Don't Flit! Focus!

Autumn Haiku  

Blue skies Fluffy clouds

Ripe berries Purple and Red

Florida Autumn

                                                        

The ripened American beautyberries growing along our nature trail,  an early sign of autumn, have come and gone and it's now obvious I will not be making the beautyberry jelly as promised.



American Beautyberries

     As this autumn season slips by without my notice and, as I sink deeper into the morass of social media, flitting from one medium to another in my efforts to build an authors platform, advice emphatically given to me years ago by an art teacher, comes to mind.  "Don't flit! Focus!" he said. "Find your subject and Focus"!  
     An authors platform, I am told, is a must as it is the main marketing tool for selling your books and building author recognition.  But Social media and platform building are new to me.  I flit from LinkedIn to Facebook to Pinterest,  check my emails, pop into my blog to add a thought, tweet and re-tweet, then on to google+.  Dinner is late. A wash needs doing. My glasses misplaced.
     Reading this post, you may feel as confused as I do in writing it.  In my haste to build a platform I fear I have lost my focus.  What good, after all, is an authors platform if I'm not writing something to put in it.   Writing and Painting are my passions and, after God, husband and home, must be my main priorities.  The time has come for me to stop my flitting, reorganize my priorities and Focus!  But how?

    Readers, I would love to receive your comments filled with  organizational suggestions. 

Red Holly Berries

     Now that my thoughts and priorities are re-organized and re-focused,  I will enjoy the bit of autumn that is left.

     Sadly the Jacaranda, Crepe Myrtle and Plumeria, all deciduous trees, are losing their leaves.
     One would think that the berries on our Holly tree, now ripened to bright red against the shiny, waxy deep green leaves, would be an invitation for birds to dine.  Strangely, no birds come to this tree and we must wonder, is it that Lily and Stitch are catnapping on the patio again?

     As pretty as the holly berries are, the American Beautyberry will remain my favorite and next year I will make Beautyberry jelly.  I promise!

For those who enjoy making jellies,

I've posted a link for the Beautyberry jelly below.

American Beautyberry Jelly

http://www.hogtownhomegrown.com/Newsletter%20Recipes/Beautyberry%20Jelly.html



                                                                               

September Equinox in Sarasota, Florida, U.S.A. was on
Sunday, September 22, 2013 at 4:44 PM EDT