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Barbara Brabec’s
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Short Takes on Life

November 2026 Blog Post
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— MIND AND BODY —
Is It Time to Change Your Attitude and Mindset?

I see the connection between health and body like a computer in that our system can crash at any time. The older it gets, the more likely the problem. Like antivirus software for our computer, we need mind-and-body backups in the form of mental preparedness, because the right attitude and mindset are our insurance against future disasters. For more perspective on this topic, see my article, “How Your Attitude Affects Your Life.” 

— PETS —
Do Animals Grieve?

While scientists warn against the human projection of emotions onto animals, some research suggests many species behave in ways only explainable by something like human grief. This video by Barbara J. King, “Can Other Animals Understand Death,” illustrates how various animals grieve others in their family that have died. (Book is available on Amazon, along with King’s companion book, How Animals Grieve.)

— TECHNOLOGY —
The Story of My First Computer (40 Years Ago)

While looking for useful homebiz information for my book in progress, I searched copies of National Home Business Report (1984–1993) and stumbled across my first computer purchase in 1987. I had only vague memories of this, so I thought some of you might get a chuckle, as I did, from this report to my subscribers:

“I finally bought the computer I’ve dreamed about for years. I chose the Leading Edge Model D computer for $1,495, a competitor of the more costly IBM PCs. It came with dual 5.25" floppy drives, 256 kB RAM, a monochrome monitor, and word processing and dBASE III Plus software. It’s taking all my willpower to finish this issue of NHBR while my ‘new toy’ beckons.

“The word processing software was a snap to learn. It didn’t take long to see how much easier it will be to create my newsletter and write more books with it, and, as important, what computerizing our mailing lists will do for our business. In the evenings, I’ve been using the excellent tutorial disks that accompanied dBASE III Plus. After only a few hours, I began to put one of my mailing lists on the computer.

“In less than 40 hours of keyboard practice and studying of manuals, the computer has already become useful to me, despite the many questions I still need answers to. What I know for sure is that if I was a workaholic in the past, I’m going to be worse in the future because the computer makes work such fun. I’ll never want to stop to fix meals.” (You can see a photo of this computer on the Rhode Island Computer Museum’s website.)

Funny how some things never change. I'm still a workaholic, and I hate being forced to stop and eat before I've finished whatever I happen to be working on then.

— CHRISTIAN ENCOURAGEMENT—
Count Your Blessings

Got a minute? Take time to remember what God has done for you. Psalm 16:5 reminds us to be thankful for all God has given us: “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.”

Remember that every good gift comes down from above. You may be financially poor, but in the presence of God you are a rich person: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

— BOOK UPDATE —
A Lesson in the Value of Honest Criticism

In September, I decided I’d feel better about the progress I was making with Call of the Heart if I had the front cover designed. So I contacted Carrie Peters, my cover designer, webmaster, and friend, and sent her a snapshot photo for the cover, hoping she could enhance it. Then I sent a rough draft of my vision for the layout of cover text and the font face she needed to use. She quickly began to send me two or three tests at a time. After several go-rounds, I liked what I saw and decided to share it with some friends whose opinions I valued.

Not wanting to hurt my feelings, all but two said they liked it. But a kind writer friend suggested, “It needs something,” and then offered two practical suggestions that gave me food for thought. But the one whose opinion I valued most gently tore it to shreds, telling me why she wouldn't look twice at it because it had no life, and the all-blue background color—which picked up the blue in the photo—wouldn't be noticed next to the many colorful dog book covers on Amazon.

So Carrie and I began to brainstorm as we tested one new change at a time, with her experimenting with font colors and sizes, shading, and different background colors. After about a dozen tests, I exclaimed, “That's it!” When I shared it again, it got positive comments.

The lesson here is that when we ask for someone's opinion on anything, we need to be humble enough to take criticism without argument. In this case, I was grateful for the constructive criticism I got because it challenged me and Carrie to think more creatively and resulted in a much better cover. If you need a good cover designer who will work with you and never lose her patience, check Carrie’s “Cheeky Covers” website. 

You'll have to wait to see my book cover, but here’s a small picture of the cover photo, which shows Ginger contemplating a lake from a hill above it. She was passionate about being near water. Didn’t like to swim or get wet all over, but loved to wade into water up to her belly, lap a drink, and then sit down in it.

P.S. My Photopea update must wait till next month.

— BARB’S SNIPPETS —

Why Do Frozen Drinks Give You Brain Freeze? Here’s how to handle or prevent them, with a list of 14 foods you should never freeze.

What’s the most misspelled English word in every country and state? Here’s the interesting story and colorful maps of misspelled words, and here’s a list of all the words so you can see how many you’re spelling incorrectly.

P. S. Visit the HOME page for Timely Quotes and a link to 15 categories of life-related topics discussed on this website.

Archived Brabec Bulletins
Publication of the Brabec Bulletin ceased in
June 2025, after 25 years of publication.
Year 2021-2022 <=>  Year 2023  <=>  Year 2024 <=> Year 2025

Brabec Bulletin Tidbits on Life are archived here.

See below for
Musings and new Blog posts About Life
published in 2026
Earlier Musings About Life posts and
other faith-building articles are archived here.

October 2026 Post: Short Takes on Life. This month’s Medley of Life-related Information, Facts, Ideas, and Observations from Barbara and others includes: Lord, we need YOUR peace! <> How Professor T Actor Benefits from His OCD <> The Men Who Ruined English Spelling <> Barbara’s Author Reflections on Writing a Book, with a short Book Update and Barb’s Snippets.

September 2026 Post: Short Takes on Life. This month’s Medley of Life-related Information, Facts, Ideas, and Observations from Barbara and others includes: The 10 Best Virtual Museum and Art Gallery Tours <> The Little Bird That Sleeps While Flying <> International Cat Day <> Facing a Huge Challenge? <> Why Old Writers Can’t Stop Writing <> Book Update <> Barb’s Snippets.

August 2026 Post: Short Takes on Life. This month’s Medley of Life-related Information, Facts, Ideas, and Observations from Barbara and others includes: Aggravating Real Life Intrusions <> Book Update: Knee-Deep in Editing <> A Lonely Little Petunia in an Onion Patch <> Do You Know What and Where “The Cloud” Is? <> The Odd English Language <> What Will Heaven Be Like? <> and Barb’s Snippets.

July 2026 Post: Writing and Publishing a Book + A Ginger Story. Barbara discusses the many hats a writer must wear to turn a raw manuscript into a self-published book, comparing this to how our changing technological world has greatly complicated this process. A short Ginger story concludes this post.

June 2026: A Behind-the-scenes look at Barbara’s book helpers. This post introduces readers to the two book strategists who are helping Barbara bring new visibility to her earlier memoirs while also introducing Call of the Heart to a wider audience of readers on Goodreads and Amazon.

May 2026: Special Announcement. Needing more time for her new book in progress, Barbara decides to take a three-month hiatus from writing new website content and use her blog page differently. This premier blog post includes an introduction to her book, Call of the Heart: A Rescue Dog's Dream. 

April 2026: What It Means to Be “Born Again.” In walking with Christ for more than three decades, I’ve learned that some Christians don’t understand what it means to be born again. If you’ve wondered about this, you’re not alone.

March 2026: Thoughts on the Reality of Loss and Death. There’s something about turning 40 that wakes us up and makes us look at life through different eyes. Few people want to think about the eventual end of their lives, but sooner or later, we all must accept that we won’t live forever.

February 2026: My Encounter with the Living God. God has a plan for your life that will astonish you once you give Him the reins and trust Him to work all things together for your good.

January 2026: My $2,000 Guardian Angel Miracle. Every day, God sends His angels to guard His people on earth. I’ve journaled many instances when I believed I had angelic help. Here’s the story of one of them. 

Copyright © 2026 by Barbara Brabec. All Rights Reserved.