Positive Vibes

Hello again and happy February!

In my last letter, at the end of 2023, I mentioned I was working to improve this newsletter for you.

In thinking about how to do that, I realized that it is all too easy to find and focus on the bad news, the troubles of the world. There seems to be so much of it, everywhere we look.

But there is good news, too. Lots of it. And it shouldn’t be so hard to find.

As a cardiologist, this is an issue that has been near and dear to my heart (pun intended!) for some years now, because study after study has shown that optimists live longer. That’s because optimism is good for your heart, your brain, and the rest of your body.

Optimism also leads us to treat each other better and with more civility.

And yet, as I noted before, it’s extraordinarily difficult to find good news through the usual media channels available to us now … and a constant focus on what is bad in the world makes it harder to be an optimist.

So, welcome to the very first edition of the Positive Vibes newsletter!! (And on the first day of American Heart Month, no less! 🙂)

This newsletter’s mission is to help foster attitudes of gratitude and healthy optimism. No wallowing in tales of woe. No alarming messages. Definitely no politics.

It’s not about being a Pollyanna in regard to life, but rather about finding the silver lining and, as the old song goes, keeping “on the sunny side of life.”

Don’t worry: I will still bring you news and updates on my books and author events, but that will be just a part of the good news shared in this newsletter, which will now go out every other Thursday.

I’m super excited about this and hope it will become a bright spot in your week—a small ray of sunshine! We could all use a little more of that, couldn’t we? ;-)

If you know of anyone else who would enjoy this newsletter, please feel free to share the good news! You can forward it to them, or send them the link to subscribe for free: https://yasmine-ali-author.beehiiv.com/subscribe

What I’m Feeling Good About

I’m delighted that two more book clubs have selected Walk through Fire to read and discuss this month! The first one is tonight, a Greater Chicago Area group of medical writers who have put together an excellent quarterly book club.

The second is next weekend with the Lewisburg Study Club, a group of about 25 to 30 women of all ages who are (to quote their coordinator, Ms. Edna London) “passionate about learning and coming together for discussion and enjoying camaraderie.” Thank you to Patti Damesworth for putting me in touch with this wonderful group!

February is also my birthday month, so I’m feeling pretty good about that, too! 😉 

What You’re Feeling Good About

This is where I’ll be featuring good news from readers—so please reply to this email and share some with me! It can be anything: you got a new pet, you had a great week at work, your niece got engaged, you got married (!), your vacation was wonderful, you’re retiring soon and looking forward to your own free time, you recovered from a difficult surgery … anything you’re feeling good about and feel comfortable sharing, please let us know!

More Good News

How cool is this??

And a little closer to home, in my own hometown of Waverly, Tennessee:

Know of some good news happening in the world? Please send it to me and I’ll see if it can be shared in the next Positive Vibes newsletter! (Just reply to this email.)

Keeping on the Sunny Side

Some ways to stay positive, from Mental Health America:

Pawsitive Vibes

Golden Retrievers may be the ultimate optimists, so here are a couple of pics of our Golden, Ike, who will be 1 year old this month! (Thank you, Fred Ramsey, for this wonderful boy!)

Got a photo of your pet you’d like to share? Just reply to this email and send it to me!

Funny Story

“. . . I belong to a rock band called The Rock Bottom Remainders, which consists mostly of authors. Our biggest celebrity author is Stephen King, although he keeps a fairly low profile. For example, once I went to a baseball game with him, and he wore a ball cap, so most people didn’t recognize him. Just before the game started, the actor David Birney arrived and sat two rows in front of us. The woman sitting behind him wanted to get his autograph, but she didn’t have a pen. So she turned around, all excited, and asked if anybody had a pen. She borrowed one, used it to get David Birney’s autograph, then handed the pen back to: Stephen King.”

—Dave Barry, I’ll Mature When I’m Dead: Dave Barry’s Amazing Tales of Adulthood

For Your Playlist

(If you’re on Spotify, here’s the link: https://open.spotify.com/track/1LvkJn40AQS0HjyjPfItNd?si=69ae60f64df94721 )

Last Word