Eden Robins October 2007

Monthly Garden Last month I wrote about believing in yourself, and the previous essay was about finding your purpose. This Monthly Garden is about living your Passion... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **NOTE: This essay was originally written by me back in February 2003, following the horrible crash of the space shuttle Columbia. A moment that shook many people’s worlds, including mine... "As life is action and passion, it is required of man that he should share the passion and action of his time, at peril of being judged not to have lived." ~~Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For the Love of the Game By Eden Robins —Dedicated to the brave astronauts of the space shuttle Columbia and their loving families—      I was listening to the news on the radio the other day, and the brother-in-law of one of the space shuttle Columbia astronauts was speaking. He was talking about the kind of man his relative had been, and one comment he made really stuck with me. He said that his brother-in-law died doing what he loved to do—going up in space, exploring that dark and mysterious realm that most of us will never see first hand. That most of us would probably be too scared to even attempt.      When I first heard his words, I thought, "So what? That can't be much of a consolation to his family and friends. The man is dead!"      After that, his words just, well, stayed with me. I couldn't shake them. They kept rolling around my head, popping up at the strangest moments. They made me think, really think, about this astronaut's life. Not in terms of what he did, but rather how he did it, and who he was when he was doing it.      This man found something that made his life expand. It made each morning a new day to look forward to. It made his life more than just a hum drum routine of days that ran together and blurred into something indefinable. It brought him to a higher level of existence that went beyond the basic need for survival or endless drive for success.      And isn't that what we all strive for? Those moments when we feel like we're living, truly living as we were meant to. When we think to ourselves, "Yes, this is right. This is who I am!" It doesn't matter what that chosen path is either. It's not a matter of being judged for what you're doing, it's a matter of how you feel when you're doing it.      I love to write. Other people sometimes look at me in confusion because they can't understand how I could like doing it, but I do. I love to be holed up in my small little office, in front of my computer, dreaming up new worlds, new characters, and new stories. Exhilaration runs through me as I write because I am being exactly who I was meant to be, and doing what I was meant to do. I am living.      Just as that astronaut was living, really living his life when he went on the last Columbia mission. Despite the fears, despite the challenges, he loved being an astronaut. It was who he was. It was his choice to live his life fully, doing something that made his world that much more—and it's what he died doing.      At the end of the day, when all is said and done, how many of us can say that? When our time comes, and we look back on the myriad patterns and places our lives took us, were we just an observer to our own life, or did we participate fully, making our short time here into something more?      I admire the individuals who chose to go on that last mission. I admire them for their bravery, and for the heroes they are, but most of all I admire them for their choice to be a participant in their own life, not an observer.      And I admire their families and friends for understanding that, and for letting someone they care about pursue their own happiness.      If any comfort can be gained from this tragedy, it's the knowledge that these incredible men and women chose to be where they were on that fateful day. They chose to explore the mysteries and possibilities of space. They chose to take the risks and challenges involved. It was their life, and they died...doing what they loved to do. © Copyright Eden Robins

From Eden's Garden

Dear Friend,

Welcome to my October Monthly Garden newsletter!

BOO! Happy Halloween!

That’s right, it’s October, which means Halloween, one of my favorite holidays, has come around again. My family and I had the house decorated by the first week in October! We couldn't wait. And we've been experimenting with Halloween recipes since then to find just the right one for that frighteningly fun night. We found some great ones online as well as ones from years before I had written down, but never tried. If you celebrate this ghoulishly great holiday I hope you and yours have a safe and fun spookily spectacular evening!

Speaking of recipes, if you have any fun and ghoulishly good ones for Halloween you'd like to share, and you don't mind me posting them on my website, please send them to me at edenrobins@gmail.com. I'd love to try them out!

NEWS:
BENEATH A CHRISTMAS MOON: LANDER’S MOON—Available December 13th, 2007!
My modern day twist on Beauty and the Beast, LANDER’S MOON is part of a three story holiday project I worked on with authors Ariana Dupre and Karen McCullough. Both are excellent paranormal authors who have also contributed fantastic stories to this fun collaborative effort. This paranormal Christmas anthology, entitled BENEATH A CHRISTMAS MOON, will be available December 13, 2007 through Cerridwen Press.

Here’s an excerpt from LANDER’S MOON to give you a taste of this Beauty and the Beast Christmas Story:

     Selena easily found the first floor library after touring around inspecting all the beautiful decorations lining the hallway walls on the way there. Holly accents, wreaths of cranberries and pine, golden bells, French horns and even mistletoe were sprinkled about the place. She was delighted and almost laughed out loud when she entered the library and saw the beautiful blue spruce tree decorated so elaborately with every imaginable kind of ornament, it was a wonder the tree stood standing under all that weight. The bright gold star sitting at the top brought a smile to her face as she remembered helping her father place their gold star at the top of their Christmas tree each year.
     Retrieving just the right book, she settled in by the fireplace for a good read. Time passed quickly, because the next thing she knew Maggie came looking for her to announce dinner. As she walked down the hallway to the dining room she couldn't help but appreciate the beautiful statues lining each wall. Though not an expert, she had studied some art during college and immediately recognized the work around her as having Greek origins.
     Selena stopped as one statue caught her attention. Sitting back more than the others, more a part of the shadow than the light, she could tell it was a man yet not a man. His form was a mixture of human and animal. The human part stood forward in a better lit space while the animal half was set somewhat behind, in the shadow.
     As she drew closer, narrowing her eyes in an effort to focus, she saw just how magnificent the figure was. Half classically handsome man and half proud, majestic lion. Selena swallowed hard when she realized that the statue’s form was nude, revealing every nuance, every hard, ridged muscle of its sculpted and toned body for the beholder to make note of.
     "See anything you like?"
     Lander’s voice purred from right behind her, his warm breath brushing against her ear. Tingles ran up and down her spine, blossoming in her lower body in a way that left her shaken. As if sensing her response he stepped closer. Almost but not quite touching her yet close enough that Selena could feel the heat from his body as his spicy, male scent rose between them.
     She knew she should be answering him, giving some sort of response to his question but suddenly her mind didn't want to function. Suddenly it was if her body had taken over and her mind had somehow lost control. She felt her nipples tighten and moisture form between her thighs.
     Her response surprised and alarmed her. She had never felt this way with a man before, never had such an immediate and strong reaction as she had right then. In the past her reactions with men had been more of the caretaker type, filling her with nurturing, caring emotions. What she felt right now was nothing so gentle. She wanted to arch her back and lean against Lander’s firm chest while her behind rubbed against the hard ridge in his pants.
     Selena needed to say something about the artwork. Something intelligent and interesting, but the whisper of air tickling her ear made every thought scatter. Her body was warm and wet, her nipples tight and erect. Lander had somehow turned on a switch in her that had never been turned on before.
     Inhaling deeply, Lander’s chest expanded to the point that it actually grazed her back. And as he let his breath out, he stepped closer and emitted a low growl. It rumbled in his chest and he was near enough to her now that she felt the vibration against her.
     "I see something I like, something I want. And from your scent you do too."
     Selena gasped at the husky seduction of his voice. It was deeper suddenly, and his words more guttural. The sound made her imagine his large rough hands against her body.
     Struggling for control, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Y-you, um, like this statue also?"
     Lander’s chest rumbled again, but this time from his soft chuckle.
     Even that, his light, sexy laughter, sent spears of lust through her.
     "You and I both know I'm not talking about the sculpture, Selena. I want you," he said, emphasizing his point by lightly pressing his hardness against her.

© Copyright Eden Robins