In 2021, I picked up an issue of Woman’s World magazine (WW) and noticed the short stories: one romance and one mystery. My first thought? This is right up my alley.

The magazine is a colorful panoply of short and sweet articles, recipes with mouth-watering pictures, and tidbits of cheery writing. The short stories are in the same vein. Feel-good and breezy. There’s nothing of great substance or intellectual savvy; more like common sense and shared information between friends. What I find so appealing is the magazine’s simplicity. It offers ways to:

“Soothe joint pain”
“Find hope”
“Comparison shop easily”
and so on.

Notice the positive vibe?

Adorable, cuddly photos of tots and pets grace the back page.

So sweet! Comic relief is everywhere. Plus, there are seven days of inspiration in each issue. The upbeat attitude is what I found irresistible.

So I wrote a romance and contacted a Woman’s World magazine expert romance writer, Kate Willoughby. She’s not only been published in the magazine 14 times, but offers workshops and more to wannabes like me. She even created and moderates a private Facebook group just for WW writers (published and unpublished). A wealth of WW information is there. Kate read my first two stories and offered not only helpful suggestions, but encouragement. (Thank you, Kate!) That encouragement carried me all the way to January, 2025. I wrote a few stories, submitted three and, much to my delighted surprise, received the coveted email informing me my 5-minute romance submission was accepted for publication! Woo hoo!

The selected story was the one I wrote in the shortest amount of time (maybe an hour, at most) and edited the least. What does that tell you? When you find out, let me know! What I do know is how much I thoroughly enjoyed writing each of the stories. And that’s what matters the most.

I slow down to drive over speed bumps. Otherwise, the top of my head could hit the car ceiling, which is embarrassing, and slightly painful. I learned that lesson in my teens.

Have you heard of mental speed bumps?

Recently, I joined a virtual meeting on Zoom. I’d attended in the past, without incident. After joining from my laptop, I noticed a video delay in my words. I logged out. Oh-oh. Logging back in was not an option. A prompt asked for my password. It didn’t work and soon, I was officially locked out.

I called my local tech expert, and we agreed I’d bring my laptop in later. For now, I had another laptop to use. And another meeting coming up.

I set up laptop No. 2 prior to my next meeting. Then I noticed an email message from the host. A kindly message reminding me that she awaited my arrival. She must have mixed up the times, or so I thought. In fact, I was mixed up. The meeting had started ten minutes ago!

No worries – I’m getting to the part about mental speed bumps.

When I took my laptop to my tech expert, she found nothing wrong. It worked fine. What?

I drove home slowly, asking the Universe, “What’s my problem?” Two words sprang to mind: speed bumps. Huh? It took me a minute, but then I knew. My mind had been speeding with unworthy thoughts: “I’ve got so much to do!” “How will I get through it all?” “Do it faster!” “HURRY!”

Mentally, I’d reverted to my teenage self and raced everywhere, over everything, and practically ran over myself, causing my brain power to go haywire. Time to pause and reflect.

I slowed and edited my thoughts, asking, “Is this a constructive, positive thought?” Next, I implemented a calmness strategy: read something light and uplifting, bake blueberry muffins, walk in nature and take slow breaths. I worked at maintaining my tranquility and slowed my movements. I’m a work-in-progress, but I know the payoff is worthwhile. There is no going back because I’m keeping my mental speed bumps in place.

Every single day, there are rules I practice. If I don’t practice these rules, I deflate. Not totally, but enough to motivate me to stick to them. Here they are:

– I write daily. Even if it’s one paragraph. Because one paragraph can turn into one hundred words, or a thousand or more. Soon a story may be happily born. This daily practice nurtures a sense of accomplishment. Even a small dose of daily accomplishment does wonders for the soul.

– I make it a practice to donate any personal item that doesn’t elicit a sense of contentment in me, be it a tee-shirt, a book, a piece of furniture. Surrounding myself with things that make me happy is a must. Plus, it gives me the chance to pass on my former joy to someone else, which may give them joy, which in turn gives me newfound joy. What a wonderful possibility!

– A great sage once said, “There is no more liberating action than sincerely to give people kindness in return for unkindness.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda.
I’ve tried this on many occasions. I don’t know how it made the other person(s) feel, but it gave me an instant lift. Isn’t there enough unkindness floating around in the world? We may never
realize the impact of our own good actions, but isn’t it worth taking the chance? Most importantly, it helps the doer let go of any negative emotions lingering from the unkind experience.

– Practice gratitude. Whether I’m outside of my house walking or in my room, writing or cooking or cleaning or anything at all, I often pause to note my blessings.
I was in Costco last week, waiting for a representative to check on an item for me. While waiting, I looked around and felt gratitude well up in my heart. Grateful for being there at that time, for having the opportunity to buy items I needed, for all the pleasant people around me and on and on and on. Before I knew it, my feet weren’t touching the ground.

These are just a few of the rules, but they play a monumental role in my inner peace and well being.