Tao of J.T. is the online blog of New York Times bestselling author and EMMY-award winning television host J.T. Ellison.
I attended a conference last week, the first stop on my tour for Edge Of Black. There were two things I took away.
One—being a writer is a kick-ass job, because in addition to telling lies for a living, we get to meet cool people on the road: other writers who embody awesomeness, readers who appreciate you, people who feed you. (So true…)
Read MoreI was indulging in an age-old female tradition the other day—getting my nails done—when I overheard two older women strike up a conversation at the dryer. I listened with fascination as they circled each other, looking for that commonality that would allow them to have a meaningful exchange. One had children, the other didn’t. Strike one. One went to First Baptist, the other attended First Presbyterian. Strike two. They’d both discovered the nail salon about a month ago, and agreed it was one of the best they’d been to. And then came the home run: “Well, what did you do for work?”
Read MoreMy yoga instructor constantly reminds me that how you do yoga is how you live your life.
She generally makes this casual statement when I'm knee deep in a difficult pose, gritting my teeth, forgetting my breath, unwilling to admit I'm killing myself trying to stay in the pose. There's a rule for when this happens - you're supposed to drop out of the pose and take rest in child's pose.
But to me, that would be admitting failure.
Read MoreA man’s joys are always transient, and since men devote themselves to pleasure, seeking after happiness, they undergo birth and decay.
The Buddha
I'm in a really happy place right now. I'm happy with my career, with my creative output. I've been blessed with the ability and resources to renovate some of the things I don't like in my house. I have a wonderful marriage, great friends, and a loving family. It's almost too good to be true, so I am trying to be very careful, very aware, of how nice things are right now. Because, as you know, life changes on a dime. It's a day to day kind of existence, whether we want it to be or not.
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