So, January was…yea. Personally, the first month of 2017 was not all that successful for me. Between catching yet another nasty illness (seriously, I am attracting these bugs like flypaper), drinking too much of the political poison and having a constant stern face whenever I opened Facebook- I struggled find productive time for me in the last 31 days. Well, that’s not entirely true- the first few weeks were good before I fell off my little wagon and scraped my knees. But- on the bright side, I did manage to read some pretty phenomenal books when I was supposed to be writing, so I do have that going for me! Plus- the snow was awesome. And I am currently ending the month writing in my blog and enjoying a bubble bath with a blue moon because I am still leery of wine (if you know of any good ones, let me know- so far I think I am partial to sweet white wines, but I’m working my way up to the big girl drinks).
So, instead of dwelling on the month that has been, it is time to move forward and set some fresh goals to keep me focused in February. A friend of mine, Cindy, mentioned that she was going to do her Nano this month because November tends to be pretty crazy for her (cheers to that!) So I’ve decided to try my hand at it this month too. That’s right- 50,000 words slated for February! Time to stretch my fingers and get ready to type! If anyone wishes to join, please do, the more the merrier! Nano even has a goal tracker on their website for the next few months- you can plug in a project name, a time frame and a goal to track. I am going to be trying it out on this little adventure, and I’ll let you know what I think at my month-end review. I have some old projects I meant to finish in January, so I will just shift those over one month and jump in.
The goal for this blog: a minimum of four posts a week. I’ve got some ideas I’m really excited to peruse, and I am desperately needing a routine to keep me on track (and off Facebook- the bane of my existence and, apparently, my new obsession. Ugh- I am so disappointed to actually say that. I miss the days when I checked it maybe twice a year). I’m not wanting to flood the site with content just for content’s sake, right now I need to focus on quality. We will see how it goes! Any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.
I’m supposed to start training for a stage race I’m doing in July. And before you say it- I know, why do I keep on agreeing to these things when I know how good I am at coming up with excuses not to actually train for them. And not only that- why did I agree to a stage race where I will spend a good portion of the time in a car with other stinky runners (did I mention that I am related to all of them)? There is a possibility you will be seeing a couple of ‘lazy girl fitness’ posts geared towards the book nerd/person-who-would-rather-watch-tv-than-go-to-the-gym-so-she-makes-up-her-own-workouts-that-go-with-her-favorite-shows. Think of it like a fitness version of a drinking game. If you don’t see any mention of this in February, then that means I am still making excuses and will start panicking in a month or two. Cheers!
I am sure that I have other things on my list, but these are the ones I need to focus on. It’s time to get back to my regularly scheduled life. It’s time to start splitting my time a bit more evenly and giving myself the outlet I’ve ignored the past month. I am actually really excited to get back to some of my old projects. I was even dreaming about one last night. As it turns out, I missed my characters more than I thought. The jury is still it on whether they missed me or not.
Goodbye January, you were…umm- eye-opening. You brought me many ‘firsts,’ that I will never forget, I learned a lot within your 31 days. And again- thank you for the snow. I can’t say I’ll miss you, because I’m not a liar. But you made me a better person, you gave my some stories I’ll bore my grandkids with, and for that I thank you. Kind of. And as for February: welcome, may we find some peaceful moments to enjoy our passions! Goodness knows the world needs a few more happy and peaceful moments.
Tipsy Typer 
I did not realize Nano has a goal tracker…going to check that out! Can’t wait to get in my 50K this month. I need a push to reacquaint myself with the book I am writing. It’s been awhile since I’ve spent some quality time with ‘her’. I suppose you could say she is my Valentine this month! 😉 Also, I hear you and yell back a huge “DITTO” re: the political hype on FB. If it were not for updating my blog I might completely disengage for a bit. It has been a huge brain drain lately…What I have decided is to spend my time working within my Circle of Influence. We all have one…mine is smaller than some (Meryl Streep’s, for example, is much larger than mine LOL); however, I will use whatever influence I have to do good in the world. I have signed up for an orientation at a local place so I can volunteer there. Once I have completed the training I will be able to work in their facilities to help children from displaced families (for various reasons). I will give back where I can. My idea is to spread Love rather than all of the Hate that seems to be rampant…from all sides. As that great MLK quote says, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Light and Love are my new mottos…Cheers!
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Yes, yes and yes- exactly this. I love that quote- the only way to start bridging the gap is to start focusing on how to make a positive impact instead of casting blame. It’s harder than it sounds, but that’s really what we need right now- good job, it is inspiring to see someone really take a stand to help within the community. I’ve been trying to get more involved, I have been a part of more organizations and been to some events to help, and I donate when I can. But I need to sign up to start volunteering again. We need more people like you who can look past all the hate and just share some love. There’s too much anger and too many knee-jerk reactions these days.
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I wish I could say I had not added fuel to the fire, but I have found myself deep in it a few times this month. It has surprised me the ferocity of my emotions with all of the political ‘stuff’ going on out there. And it does no good to engage really. Just keeps stoking the fire. I don’t want to stoke that fire anymore. So I plan to do my part to let it die down…I’ve got other fires to start (seriously, I’m not an arsonist…LOL).
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I am right there with you! I found myself very much enmeshed in everything that’s been going on and having some difficulty keeping my cool on a few occasions. I don’t think I’ll stop staying involved, but I came to the realization that I’ve been letting it take more control over me than I want it to have. I still care and will remain active and informed- but I’m learning that not all fights are best waged in debate-form. Sometimes you have to approach the problem from a different angle. It’s been hard for me- much harder than I anticipated. I’ve learned a lot though, that’s for sure!
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