2016 Resolution!

     My resolution for 2015 (basically, to pay attention to my body’s cues Read it here!) worked pretty well at first.  Then came Pet Rescue, and the fact that my body wanted to plop down on the bed a few times a day and now I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I’m in the 400 levels.  Ugh.  But, it’s not Pet Rescue’s fault. It ‘s totally Facebook’s fault. Damn! Since becoming a stay at home mom (more on that later), Facebook has been a source of daily social interaction for me.  I’ll check it a few times a day, then get lost in the feed and look up after a half hour. Good grief!  So, I’ve decided that while 2015 was generally a year of self-allowed rest, 2016 will be a year of limiting distractions so I can reach my goals.

 

     In my defense, 2015 was a big year of adjustments.  My son received an IEP at school and we’re dealing with his possible autism, and everything that goes along with it.  I also climbed a few personal/emotional mountain ranges in 2015 that I’d rather not mention.  So, 2015 was what it was. 

On the bright side, it was not a complete failure. Not at all.  I freaking finished a BOOK that is, as I type, being reviewed by an editor of a recognizable publisher after they requested the full.  Traditional publishing is a long, long route. 

     As it stands right now, I am 20k words into the sequel of the above book, and the third is outlined.  I am also 25k words into an unrelated stand alone book (romantic comedy/horror/suspense). I am, oh, about 120k words into my behemoth of a paranormal saga that has been my pet project, and I have two other books outlined.  I got the rights back to a novella that I had published with a small e-publisher, so I need to decide what to do with that now.  Writing is my heart! The moment the characters take over a story is like the best drug in the world (not that I know anything about drugs, of course).

     In 2015, I also began another pet project.  I’ve always been fascinated with dreams, and I have a few psychic cells in my body, so I started a web based business around these ideas. I am not completely finished with it yet, but I plan to offer email based courses on dreams and art therapy, and  personal dream interpretation services. a peek...

     I’ve also been applying for jobs and have made it onto a couple hiring lists and had a few interviews…but no cause to buy new work clothes yet.

     So, you see that even though I give myself a hard time for “not getting anything done in 2015”, I’m my own worst enemy – because I DID. The problem is, nothing I did is exactly tangible at the moment, thus making it hard for me to give myself a pat on the back.

     2016 will be the Year of Completion! I will narrow my focus to the most important items – SON, writing, dream website, and job search.  I will limit my distractions – hear that, Facebook? Within reason, I will expect myself to complete tasks that I have left hanging for too long, and the wrapping up of loose ends will be its own reward as I love that feeling of accomplishment.

Here’s to facing 2016 head on, with a purpose and the tools I need to succeed. 

An Experiment – if you dare!

You will need…a sheet of paper and something to draw with (pencil, pen, crayon, watercolors, whatever).

Draw ten hearts on the paper. Now, look at them. Are they identical?  Look again. Are they really identical down to the tiniest detail?

Likely, they are not. And, after the first few, you might have looked back at the previous ones to make sure you were doing it right, if even for a split second.

The thing is, no two relationships are exactly the same and shouldn’t be approached as if they are.  The same could be said regarding projects.

When you drew the first heart, did you have to remember how, or was it something you doodle regularly? The first heart is somewhat like our first relationship – initially unsure, then either becomes something resembling a heart or it becomes the most perfect heart on the page- the one all others have to match.

Now that you’ve drawn them, can you erase them or paint over them? No. They are on the page forever, basically. Even if they are in pencil, a ghost of them will remain.

Now, draw one more heart on the page.

How did you draw that one?  Did you draw it bigger than the others? Smaller? The same? Did you try to make it better?

Think about that. 

My Name Is...

What is a name?  Is it all just pure ancestry?  A label?  A definition?

What does it mean if you meet someone with the same name as you?  Names are common, but some aren’t as common as they might be.  What are the chances that your circle collects names that are similar?  Pretty slim.  So, when it happens, you sit up and pay attention.  It’s disquieting to know that there can be such a similarity of letters between strangers.   

Names.  Little badges.  Signposts pointing behind you.  A title that might define your life.

Yet, a name doesn’t belong to one person.  It belongs to everyone that has it, and everyone that doesn’t have it. 

My name may as well be something unpronounceable, or even a symbol.  Prince (one of my favorite musicians) was on to something.   So was the character “Madison” in the movie Splash.   Her real name was a series of sounds. 

Names are meaningless.  The only value is what we attach to them.