MONDAY MEANDERINGS #2 2026

Hello, dear friends. I hope this Monday finds you healthy, happy and creating!

With so much sickness going around and so much turmoil in the world, I feel blessed to be showing up with you today to share.

I’m already questioning my decision to blog three times a week, but what the heck. I’m moving forward anyway. We’ve always joked about stubbornness running in our family, but it’s really true.

I’d like to talk for a minute today about dreams. Do you have vivid dreams that linger with you? I do—not every night, but often. The other night, I dreamed I was in a house I’d never seen or been in. I was making tea and there was an older woman with short brown hair sitting in a recliner with her feet up. I turned to her and said, “Mom, would you like a cup of tea?” I don’t remember her reply or she if just nodded, but I woke up thinking, what in the world was that? Who was that? It certainly wasn’t my mom in this lifetime. I’m still puzzled by it. Do we travel when we dream? If so, is this my mom in another dimension? Just thoughts, but what stories that can conjure up. I read a book way back in the seventies about this man who would go to sleep in present day time and wake up in another life with a whole other family. I wish I could remember the name of the book or author, but alas, too much water has flowed under that bridge. But what a concept. Are we truly unlimited beings? It makes one wonder.

On the writing front, I’m editing my short stories. The compilation is going to be divided into sections and I’m working on “Fringes” first. These stories are a bit on the edge, you might say. Here’s a short snippet from one of them:

As we shuffle back toward the safety of our home, I turn for one last look back at the bench that means so much to us both, only to see a group of hoodlums spraying graffiti on it. 
“Harold, we need to move faster.”
“I’m going as fast as I can go. It’s just a few more blocks home.”
A jarring blow to the back of his head takes Harold to his knees. I scream and turn to face our attackers only to see sneers and red-glowing hatred in the eyes of what should have been intelligent young men.
“You old people don’t need to be alive,” one growled. “You’re just taking up space and eating food that belongs to us. This is our country now. Old people like you are a nuisance.”

I don’t like writing dark stories, but let’s face it, the world out there is pretty dark right now. It will lighten up once I move into the “Heartstrings” section.

Also, on the writing front, a Countdown Deal starts today for GHOSTLY INTERFERENCE! Today it’s only 99 cents. Each day of the deal, the price will increase, so grab your copy while it’s cheap.

Just as he turned the corner toward the door, he collided with a stunning dark-haired woman who wore a scowl to match her hair color. 
“Excuse you.” Sarcasm dripped from her tongue.
“Oh, sorry,” Jag muttered. “I wasn’t looking.”
“Yeah, well, that makes twice today I’ve nearly been run over by some bastard that wasn’t looking.” The jukebox lapsed into a brief silence as she stomped toward the bar, her black motorcycle boots thudding against the wood floor.
Stunned, Jag turned slowly back to the restroom. It was a girl. He’d almost run over a girl.

My sister’s new book launches today! I’m so excited for her and for this story. I love it so much. Isn’t this a gorgeous cover? You can click on the cover to purchase.

Book Cover for Summer's Heart
In a storm of secrets, even love can freeze—or fight its way through the cold.

I have to tell you an embarrassing story. I normally don’t work in the store on Saturdays, but the owner asked me to work this past Saturday. The store hours on Saturday are 10 to 7. On Sunday they are 12 to 6. Well, when six o’clock rolled around, I started getting ready to close and go home. Thank goodness some customers came in so I had to wait until they finished shopping before I could close. I thought I was staying late to accommodate them. Folks, I was almost home when it hit me that it was Saturday, not Sunday and I had just closed early. 🙁 Yikes! I felt totally incompetent. Getting old is not for the faint of heart!

My oldest granddaughter, who is fourteen and a Freshman in High School landed a major role in the upcoming production of Matilda! She is so excited and we are so proud of her. The first show is January 22nd.

Notice on the flyer, they encourage patrons to donate a book. You can bet I will be taking A Bold Bargain to donate. 🙂

Yikes! This quote terrified me, but also spoke to me.

I pulled an Angel card for our weekly thought this time.

In a world that’s seemingly gone mad, this advice is perfect. We cannot control people, places or things. We can only control how we react to them. I wish you a great week ahead and pray daily for all those suffering.

  • Comment (33)
  • Darlene says:

    Great to hear all your news. Good luck with the writing! I felt for you for closing the store early. I could see myself doing something like that. Congrats to your Granddaughter!!

    • Jan Sikes says:

      Thank you, Darlene. I’m glad you could empathize with me closing the story early. 🙂 I appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment! Hope your week ahead is fabulous.

  • I do believe, that dreams can take our spirit on unexpected trips… when we sleep our subconscious mind is wide open in a way nobody can foresee or ever reach while being awake, not even through ‘meditation’. Of course, I cannot even try to guess where you were that night, or who you met… but isn’t it fascinating in so many different ways what our mind is able to do without the constant control of our consciousness? 😉

    • Jan Sikes says:

      It is absolutely fascinating, Aurora. I love dream travel because I never know where it will take me. I do believe we are multi-dimensional beings, so what the limitation? Only what we put on ourselves. Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment today!

  • I do love the intrigue of dreams. I wonder if that dream visitor was your mom from this lifetime showing herself in another form from another lifetime, or perhaps a different mother from another life? Regardless, it seems significant that the dream stayed with you and had an impact on you.

    • Jan Sikes says:

      That’s so true, Alethea. Because the dream had some impact on me, I have to believe it has some significance. What? Who knows? Maybe one day all will be revealed. In the meantime, I keep dreaming. Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment today!

  • That dream would definitely leave me thinking. Too visceral. I’d be looking everywhere for that nice lady.

  • D.L. Finn, Author says:

    I love you are doing a short story collection, Jan. Great excerpt, has me worried for that couple. Thanks for letting us know about Linda’s release, good timing I was looking for my next read and need a break from the heavier subject reading I’ve been doing. Fantastic quote, I feel like I’m waiting fir those wings to open right now. Perfect angel for the times too. Xo

    • Jan Sikes says:

      I am excited about the short story collection. A few of these stories were published in anthologies years ago that I seriously doubt anyone read. I’m happy to give them a second life. Yay for getting Linda’s book. She will be thrilled. I totally understand about needing a break from the heavy stuff. That is exactly where I am as well. Here’s to flying high and a soft landing! Thank you for stopping by.

  • Hi Jan, this is a lovely post. I’m glad your editing is coming along so well. So is mine. Congratulations to your granddaughter on her acting achievement. My goodness, that extract is dark but I imagine some youngsters do think like this. Young people can’t imagine being old and think they never will be.

    • Jan Sikes says:

      That is so true, Robbie. When I was young, I could never imagine being old. And this short story is a semi-dystopian setting in the future (which by the way looks pretty dark). Thank you for stopping by and good luck with your editing as well!

  • Chuck Flores says:

    It isn’t Sammael the Destroying Angel?

  • We all do crazy stuff now that we are getting older. The term is sequencing. We are used to certain things happening in sequence. Our brain keeps track of the progress and then, wham. The brain didn’t accomodate a differnent day. This is why humans need checklists in life. (especially in airplanes). We don’t naturally compensate for changing circumstances. Congratulations to your granddaughter.

    • Jan Sikes says:

      That’s a great explanation, John, and I do know it’s part of getting older. I kinda like the term, ‘sequencing.’ Thank you so much for stopping by and for the congratulations!

  • Sister, thank you so much for plugging my book release! I have high hopes for Summer’s Heart. I pray you get great results from your Countdown Deal. I loved Ghostly Interference! It’s such a great story that brought me to tears a time or two as did the others in the White Rune series. The angel card is perfect!

    • Jan Sikes says:

      It’s my pleasure to help spread the word about Summer’s Heart, sister! Readers are going to love the story. Thank you for stopping by and so glad you like the angel card! Best wishes for a stellar release day!

  • MrsHallWays says:

    My husband laughs at me and how many vivid, realistic dreams I have and how often I have them. Pretty much every night and sometimes more than one, depending on how many times I wake up. There’s often an easy connection to be made between my dreams and what’s happening in my world, but some for sure leave me stumped. Will be sharing your Countdown Deal — snagged my copy today!

    • Jan Sikes says:

      It’s the same for me, Kristine. It depends on how many times I wake up during the night as to how many dreams I remember. As you say, sometimes there is a connection and the subconscious mind processing things that happened during the day, but other times…not so much. Thanks a million for sharing the Countdown Deal, AND for grabbing a copy! Hugs!

  • Teri Polen says:

    Congrats to your granddaughter, Jan! I love that book donations are encouraged. You’re not the only one getting days confused. A woman in my spin class came to the gym last week and wondered why the regular class she took was canceled that day. She’d gotten all her equipment out and was ready to begin, but no one showed up – she thought it was Friday instead of Thursday. I’m off to Amazon to grab a copy of your book!

  • Dan Antion says:

    Congratulations and all the best to your granddaughter. I do believe we can travel through our dreams. Who knows where you might have been. Good luck editing the stories. I expect to be doing that same task later this year. I had to laugh about closing the store a bit early. Days have a way of running into each other. Good luck, too with the countdown sale.

    • Jan Sikes says:

      Thanks, Dan. Yes, considering your character actively practiced lucid dreaming, I am not surprised at your comment. The days have a way of running into each other for sure. Glad you understand. Thanks for the good wishes and for stopping by. 💕

  • Great productive meandering Monday for you, Jan, and congratulations on your granddaughter’s fine progress. My oldest grandson is a graduate of Texas A&M University. I hope things go well for you. 💖🙏

  • Annika Perry says:

    Jan, I’m with you on dreams and I have some which can last with me for days or weeks – so real it’s spooky! Your dark first extract is brilliant, very edgy, captivating and sad. Congratulations to your granddaughter and that’s fantastic. Does she want to work on the stage professionally when she’s older? I love the quotes … inspiring rather than scary! 😀❤️

    • Thank you for visiting, Annika. Dreams are fascinating and leaves a lot to ponder. Thank you for your kind words and congratulations. Yes. Sydney really wants a career in acting. We’ll see how her path unfolds, but she shines on stage and she’s not afraid to work hard for it. Have a great week and glad you liked the quote!

  • Great post, Jan! I love the angel card’s message, but quote is way to risky for me. Lol! Great excerpts, by the way!

    Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
    http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com

    • I loved the Angel message, too, Yvette. We need that so badly in our world. Your comment abut the quote made me smile. I would never jump off imagining I could fly physically, but internally, yeah, I’d do that. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the excerpt. Thank you for visiting!

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