Good lord, what a loaded question (as I backspace over “October” for the second time in two days!).
I got up this morning, maybe 45 minutes later than I’d intended, but kitty cuddles in the morning are so hard to resist! I thanked Dylan for his lovely purrs on my head when I woke up with a stiff neck and aching back because by the time I got up, most of the stiffness was gone, thanks to cat therapy!
But I digress. I got up and put my gym clothes on, fully intending to do a workout before the day got crazy, yet here I sit, at almost 11:00, still half dressed after having gone in about 7 different directions over breakfast and my first cup of coffee.
So far, I’ve browsed websites for a Kitchenaid double oven stove (which I don’t exactly need as the stove I have isn’t that old!), found a great deal on one which I’ve added to my cart, though have not fully committed to ($1600 is still a lot of money for someone in my position to pay for something she doesn’t exactly NEED but would really LIKE to have, especially with Thanksgiving coming up!) My darling daughter of “failure-to-try-to-talk-me-out-of-adopting-Dylan-man-fame” was egging me on while half-heartedly mentioning that we no longer cook the turkey in the oven since we discovered how moist it comes out and how quickly it cooks in the electric dutch oven. I noticed she didn’t throw in something about how she could really use my double oven for her baking, should I decide to invest in said appliance.
After vacillating over the non-essential luxury purchase for awhile, I turned my attention to a suggestion I received from a friend at last night’s pre-reunion gathering, and sought out writers’ groups in my area via Meetup. I joined one and applied to join another, though their current events are on weekends I can’t make right now. I want to have options over the next few weeks, and, ultimately, make a commitment to a regular group or two as part of my process.
So here I sit, trying to decide whether to go to the gym or just put in a Zumba dvd or two instead, knowing that I need to call a friend in an hour or so about helping me put together something creative for the reunion, then work out a time with my daughter to help me do something with the rat’s nest I fondly refer to as my hair (but at least the grey is temporarily gone and the color is brighter for a little help from a bottle.
Then my daughter calls again, and another half hour passes with little or no activity.
As if I didn’t already have enough distractions going, my darling daughter again asks if I’ve checked out the 50,000 words in a month writing challenge. So what does the woman who was going to get in a workout this morning before getting all dolled up for her reunion do? As if there’s really any question?
So, after signing up for the challenge and writing about 2700 words of a story that wasn’t even a germ of an idea at 11:00 this morning, before forcing myself to stop and get ready for the reunion.
As was suggested not to subtly by my ART class, I responded with “writer” when asked by my classmates what I do. In fact, I did the same at the pre-reunion gathering on Friday night, and came away with suggestions to check Meetup for writers’ groups.
So the actual accomplishments today included:
1. signing up for 2 writers’ groups on Meetup.
2. Signing up for the 30 day, 50,000 word NaNoWriMo challenge
3. Writing 2700 words of the 50,000 goal.
4. having a blast talking eating and dancing with my classmates.
I would list what I did not get done, but frankly, that’s counterproductive. I try to keep my focus on the positive, and that means, what I did do rather than what I failed to accomplish. As Scarlet O’Hara said: “After all, tomorrow is another day!”
For my personal goals, I plan to write at least 3000 words tomorrow, especially since writing every day is going to be a challenge in and of itself, so if I exceed the daily minimum on the days I do write, it will make up for the days I’m unable to get a few words in. Though, admittedly, now that I’ve gotten started, aside from exhaustion which I’m pleading now, I see no reason why I won’t get at least a bit in each day, because I really want to be writing, and I’m excited about my latest project!
My gratitudes tonight are:
1. I am grateful to all of the people who encourage me and challenge me to do more.
2. I am grateful for my ADD which allows me to move in multiple directions without missing a beat.
3. I am grateful to all of the people who shared the reunion with me tonight. I had a blast, and felt a lot of love and joy filling the room! For those who weren’t able to join us, know that we felt you there in spirit!
4. I am grateful for all of the positive, supportive energy I’m feeling now, and especially for the fact that that energy is growing so quickly that it clearly cannot be contained.
5. I am grateful for the fond memories that are passing through my mind of an evening well spent, as I sit here, trying to finish my post before I pass out from exhaustion.
Love and light.
