Hi friends,

I'm glad you enjoyed my recap on how Awakening Horde is doing. And thanks for everyone who took the time to go over and give it a 5-star rating. Very helpful!

It's February, and I've got my happy light shining right next to my keyboard. Winter in Michigan often seems endless, with lots of grey skies.

Also, my mom just had emergency brain surgery yesterday, and we're waiting for news to find out if she has woken up overnight.

Yes, lots of life can tug at our emotions and bring us down.

But here are many wonderful things we don't pay enough attention to.

My daughter (8-years-old with anxiety) and I have started a new bedtime routine. It takes a few minutes and helps both of us see more good in life.

Check out the details below, along with how I'm using it to help with my mom.

A fun excerpt today from the first book in my and Steph's completed trilogy: Deadly Lockdown: (p.s. we started writing book 1 the summer before covid - crazy)

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The commentator continued to drive home the horror as everyone in the atrium stared at the screens in disbelief. He mentioned prime outbreak cities, a list of where Siberian Flu was gaining ground at breakneck speeds. There were seven of them, popping up on a graphic of the United States to the side of the newscaster. One by one, a bright red X and the city’s name appeared on the map.

The crowd seemed to hold their collective breaths, waiting.

The final red “X” popped into existence just to the right of the map’s center . . . under the bright box with the words, “St. Louis.”

A collective gasp swept through the crowd, and hushed conversations, tinged with panic sprang up around her. 

Here.

Kate felt her heart skip a beat, her recently regained self-control suddenly tenuous.

Here.

She was standing in the center of St. Louis, Missouri, one of seven prime outbreak cities.

Deadly Lockdown by Misty and Steph

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My new bedtime routine with my 8-year-old:

Me: "What are you still doing up? Get to bed!"

R: "Mom, you forgot to ask me to tell you three good things about today."

Me: "Oh, yeah. Why don't you do that?"

(Another good idea about mental health tips is to involve someone else to keep you on track - lol)

So between the two of us, we have remembered to share three good things about our days for the last week or so. Fingers crossed, we can keep it up!

Remember, our mood and mind follow our thoughts. If we list and ruminate on all the difficult things in our lives, we'll feel bad.

Instead, take the time to search for and find nuggets of joy and you can transform how you feel in moments.

Even better, make it a habit to find joy and predict success.

Here's my example about my mom, celebrating her instead of worrying.

Three great things about Mom:

1. Mom's an amazing example of being positive, despite many health and memory challenges. When my son video called her in the hospital and asked how she was doing, she grinned and said, "I'm fabulous!"
2. Mom has a knack and love for organizing. I smile when I see the labels she left on my pantry and refrigerator shelves . . . even if we don't follow them much anymore. :)
3. Mom loves people around her as if they were her family. Coming out of a previous surgery with memory issues, she asked if a nurse was one of her relatives and frowned in disappointment when told she wasn't. She said, "Well, she ought to be."

I hope you're able to find the joy in your life despite your challenges.

A good book is a nice place to start! :D

All the best,

— Misty :)

p.s. See all my books on Amazon here: Misty Zaugg Amazon Page

p.p.s. For a web version of this newsletter and previous newsletters: https://sendfox.com/mistyzaugg/campaigns