"It’s good to have an end to journey towards – but it’s the journey that matters, in the end." - Ursula Leguin
Thursday, December 31, 2015
New Year's Eve!
And I HAVE done a lot of thinking - as you know
But getting back from travelling is always disrupting and I had a granddaughter waiting for me when I got home who will be here until tomorrow.
So.. the lists, the new projects, the PLAN will have to wait... because I need to read books and cook and play with my girl.
That said - it's not on a checklist but could be - Connections with People..... Being present with my granddaughter is more important than making a list because I can do that any time!
I do have areas of improvement - everyone does..... and need to build more good habits to go with them
but I think this year - with a bit of a checklist - I will set up very small incremental easy changes in a positive direction. Habit building.
I do that anyway - but keep thinking a little accountability and tracking might be good.
Certainly I have gotten pretty detailed with my crafting.... so maybe in other areas I need to be cognizant of improvement too.
2015 has been a good year.... my focus on personal JOY and ADVENTURE has led me in all kinds of directions and provided me with a good base of happiness and new experiences. And I've made a TON of progress in both cultivating / appreciating relationships and determining personal boundaries.
My areas of improvement (I guess INTEREST might be a better term) though remain constant:
PHYSICAL HEALTH - nutrition & movement GOAL: keeping my body in as good shape as possible as I age
MENTAL / EMOTIONAL HEALTH - Simply put, what makes me happy? GOAL: to be happy, alert and interested in living until I die.
RELATIONSHIPS - how to cultivate relationships with the different layers of people I am close to
FINANCIAL HEALTH - How to have enough money. Period. Encompasses bringing it in and spending it out.... and gratitude / satisfaction with enough.
.. I will look back at previous years... I am sure there is more..
and there are concrete things that I am not sure where they go.... like focus on my craft / art.... like gradually building a little bit of a business with some of the things I do well (if not on demand!).... like getting a better handle on decorating my house and entertaining... like keeping my marriage in a happy place...
Anyway - lots to ponder on this day....
But for now
I'm off to do some food prep for tomorrow and help dress a doll :-)
I can get a little more serious tomorrow!
Happy New Year's Eve!
Saturday, December 26, 2015
No Direction
Conventional wisdom on blogging is.... have a direction and blog 2-3 times weekly. Especially if you want it to be a business.
I have to say - at this renaissance time of my life- direction is definitely missing! I mostly use this blog as a journaling tool of sorts.... and I have no clear idea of my readership... so I ask you (if you are reading).... to share your ideas of things you might like me to write about.
I am in the midst of discovering who I am... of delving into crafts and activities I want to learn... and deciding how I want to write this 3rd act of my life... And in a sense - however meandering... that is what I think I am sharing. My ideas.. my feelings.. my confusions and discoveries.. in this strange period.
Not so strange really.. I remember being 19-20 and under a lot of pressure to figure out what I want to be.
And I am in the same space - without the pressure. I already have a career or two behind me. I also know I have a career or two ahead of me but I don't have the pressure to decide! It is kind of fun to re-explore things I have always enjoyed to see if I can learn more or if I still enjoy them as much.
So there it is... A blog with some direction but not much. I do have some things I plan to explore in 2016 ...
Still quilting. I plan to finish more of the projects I have started. And I plan to spend more time on handwork... The hexie grandmother flower garden, the Hawaiian blocks and a new applique project that I will share later. So you will see a lot more quilting in my WIP posts.
Still moving forward in my health journey with food and movement, so there will be posts like that
And I will continue my work on improving my clutter/ cleaning / organization. Because it is not my natural gift....
Still love the serendipity of adventure so there will be posts about taking opportunities and risk and failure
And the occasional opinion piece
I also keep at my other blogs - children's liturgy, sometimes spiritual reflections, and hometown celebrations (activity books I self-published once upon a time that feature local history). I do have some plans to work on more group activity plans that incorporate things I am interested in - like children's books. But time will tell on that one!
I guess the main point of this blog is to say... Sorry! I am not a focused person :-). I will share my journey in this third act of my life and keep exploring and sharing
Again... If you have a question or want me to research and share and opine on a topic, do speak up or email me because I do like to write and I have fun researching...
Enjoy the journey and lets see where it takes us!