2020 Challenges

Spend a day of simple relaxation with nothing on your mind. That is, nothing except it is raining havoc on your cotton crop, the pandemic is in full force, the fall flu season is here, and the election looms dead ahead.

Relax? How about a soothing swim in a beautiful stream filled with piranha?       


There can be no question this year has been a challenge for everyone and the forecast for the coming months does not bode well either. Will it be trying? Yes, indeed. Can we overcome it? Without a doubt.

Our immediate and extended family coped with the 2020 challenges with calm and clearly thought-out planning and implementation. Six months ago, we never heard of PPE, Social Distancing, nor of not going out for a weekend dinner or ballgame with friends. All our plans for a family reunion in Arizona, a family wedding in Colorado, and a business trip to Oklahoma were dashed with one simple word, “COVID.”

Nevertheless, two basic principles guided us through this COVID minefield. Number one, we did not buy-in to the “conspiracy” theory of who was good and who was evil. We simply accepted the illness as a fact of life and dealt with it.

Number two was an anonymous saying we learned long ago, “The difference between an ordeal and an adventure is your attitude.”

From the grandparents to the youngest elementary student, we met it head-on, didn’t panic, and implemented a lifestyle to allow us to move forward. We adjusted much of what we did, with whom, and where we went. But we did it. Not always a fun adventure, but it was the best we could do and there was no shame in that.

However, something bright may have come from it. What about my next novel, or should I say, “Short Story?” We can name it, “Looking at 2020 with 20/20 Vision.”

Also, as we committed to carry on with our lives, my newest novel, “We Were Young Once …,” plowed through editing, cover design, and narration. It will hit the market at the close of this month.

The second in the Border War Series following “Color of the Prism,” this newest novel is set on the New Mexico/Chihuahua border in the near ghost town of Hachita, New Mexico.

The third installment of the series, “The Russian,” will go to the publisher in early 2021.

Join us at www.thomasjnichols.com/, and at www.amazon.com/Thomas-J.-Nichols/e/B00BD861OM/


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Trust but Verify February 2024 Where Did I Find That Story? Among the many questions I receive as an author is: How do you arrive at what you are writing? My response is simple yet complex. Nothing happens in a vacuum. Every story has to have a start and an ending. Think of it as a sandwich—two slices of bread are the beginning and end; the “meat” is the story itself. It needs primary and supporting characters and a specific setting. But, most importantly, it must have a compelling storyline—the “who, where, what, and how” of the story. I found the foundation for my writing in my professional career—fifty years of policing.  Adding to that is my personal life of family, religion, and education. Pulling this together is my passion for research and writing. I combine that with my wife and enjoy traveling throughout North America, the U.K., Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. That covers millions of square miles, cultures, religions, and customs. Add that to my personal lif
Read more
Image
The Season is Upon Us N "The Third Dawn: Bethlehem to Golgotha" is perfectly timed for two reasons. With our world in a madhouse tumult, we need to take a break from it. Sit back, relax, and enjoy a wonderful book Why? Whether for yourself or for another, this is the season of religious and/or secular celebrations. Secondly, as the book's introduction cites, the era of Jesus of Nazareth was tumultuous under the iron fist of the Romans. Now, times are similarly challenging with the war that is being fought day and night, unending for men, women, and innocent children. Please take a moment to read a reviewer's comments: Compelling and often emotion-filled reading. The Third Dawn  by author Thomas J. Nichols is a new historical fiction account of the greatest story ever told. Written from multiple points of view of the participants, the author breathes life into the people, events, history, and place. One of the main characters, Nur, enters the story as a wise beyond
Read more
Image
  Blog March 2024 West Texas As we travel and tell folks we live in Texas, especially West Texas, they curl their lips, squint, and spew, "Why would you want to live there?" At first, I was insulted that someone would say that, but eventually, I understood it precisely. Good people who have never lived here don't honestly know or understand Texas—especially West Texas. We live in the Llano Estacado of Texas, or to be precise, we are at 3,239 feet in altitude in the South Plains, just south of the Panhandle. But there is much more to why we live here. Take the next five minutes and enjoy this video. Then, you will want to pack up and get moving because life here is exceptional. Click on Wyman Meinzer's West Texas (youtube.com) and inhale the truth of West Texas . This is the Texas we live in and love. From here, there is no limit to the creative juices  that flow and the stories to tell. We keep roughly 4,500 acres under lease just off the  Caprock, which gives
Read more