A place for my thoughts

Brandi Easterling Collins, independent author

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High School Poetry

The Night

I wrote this one when I was 15. “The Night” 11-22-96 Deep in the night I had a dream, and in it everything was okay. I was thoroughly happy, and nothing could…

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July 24, 2016
Essays, General Thoughts

Apologies and hurt feelings

If you’re reading this post, you’re a human being who’s been hurt before. It’s part of life. Also, it’s guaranteed that you’ve hurt someone else, whether intentionally or not. The…

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September 16, 2021
General Thoughts, Pop Culture

My So-Called Life: What the show meant to me then and now

Television habits before 1994 I grew up watching TV and movies rented on VHS tapes. As an avid reader, escaping into another world wasn’t uncommon for me, but there was…

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October 17, 2023
  • Illustrated race track scene with children driving cars at a starting line
    Essays,  General Thoughts

    How Many Times Can You Start Over?

    February 16, 2025 /

    Several times in my life, I’ve had to hit the reset button and start from scratch. It can get exhausting, but it’s also a chance to change or improve the outcome by making different choices. Starting over can be difficult On January 18, 2025, I started over on a better health journey. I had planned my “start over” to coincide with the first of the year, but life and some health issues got in the way. So, that Saturday morning, I stepped on the scale. And I cried. I didn’t like the number staring back at me and knew I had to change my habits to be healthier. Since that…

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    Snoopy thinking he has a pretty good life.

    A Lesson in Gratitude

    February 25, 2024
    Justice scale.

    Ethical dilemmas and other ramblings

    April 13, 2022

    My husband: the best example of a good father

    June 17, 2017
  • General Thoughts,  Pop Culture

    2024 in Book Reviews

    December 31, 2024 /

    I read 75 books in 2024 and wrote half of my sixth novel, which is tentatively titled Four Hearts. While I originally planned to set a goal of 100 books, I changed my goal to 75 books early in the year due to unforeseen circumstances. Here are my top reads for the year. Top 10 best reads for 2024 (traditionally published) These are in order, starting with my favorite read of the year. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr This Used to Be Us by Renée Carlino This Impossible Brightness by Jessica Bryant Klagmann Spirit Crossing (Cork O’Connor, #20) by William Kent Krueger Camino Ghosts (Camino Island,…

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    Day 6: Countdown of my favorite love songs (pour your heart out)

    February 10, 2018
    Mary Higgins Clark

    Rest in Peace, Queen of Suspense

    February 2, 2020

    The loss of my stepfather

    March 10, 2017
  • Illustration of family photos on a wall
    Essays,  General Thoughts

    Weddings and Funerals: Changing Relationships with Family and Friends

    October 27, 2024 /

    Most people will say they love their family and closest friends. I’m no different. I love them all dearly. But, like many people, I don’t see them often since we live in different towns, and the COVID-19 Pandemic didn’t help matters. But hasn’t it always been that way? In the olden days, people either stayed in one town their whole lives or ventured off to the wild frontier, only communicating in letters. Back then, moving away might mean never seeing family and friends again. At least in more modern times, we have phones and other electronic ways to communicate—if and when we make time to reach out. Family trees My…

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    You May Also Like

    Woman typing on laptop

    Self-editing a Story: What it Takes

    January 16, 2021

    September 11, 2001

    September 11, 2016
    Young family watching television.

    The importance of traditions

    March 27, 2023
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Recent Posts

  • Believe It or Not, Getting Fat Isn’t the Worst Thing That’s Ever Happened to Me
  • Movies I Will Watch Again and Again
  • 2025 in Book Reviews
  • Embracing the Holidays
  • Four Hearts: Coming soon

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