happy.

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  10. Oh, so many happy things! Yay you! I just read the link from #1 and can easily see why that brought a smile to your face. :)

    Also, good luck with the short story! So cool how you were actually invited to be part of the competition. June will likely be here before any of us know it...

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    1. I'm still grinning over what Jo said. And yeah, being invited was so cool!

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  11. Hey that's great news, Jeff!! Cant wait to hear your announcement!!

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  12. Awesome stuff!! Hope the good keeps coming.

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  13. Hi Jeff,

    A delightfully upbeat posting that goes so well with your happy thoughts. I'm wishing all the very best with the writing competition. May the happiness breed further happiness. And the gifts of kind interaction are in abundance from you, good sir and all these fine folks.

    I'm truly honoured to have been included in this happy tag and I will duly post up my own five happy notations. A peaceful weekend to you, Jeff.

    Gary :)

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    1. And a peaceful weekend to you, Gary. Thanks for the well-wishing and kind words. The best thing about being happy is that it's contagious. Only a few people are immune to it.

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  14. All the best for the writing competition! New follower!

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