PEGGY JAEGER: What I’ve learned about life so far…

I’ve traveled over a half century so far on this journey called life, and seen many things I wish I hadn’t, heard many stories I wished weren’t true, and seen how cruel people can be to one another if given the chance.

But…

All that aside, I’ve also been witness to some amazing grace, outstanding philanthropy, and overall kindness and love that are immeasurable.  Without doubt, people are more good than bad, loving than hateful, and willing to fight for what is right than accept what is blatantly wrong.

All people want to be happy. All people. No matter the religion, race, color or political affiliations. Human beings as a species are geared towards happiness.

Knowing this, seeing it firsthand, is why I write romantic fiction.

Love is a universal emotion. All sentient beings understand it, desire it, and want to feel it. The endorphin rush we get when we fall in love is better than any chemically induced high. The pleasure we experience when our love is not only received, but returned in like, is beyond explanation. And we want to share it with the world, have others feel the happiness we feel. Why do you think the wedding industry is such a big commodity?  Or that the romance writing field is usually the number one seller of written fiction in the world?

A happily ever after ending is the core thrust of every romance novel. The hero and heroine must go through the pits of hell as conflict after conflict are thrown at them; obstacles must be woven through, and some heartache must be felt before the ultimate finale brings with it that eternal love reward.

It’s easy to get jaded and think this kind of writing is all sap and no substance. Every story ends happily, every difficult love angle is smoothed to an easy line in the end.  It’s said that this just isn’t so in the real world.

But, what I’ve learned about life so far is, that it is.

In many shapes and forms, a happily ever after ending is achievable through work, guts, and resolve.  Humans have a remarkable capacity for determination. When we want something, it appears nothing can stand in our way of getting it.

What I know, what I’ve learned and seen from the life I’ve lived so far, is that happiness and love are instrumental to having and living a wonderful, fulfilled life. Being able to make someone else feel happy is a reward unlike any other.

So when I hear someone complain the world is a nasty, cruel, and uncaring place, I know that’s just a poor interpretation of the life that person is leading. They have no real love in their life, because if they did, they wouldn’t feel as they do.

We all go through good times, bad hours, and confusing moments.  We wouldn’t be normal people if we didn’t. The decisions we make are sometimes the wrong ones, oftentimes the right ones.  But if we end and begin with love in our hearts, we’ll know happiness.

So, what I’ve learned about life so far is that it should be lead with determination in our minds, love in our hearts, and acceptance that although we might go through the fire, we will come out unharmed, with just the smell of ashes on our clothes.

 

Valentine’s Day is chocolatier Chloe San Valentino’s favorite day of the year. Not only is it the busiest day in her candy shop, Caramelle de Chloe, but it’s also her birthday. Chloe’s got a birthday wish list for the perfect man she pulls out every year: he’d fall in love with her in a heartbeat, he’d be someone who cares about people, and he’d have one blue eye and one green eye, just like her. So far, Chloe’s fantasy man hasn’t materialized, despite the matchmaking efforts of her big, close-knit Italian family. But this year for her big 3-0 birthday, she just might get her three wishes.

  

Peggy Jaeger is a contemporary romance author who writes about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can't live without them. 

Her current titles, available now, include SKATER'S WALTZ and THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME, and FIRST IMPRESSIONS books 1 through 3 in her 6-book The MacQuire Women Series, published by The Wild Rose Press.

Peggy holds a master's degree in Nursing Administration and first found publication with several articles she authored on Alzheimer's Disease during her time running an Alzheimer's in-patient care unit during the 1990s. 

A lifelong and avid romance reader and writer, she is a member of RWA and her local New Hampshire RWA Chapter.

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