Dec 26, 2012 |
The holidays are almost over. That mad rush to get from A to Z while making everyone happy and doubling up on the social calendar. It’s time to wind down from all the excitement and regroup with some personal R&R. But something great is just around the corner.
We made it past the predicted Mayan apocalypse. The New Year is almost here.
Can you feel it?
It’s called Hope.
Some expectations I had for this week have been postponed. That’s not the same as canceled. Disappointment is not a disaster.
In the last year or so I’ve seen in hindsight how things tend to work together. When I thought the cosmos was playing dice with my life, I can now look back to view the puzzle pieces neatly falling into place.
And it’s only getting better.
My Word this week is Hope.
What’s yours?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
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Dec 22, 2012 |
This morning I wanted to write a different post. The kind of post I share on Shell’s Pour Your Heart Out weekly sharing at Things I Can’t Say. That’s the kind of mood I was in.
Instead, I swallowed it. I got my Big Girl Panties on and mud kickin’ boots and boy howdy, did my outlook change!
As you’ve no doubt noticed, I’ve been on a writing vacation of sorts for a few days, and I intend to carry it on through the New Year. In the past four days, I’ve had a very productive business meeting (more on that in a few days!) with someone who I expect will become a very good friend and writing inspiration to me and Megan. I reconnected with the Second Family at the Bible Study’s potluck Christmas Party. Those are the moments I love… when the rest of the group leaves and Dot and I linger for another several hours. It’s been so long since I’ve had any time with them… it was the best Christmas gift they could have given us: the gift of their attentions.
As previously hinted, I restructured my Kickstarter campaign. I remade the video, and for only my second video-making foray, I’m rather proud of the results. I’m now offering better Backer Rewards. And I extended the end-date to February 1. It may seem lengthy, but with two weeks of holidays thrown at us just now, it will pass rather quickly.
I spent part of this afternoon wrapping the few presents for Mutti and Dot, and as we all ate lunch together, the winds ushered in dark clouds and the hint of precipitation. Even if it doesn’t rain, the winter gray makes it a better weekend. The wind is blowing through the fireplace and under the door… it feels quite like Little Women around here!
We’re cozied up with our tree lit, the wonderful scent of Yankee Candle’s Mountain Lodge burning on the hearth, and a stack of Christmas movies to be watched.
After a long, hard month… I’m taking time to relax and enjoy this moment.
And it finally feels like Christmas.
Be blessed, this week and always.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Dec 18, 2012 |
I’m overwhelmed. I admit it. I was told tonight, “It’s good to see you smiling again,” and I wondered how long had I not been smiling?
I’m finding my Happy Place again. Traveling deeper on that path. There’s a better sense of better in my household. Dot’s registered for her second semester of college. College! I’m still working my day job. I’ve worked out a writing schedule with Megan, and for myself. It’s time to keep track of that date book I tend to ignore.
And I can see how I overworked myself this summer, and am determined to not do it again. It’s funny how cutting back on some things can actually make life seem more hectic.
I’m a creature of stability, of structure. Change harasses me instead of helps me. But we’re learning to coexist. I can’t put my finger on it, but lately I’m beginning to realize how I need to change in order to spread my wings. I can see how to accomplish what I want to accomplish, and that means change. Slowing down. Turning around. And sometimes, stopping.
Working a full time job, this full time job, really keeps me busy. No cell phones allowed. No personal calls. No personal computer use. It’s great. She doesn’t pay me to twiddle my thumbs. I’m actually earning a living. Or trying to. Right now, I’m still learning how to earn. There’s so much to know, so much involved with learning the office procedures and doing the job I was hired to do and learning how to do it better… It’s wonderful. And busy. And even if she allowed it, I’d have no time for personal calls or personal computer time.
So I work a full day, come home, and work here. At Bedford Manor. I cook. We clean. We eat. We spend a few hours together then we each go to bed for a few hours of sleep.
I don’t like sleeping. It’s a waste of time. Oh, the things I could accomplish if my body didn’t require sleep! The books would be written by now. The correspondence course, finished. The first popover recipe made. The books on the shelf read. All this and more.
I find myself keeping a tighter schedule. Less frittering away two hours a day. More intentional time well spent. It’s easier to say “no” than it was two months ago.
You know those movies when the main character is walking up to some huge door, alone? And you just know Something Good is on the other side, but getting up those steps is half the battle?
That’s what this is. It’s the battle. And it’s over.
I’m knocking on that door. I’m pushing it open. Letting the light pour out and the fresh air in.
I’m overwhelmed with how big this world is, and how I’m just starting to discover it. Things I didn’t think were possible are starting to happen. Results I never thought I’d see are being seen by many. My home is peaceful tonight. And my world is expanding.
It’s breathtaking. A little unnerving.
And utterly unmissable.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
