So the theme today is Eleven. Why? Because it is 11/11/11, of course. Duh.

Since it’s a bit of a free for all, and I do love free for all’s, I’ve decided to do a broadish post on the theme.

Top Eleven Reasons Why I Breathe…In no particular order.

11. I breathe for passion. Oh, how I love that word. There are so many things in this world that rev my engine and passion for life and all things related is one of them. Often I’ll pass someone, a stranger perhaps, and they’ll be moseying along to the rhythm of their everyday lives and I think to myself, “Is that person living? I mean really living?” I live my life passionately because when I pass on, I want to answer the parting question, “Did you do something with your life?” with a passionate answer.

10. I breathe for family. Oh, Lord, I think I have the best family ever to step foot on God’s green earth. They’d do anything for me and I’d do anything for them…When the zombie apocalypse comes, we’ll be ready, because we’ll be together. Mwuahahahaha!

9. I breathe for music. Is there anything more enjoyable than music? It fits into everything, doesn’t it? I mean, for me, it writes my books, helps me drive my car, lifts me up in church. It’s the backdrop for my life. It is a true gift from our God. It can sway decisions, build a moment. It is the ultimate enhancer. It makes the ride we call life astounding.

8. I breathe for books. Come on, reading is food for the soul. The more you read, the more aware you become, the more enlightened you feel, the more empowered you are.

7. I breathe for friends. Technically, my friends are an extension of my family but they deserve their own category all the same. My friends are people I never thought could exist had I not gotten into writing as they are fellow writers mostly. They are extensions of myself. They are tiny drops of my heart and soul scattered throughout the United States and beyond. They think like me, feel like me, are like me. And they know who they are.

6. I breathe for adventure. Carpe Diem. Seize the freaking day! Create a life worth living by living the dreams you think impossible. Nothing is impossible. Nothing.

5. I breathe for accountability. Be good on your word. Own your mistakes. Own them and take the heat for them. Nothing builds character or respect from others like owning your actions, be them good or bad.

4. I breathe for risk. If you want something bad enough…strive for it, ache for it, bleed for it. It’s so worth it, even if you fail, it’s a no regrets kind of life when you take risks. Incredibly talented and successful people can all be lumped into one category if forced…they are all risk takers.

3. I breathe for you. I breathe for others. I’m here to serve others because why are we here otherwise? Selfishness is a lonely, bitter, terrible road and one that leads to a crushing unhappiness. Selflessness is a quality that inadvertently makes you intoxicated with happiness.

2. I breathe for writing. Oh my. My, my, my. I can’t speak for all because an acquaintance told me the other day that he couldn’t write a book if someone held a gun to his head. It’s not for everyone. My ‘writing’ can be your instrument, your job, your hobby. It is a metaphor of sorts. To me, writing is my life’s work. It was why I was plucked from the heavens and placed in my mother’s belly. I was born to write and oh what a fulfilling vocation it has been for me. Nothing does for me like writing does for me. It is a heart filling, mind working, body trembling calling and it is what I make it. I’m a puppeteer of sorts. I gather my characters in a dusty corner of my mind and set them on ‘go’, orchestrating a story from beginning to end. It is the ultimate in imagination and my imagination is the best vacation you’ve ever been on. It sets me on fire.

1. I breathe for my God. How can I explain this? It seems self-explanatory but it truly isn’t, is it? In a world where speaking of our Creator is frowned upon and beaten to a bloody pulp, where we are criticized, looked down on, and judged because we have the audacity to talk of God as if He isn’t the reason we are all here, I am standing up. I am steeling myself against those who deny Him, ready for their symbolic stones of elucidation. I am voicing what others will not. He is the Alpha. He is the Omega. He has the final word. He has your final word, just as He will have mine, literally and figuratively because I write for my God, I’d die for my God.

And those are my Eleven.

Come see what’s new at the Carnival this week!

The rest of my Indie cast are all awaiting your beautiful eyes. So go…
The Amazing Dani Snell
The Incredible Patti Larsen
The Talented Courtney Cole
The Witty Wren Emerson
The Accomplished Nicole Williams
The Clever Laura Elliott
The Skillful Amy Jones
The Staggering P.J. Hoover
The Brilliant Alicia McCalla
The Resplendent Heather Cashman
The Lustrous Abbi Glines
The Polished Cheri Schmidt
The Inventive Cidney Swanson
The Radiant Rachel Coles
The Gifted T.R. Graves
The Phenomenal Cyndi Tefft
The Lovely Lexus Luke
The Sassy Suzy Turner
The Exceptional Gwenn Wright
The Stupendous Kimberly Kinrade
The Quick J.L. Bryan
The Saucy Darby Karchut
The Magnificent M. Leighton
The Impressive Madeline Smoot