Good morning, friends. It's been a while since we've sat here with a cup of coffee and had a chat. I'm a cream-in-my-coffee kind of person, and this morning my coffee tastes deliciously of coconut. I find that coconut milk from the can - with a bit of sugar, of course - is the perfect complement to a cup of coffee. I've been suffering from some lower back pain lately, and it's been affecting my ability to walk and hike. I mean, I still do it but the pain was really bothering me. This pain caused me to take a look at my trusty New Balance walking shoes that I had purchased over the Christmas holiday. While they're comfortable to wear, were they providing enough support? As I've gotten older, I've become fairly flat-footed and I also have pronation of the heels, so wearing shoes with good support for both ailments is something I should be paying attention to...but haven't.

I looked up my NBs online and discovered that they, indeed, provided no support. I set about, then, looking for a good pair of quality shoes. If I'm going to walk/hike 100 miles a month, then I better have good shoes. I found these cute Ryka shoes on Amazon. I've never heard of them before, but they're made for women and have, not only good support for both my ailments, but great reviews as well. The reviews said to order a half size up, which I did, but I really didn't need to. Fortunately, they fit really well regardless. After just a few days, I noticed my back pain has nearly vanished. Lesson learned!

Incidentally, I did purchase some good inserts for my NBs so I can still wear them. You've read about my struggles recently, trying to make important decisions about my life and trying to wrestle all my obligations into something manageable. Well, I've finally sorted it all out. While I was stressing myself out and stretching myself thin, all I really needed to do was find some balance. I sat down one day, literally, and said to myself, "Okay, what is your role in each of these things, and what should you be doing in these roles?" Once I figured out my roles and what my responsibilities were, it was easy for me to then relinquish a lot of unnecessary baggage and control. I've now been happily able to accomplish all of my tasks because I know exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm not going to talk excessively about it today as I'll write up a proper blog post dedicated to the topic in the near future. One of the best things about finding balance in my life is that my writing has taken center-stage again. I've been working with gusto on Vanished - researching & writing - and I'm excited about its progress. The Write Life has been strong in general lately, and I couldn't be more pleased. For once, I have a nice selection of blog posts waiting in the wings, making it easy for me to put out my twice-weekly posts. All this activity is a boost for my psyche as I'm being super-productive, but it also indicates that my creative drive is far from dead. I had a few moments during the first half of the year, where I wondered if I had lost my desire to write. Thankfully, my fears were unfounded as I'm back in the saddle, right where I belong.

Thanks for sharing a cup of coffee and a chat with me this morning. I always enjoy your presence a lot! Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more vacation posts, a recipe of the week, and even a teaser from my upcoming book Vanished! You won't want to miss it. Also, if you haven't signed up for my newsletter yet, you should. Click on the menu bars in the upper left-hand corner for the sign-up link.

Labels: Musings The Author I'm the author of Cold, The Melody, The Station, Deep Dark and Lovely, and The Box. The Box is my latest book, and if you are a fan of horror you'll love this book. Find all of them - through different retailers - by reading the "My Body of Work" section of this website.
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