A place for my thoughts

Brandi Easterling Collins, independent author

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  • Snoopy thinking he has a pretty good life.
    Essays,  General Thoughts

    A Lesson in Gratitude

    February 25, 2024 /

    There’s always something to be grateful for, even in the darkest of times. One of my goals for 2024 (and beyond) is to maintain an attitude of gratitude no matter what life throws at me. Life’s thrown a lot at me lately, especially with property insurance woes, which I will write about as soon as the situation is resolved. What’s kept me sane is my therapist’s advice to focus on gratitude to drown out the bad thoughts. Sometimes it feels easier to complain In the daily grind, it’s easy to focus on the negative. Maybe you overslept, the kids are cranky, or your dog puked on the rug. There’s always…

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    2 Comments

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    What does depression (and anxiety) look like?

    August 6, 2017
    Woman dealing with mental health issues.

    When your mind betrays you: depression rears its ugly head again

    December 9, 2023

    When I grow up

    October 8, 2017
  • Snoopy's Night Idea
    General Thoughts,  Novels (my writing updates),  Poetry

    Finding Inspiration

    August 11, 2020 /

    A question writers (and other types of artists) often get is “Where do you find your inspiration?” I honestly get mine from everywhere. My family. My friends. My coworkers. My surroundings. My travels. My experiences. My fears. My doubts. My successes. You get the picture? As far as inspiration goes, everything you consume is material. Movies you watch, novels you read, music you hear, conversations you overhear, the human emotions and actions you witness. You can create a story for the situations you encounter. Why is the man screaming at the store clerk? Well, maybe his father just died, and he’s having trouble dealing with it. Why is the woman…

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    Illustration of older lady waving.

    I’ve been old (but not necessarily wise) my whole life

    June 18, 2024
    Book cover featuring woman standing on a stage with text: When Does Life Begin?

    Writing update: When Does Life Begin? publication and sneak peek

    September 8, 2023

    2017 in (book) review

    December 31, 2017
  • Artwork,  Essays,  General Thoughts

    Under Pressure

    February 13, 2017 /

    Being a mother is stressful. So is being a wife. And being a woman in general. I try so hard to be good at my many jobs and wear many hats, but most of the time I feel like I’m juggling and the joke’s on me because I can’t juggle. I put a lot of pressure on myself. I’ve wanted to be married and be a mom for as long as I can remember. When I was in high school, I dreamed of falling in love, getting married, and having children right away. I couldn’t imagine not having children soon after getting married because I didn’t think I would be…

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    You May Also Like

    "Why shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense." Mark Twain

    How much truth is in my fiction?

    December 2, 2023

    You-(Kurt Cobain)

    July 24, 2016

    My biggest fear

    November 20, 2016

Categories

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Anxiety Artwork Assignment Book Review Books Broken Heart Caroline's Lighthouse Childhood Children Covid-19 Dad Dark and Twisty Death Depression Dream Family Fear God Got an "A" Healing Heartache High School Hurt Indie Authors Indie Publishing Inspiration Jordan's Sister kids Loss Love Mom Music New Novel Novels Pain Reading Sadness Sex Stars Suicide Truth What I Learned That Summer Writing writing update

Recent Posts

  • My Favorite Holiday Movies and TV Specials (Even the Guilty Pleasures)
  • A Family Road Trip: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
  • Summer 2025 Writing Update and Sixth Novel First Chapter Teaser
  • Can High Goals Get in the Way of Contentment?
  • How Many Times Can You Start Over?

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