by Suzanne Strobel | Apr 14, 2021 | Growth & Courage, Nature
It was barely dawn and I was headed to the lake. Bitter morning air slapped my cheeks and I pressed my mittened hands to my face. Maybe I should go back inside. I could take a hot shower, bundle up with a blanket and a good book. But I knew where that would lead:...
by Suzanne Strobel | Apr 7, 2021 | Poetry
I wake before the sun, Before the ducks and the geese and the children. I sit in the dark, light a candle, And listen. In those quiet moments, I hear God’s secret language. It’s the sound a blade of grass makes as it grows, The sound of a star racing to...
by Suzanne Strobel | Mar 23, 2021 | End of Men
My dystopian novel End of Men was based on a simple idea I had in 2003: what if males stopped being born? The story went through a lot of evolutions over the years. One of the most significant was when I attended a writing class that encouraged infusing your...
by Suzanne Strobel | Mar 8, 2021 | Growth & Courage
My Thursday to-do list included three things. (Three, by the way, is the “sweet spot” for getting stuff done. JUST THREE THINGS! Try it and see.) The first to-do: plan my Artist Date for the week. This would be easy, I had all kinds of ideas! I’d been paying attention...
by Suzanne Strobel | Feb 23, 2021 | Growth & Courage
I watched Mel Robbins give a talk yesterday and she suggested a simple tool to build motivation and confidence: give yourself a high-five in the mirror every morning. That’s ridiculous, I thought. Then I tried it. I brushed my teeth, gargled, and gave myself a...
by Suzanne Strobel | Feb 15, 2021 | Writing & Creativity
Yesterday I had a hot date with someone I haven’t seen in a while. She’s beautiful and full of joy, but I’ve spent most of my life avoiding her. You see, as wonderful as she is, I grapple with mixed feelings about her. She’s reckless, embarrassing, and loud. She LOVES...
by Suzanne Strobel | Feb 4, 2021 | Writing & Creativity
I hated poetry in college. It conjured images of wrinkly old people in high-collared shirts and dresses, brows furrowed as they sat in dusty libraries clutching quill pens. I blame that English teacher (who shall remain nameless) for drilling phrases like “iambic...
by Suzanne Strobel | Jan 27, 2021 | Growth & Courage
When I was eight, I jolted awake one night with pain shooting through my legs. I rubbed the backs of my calves as cramps pulsed through my muscles. Were my legs about to fall off? Was I dying? It hurt so bad! “Mom!” I screamed. She rushed in and sat at the foot of my...
