Five Surefire Ways To Know That You Are Dead

Do you see things, specifically others who've already passed on, out the corner of your eye? Has a constant chill cloaked your body and left you wondering if you're standing under a vent? Are you being visited nightly by dreams of a already passed on loved one? 

If you've answered yes to one or more of these questions there is a good chance that you may be dead. Before you read on, ask yourself this: Are you ready to free your mind? If so I'll show you the door and all you have to do is walk through knowing there is a difference between knowing the path and taking it.

1- Usually, but not always, when one realizes they're in fact dead, they're happy. 

They're fulfilled. Grateful. Living the life! 

Maybe you have a great career. Or you're blessed with an amazing and loving family. Maybe you've published a novel. Won the Superbowl. You get the idea. But here's the catch, you not only have these truly magical things occurring in your life, you also love and appreciate them. You cherish them with all your heart. And you never ever take them for granted. When you're this fulfilled you're ready to transcend into the next realm of existence. 

2-Do you sometimes wonder if you're if dead? Sometimes this alone can mean only one thing.

3- Can others speak to you without verbally speaking out loud? Do you somehow, just hear them in your mind? Or do you just somehow know they are thinking about you. Maybe wishing you'd call them. Or write them a letter or pay them a visit. 

Telepathy is a HUGE sign. Don't ignore it!

4- Are you able to change you clothes by thinking about it alone? Maybe you've spilled coffee on your favorite white shirt, and you think to yourself; dang! I wish I was wearing my plum colored polka dotted top! And immediately it magically appears on your body! Been walking too long and your feet throb in your high heels? Wish for those converses! If they appear on your aching feet, you might be dead. Oh no! It's raining. Need an umbrella? If one appears in your hand, that's right, you guessed it: you're dead.

5-The last and final surefire way to know that you're dead is that you've found yourself in the presence of a Master. He's tall. He's in an expensive suit. His hair is black and his eyes are even blacker. He knows you better than you know yourself. Try not to worry and just listen. Learn all you can. And be sure to follow the rules!

Alive or dead Best of luck to you on your continued journey!

**If more information is needed please don't hesitate to contact The Masters.

Wow Factor

“It’s promo day!” I smiled and cheered. Darting my eyes at the clock on the wall, I saw that it was nine in the morning. My second cup of coffee wasn't far from my lips.

Troy paused the TV as to hear me better. Storage Wars was on. Darrell was mid wink.  “Wahoo!” Troy cheered, smiling my favorite smile, and like always, making me smile more so.

Our latest TV obsession is A&E’s Storage Wars. I’m sure you've seen it. And I’m also sure if you have tuned in, you've been like us and unable to tear your eyes from it once the train wreck begins.

What will they find?

What will Barry drive up in?

What will Brandi be wearing?

What will Jarrod throw at Brandi?

With all of this in mind, we decided to go to a storage auction near our hometown, in Idaho Falls. But before we could play Storage Wars, we went to the UPS store and had some fliers and posters printed for my upcoming book signing. My brother, photographer, and brilliant cover artist, Nick Boyer, used his mad photo-shopping skills and made me some posters to have printed. An hour and fifty four dollars later, the posters and fliers were in my hands. Excitement, awe, and pure gratification flooded me I saw my name in the same vicinity as Barnes and Noble and book signing.

Talk about a wow factor!

With forty minutes to get there, we hopped in the truck, and were on our way to the auction. It was sunny. Sixty five. Perfect for an auction. When we pulled up, a crowd of various dudes, ladies, and kids welcomed us with suspicious glances. I imagined them thinking, “whose the newbie’s?”

Some were sporting tanks and flip flops, other’s had on cowboy boots and lots of plaid. One fellow had on a skin tight green Mountain Dew T shirt, and to complete his look a matching hat. To my disappointment, Brandi, Jarrod, Darrell, Dave, and Barry were missing, although I did keep scanning the crowd, just in case.  

With a confident smile, I thought to myself, they’re all going down! We have this crowd.

After signing in, we followed the group to the first auction. My eyes widened as the lady auctioneer cut off the lock and opened the gate to reveal….

Nothing.

Sacks of unknown items. A baby walker. An unlabeled box, it all screamed, DON'T bid. OK. No wow factor there. Either way, we both took turns having a peak in with our trained eyes. 

Shaking his head, Troy said, “Nope, this one’s not for us.”

Part of me wanted to argue with him and go for it. As I've seen the cast do on the show. But I held back. The unit went for a whopping fifteen dollars. The next was similar and went for thirty three dollars.

The third and final locker looked appealing. I could totally see Jarrod, Barry, Darrel, and Dave, all in bidding war over it and it going for 2k or more.

“Yuuuppp!”

“There’s a piano in there!” I whispered to Troy loud enough for all to hear. The crowd turned and eyed me, wondering what my angle was. I smiled sheepishly at the guy with the Mohawk.

“Babe, quiet!” Troy met my eyes with slight disappointment.

I figured, hey, if I can see it, and with one nearly blind eye, so can the dude in the Mountain Dew shirt and lady with the blond wig. And not to mention, I was wearing my lucky Glocket necklace. I couldn't lose.

Either way, the third and the last locker went for one thousand dollars. We didn’t win. We didn’t even bid. But we also didn’t break our backs digging through someone else’s abandoned items in hopes of MAYBE finding a treasure.

Sometimes when you lose, you win.

After the speedy twenty minute auction, we proceeded on with the promotion of my book signing, May 4th. We went to Barnes and Noble. It was windy. As always. My fliers were carefully stuffed in window shields. They flapped excitedly in the strong breeze, like little contained kites. The employees were super nice and agreed to even to pass them out when customers purchased a book inside the store!  We also saw a large poster of my event on the front windows of the store.

One hundred fliers later, and a sandwich from Gandolfo’s, we went to Freeman Park and played disc golf: one of our favorite pass times.

 Despite the constant brutal winds, we played eighteen holes and met a new friend named, Grant. 

I had a couple of great throws and couple of horrendous ones as well. Troy did very well and came in under par. It was a great time. 

Ready for more wow factor?

It was six o’clock on Saturday and our weekend was far from over.

“Wanna go to Yellowstone?” Troy asked, wagging his pale eyebrows with excitement.

“Yes!” I love going to new places. He loves going to new places. It was a win-win.

Troy got on his phone and booked us room in West Yellowstone. 

Three hours later, at about nine o’clock, we arrived in West Yellowstone. Everything was blanketed in a purple cast of magical eeriness. It was dusk. It was chilly. 

It was Yellowstone! 

We were gonna see some bears, I just knew it.

The next morning, excitedly we headed out towards the park. No bears were spotted, but Mule deer, mountain goats, and a numerous packs of Bison greeted us. 

There was rain. Snow. Sun at some point. 

Glorious views to be seen everywhere we looked. 

In closing, just a quick update with what’s going with my book: things are going very well, sales are steady, reviews have been very positive and great. Check them out on goodreads Its been amazingly validating! And I have numerous upcoming book signings for the next few months. How exciting! Be sure to like me on Facebook and keep updated with everything I have going on.

 I am grateful for so many things. Connections with other authors, bloggers, readers, fans and reviewers.

Who knew that writing a book would open so many doors? 

Wow factor?

 Indeed. 

What makes you happy?

            

As my third cup of coffee is kicking in; I stare off for a moment. As usual, I am sitting in the corner of my well worn micro-fiber couch. My dog, Lucy, is snuggled next to me. Our TV is paused on Food network. My boyfriend, Troy, is sitting at his computer not ten feet from me. It makes me happy that he is so close. Briefly, I wonder, what should I write about today? Should I work on my new novel, Thirteen Choices? Should I write a new blog post for my blog? As I contemplate this, I ask myself, what would make me happy?

 Looking up to my right, I see a stunning bouquet of balloons. Pink. Silver. Black.  And in the middle of the delightful floating balloons, is a special Mylar that reads; Happy Sweet Sixteen! Light glitters and sparkles off all twelve of them in a magical way. My daughter, Ashtyn, turned sixteen yesterday.  I am not sure if she appreciates them as much as I do but either way its ok. These balloons make me smile. They make me happy. It’s amazing and surreal to be a parent of a sixteen year old girl. She’s smart. Beautiful inside and out. She plays first chair violin in the orchestra at her high school and has almost all straight A’s. I even adore her friends almost as much as I adore her. I am one of the blessed, lucky parents. Of course I realize that not one parent out there would say otherwise about their kids.

We’re all lucky and blessed.

            

Repeatedly I strive to count my blessing and to do what makes me happy and to choose joy. I tell my loved ones to do what makes you truly happy and feel good, too. Personally I love to write. I love to run. I love to bake and cook. Each and every day I make a point of doing some or even all of my passions. Writing is number one for me. Whether I write a few chapters for my new novel, a blog posts, or even just a quick message to a loved one of Facebook, I write.  

While enjoying the balloons in my living room, I opened up Pinterest on my phone. I am a total Pinterest addict. I love Pinterest. I look at it when I am bored, when I need inspiration, when I am in line at the grocery store, when I want a new way to style my hair, when I want to make something special for dinner, when I need fashion inspiration, when I want to daydream about a vacation to Italy, when there is nothing on TV, and even when I am watching TV. You get the idea; I look at Pinterest all the time. Today a super cure pair of shoes caught my eye. I love shoes. These were, oh my god, I want these shoes! Dusty blue heels with cream lace leather detail on the toe! They make smile. It doesn’t matter that in order for me to purchase them I would have to pay more in the shipping costs than the actual pair of shoes, because for a few brief lovely moments, I am smiling! I envision myself wearing them at a book signing, at a fancy restaurant with my boyfriend, or even just with a pair of rockin’ skinny jeans to go pick up the kids from school and stop off at the grocery store. They make me smile. They make me feel good and there is never anything wrong with that. If you want to check out my shoe board on Pinterest, here's the link 
Mindy's shoe board: Life is short, buy the shoes!

Today, I invite you to pay attention to makes you smile and to remember to do more of what makes you happy. Whether you just stare off at some balloons, enjoy looking at a fabulous pair of shoes, or a fourth cup coffee, do whatever it is that makes you smile and watch your spirits sore!