Insurance

Being Thankful

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Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I’ve always had Friday off from work and love spending the 4-day weekend at home, hunkering down and relaxing. Maybe it’s because those four days will be last opportunity to breathe and take it easy for a good six weeks. Maybe it’s because, as the seasons change and the year winds down, I find myself trying to figure out how to do and be better.

Looking backward, I appreciate all the things that went right during the past year, and all the things that didn’t. I make plans and set goals … and sincerely hope to achieve them. I’ve always had this sense that it’s impossible to move forward unless we take something of the past with us–and that it’s our choice about what to take that’s the most important part of the decision.

Both my parents are gone and I find tremendous comfort in living in their house, feeling their presence with me, seeing the legacy they left behind, and the way my sibs and our families have drawn closer together.

This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for all the people I’ve loved and the ways they helped me become the person I am. I cherish family–whether it’s the one I was born into or the many I’ve chosen. And I appreciate being able to do exactly what I want to do, and having the physical and mental capacity to do so.

What are you thankful for? And why?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Freedom of Expression

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As a writer, I have always embraced the right to express myself freely, without censorship. That’s one of the best things about being an American and living in this country: each of us has so many freedoms.

When I write–regardless of whether my creation is a textbook, workshop handout, short story, novel, or blog post–neither you nor anyone else is forced to read it. You can skim it, read it from beginning to end, or skip it entirely because you have the same rights I do. Although I consider your response when I write, I don’t tailor my words to it.

When speaking, I do try to consider how other people will respond.  I’m not nearly good enough at thinking before I speak,  but I try. I know I have the right to say whatever I want, whenever I want, to whomever I choose.  I also understand that saying something hurtful or nasty actually impedes the goal of communication.

We all want people to agree with us,  like us, and understand how we think and feel. Finding the right words, proper tone, and best method of delivery is the most effective way to accomplish that goal.

I believe today’s society would be more agreeable, and less angry and critical, if we thought before we spoke. I wonder what would happen if, for just one day:

Each of us wrote down what we planned to say before we spoke the words…

Each of us considered the impact of our opinions before they left our lips…

We restructured  verbal assaults, replacing them with constructive comments…

The vituperation and anger I see in the world today is scary. I believe it is propelling us backward rather than forward.

Why have we forgotten that while we all have the right to express ourselves freely, our rights should not infringe on the rights of others? No wonder so many of us choose the solitary pursuits of reading and writing.

What are your thoughts about the subject of freedom of expression?

Why you THINK you’re so much better in the morning … or at night

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Circadian rhythm: It’s the reason you find yourself full of energy at a particular time of day (or night) and really dragging at another time.

Biological clock: Your internal timing device; usually a 24-hour clock. Your biological clock produces your circadian rhythm.

So, what does this have to do with your productivity and whether you’re a morning person or a night owl?

Well, your circadian rhythm is based partly on DNA and partly on external factors, such as daylight. “Larks” wake up and go to bed early; they tend to find themselves more productive in the morning. “Owls”  rise and hit the sack later, preferring to get their stuff done in the evening or at night.

But researchers have found that most people hit their peak, creatively speaking, at precisely opposite the time they’re most productive. I, for one, agree with them.

I’m a morning person. When it comes to balancing my checkbook, editing my writing, or having to use my left brain, I perform much better between 6 a.m. and noon. However, the best ideas I’ve ever had for my writing–and ways to solve plot and character defects–always come in the middle of the night when I wake up to go potty or just after I slip into bed at night.

How does your circadian rhythm work with respect to your creativity?

IRS “Dirty Dozen” Tax Scams for 2017

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As a freelance writer, I research many subjects for both my fiction and nonfiction. Recently, during the research phase of a project for an educational text on identity theft, I learned that fraudulent tax preparers are among the “Dirty Dozen” of IRS tax scams for this year. Who’d have guessed?

irsDid you know:

  • To charge for preparing someone else’s tax return, you must have an IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number and include it on all tax returns you prepare?
  • The IRS has a website with a list of all professionals who have credentials to file tax returns? You can visit this list to find qualified preparers in your area.
  • Paid preparers who complete returns for more than 10 clients are usually required to file electronically. If your preparer refuses to file electronically, find out why.

For more information about tax preparers, visit the full article, IRS “Dirty Dozen” Series of Tax Scams for 2017 Includes Return Preparer Fraud; Choose Reputable Preparers.

To see the Dirty Dozen list for 2017, visit here: https://www.irs.gov/uac/newsroom/irs-summarizes-dirty-dozen-list-of-tax-scams-for-2017

Welcome to my updated website

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I’ve finally surrendered and accepted the fact that I am two distinctly different people: the quirky, creative, oddball with the graphic imagination and the somewhat conservative businesswoman. This website is devoted to the real me, the one who wakes up at night envisioning dead bodies rolling down hillsides and plopping into creeks. If you want to learn more about the “normal” person, visit my Linda Faulkner website–assuming, of course, that a person who loves to write about insurance is normal.

THIS is the site where my meanderings about the world of writing fiction will appear, along with guest posts from other writers I know. So, if you’re a writer who’s interested in getting some publicity for yourself, send me an email at Linda@LindaMcHenry.com with your inquiry.

Tell me what you think about the new website. The folks at Slocum Design Studio will be thrilled to receive your feedback and any inquiries you might have about their services.