We've reached the end of the Challenge and I'm zonked. I know I'm not the only Blogging A to Z participant who feels like they've been climbing a mountain barefoot, blindfolded and being timed while they did it.
However, we've arrived at Z and I repeat that I am zonked. I always understood zonked to mean exhausted, and while I'm not generally ignorant about word meanings, it was pointed out to me that zonked has an alternate meaning of which I was unaware. It is also defined as being high. High as on drugs not on a high place like a mountain top, its zenith.
How could I have lived so many years without knowing that?
My misapprehension of the meaning of zonked caused me to consider misunderstandings in general. In addition to misunderstanding word meanings we also misunderstand people, their motives and words.
How often do we get into a disagreement because we misunderstand what someone really means? It would be advantageous if we could open someone up, turn their pages and find out what they really mean as easily as we crack open a dictionary to determine a word's true meaning.
There's a lot more on my mind about communication and misunderstanding, but like I said, I'm zonked.
We have reached the zenith of the Blogging A to Z Challenge. Good grief, how can I continue to blog without an alphabet prompt?
I keep putting off writing this because once I put it out here in blogland, I'll have to own up to a burgeoning problem. Like most addictions, it started slowly. It made me feel good. I only did it sometimes. No one was getting hurt. It wasn't affecting my life negatively. The rich, vibrant colors, the incredible, sensual textures were mind blowing. I could control it.
At first, I only bought yarn when I needed it. New project, new yarn. Then I started needing more, a lot more. New projects beckoned - a couple of sweaters, hats, learning to knit socks so I had to buy sock yarn, and anyway the yarn was on sale and I'm going to use it eventually and the color is so perfect for me and if I order $60 worth I'll get free shipping.
I have two plastic bins where I store my stash. They're in my closet, in the back. I'm not hiding them, just keeping them out of everyone's way. Besides, the yarn in one of them was given to me by a friend who had more yarn than she could use in a lifetime, I was just helping her by taking it off her hands.
Then my local yarn store had a winter clearance and yarn I needed to make a blanket was on sale. I had to buy it, I'd be saving a ton of money. And while I was there I spied a peacock blue, soft, fuzzy mohair that would knit up into a gorgeous wrap. But they didn't have a color that would work for the blanket's border. So I had to go online and order that because I can't make a blanket without a border and if I order $60 worth, I get free shipping.
Two weeks ago the yarn store owner, Robyn (we're on first name basis now), sent an email announcing that she was carrying cotton sock yarn which isn't easy to find and it was produced by a local company and the media keeps urging everyone to buy local, so actually I am supporting to two local businesses by buying the yarn. The colors are beautiful. I'm not hurting anyone. It makes me feel good ....
I feel exhausted of ideas and extremely embarrassed that I'm unable to exercise my brain and extend myself enough to produce an excellent post about the letter X. After all it is day 24 of the Blogging A to Z Challenge.
I could explicate on The X-Files, but I've never watched it. I have nothing memorable to express about x-rays, except that I've only ever had dental x-rays. Perhaps I should write in excruciating detail about xenophobia and its evils, or being a xenophile, something I know quite a lot about, thanks to the BBC.
Wait a minute, should I extemporize about Xanthan Gum? I've conducted research on this substance because it seems to insert itself into a plethora of food products. But, no, it's not all that intoxicating to read about.
I could always expound on xenon, which is one of the noble gases. Don't you like that phrase, a noble gas? It makes me wonder whether the other gases on the periodic table of elements are ignoble.
In my search for the definitive X-word, I encountered Xanthippe, who was Socrates' wife. Apparently, her name is synonymous with a quarrelsome and nagging wife. I have no knowledge or experience in this realm.
Did you know a lot of words related to botany start with X? There are xylan, xylem and xylose; xylotomy (which is something like a tree lobotomy); xanthein, xanthone and xanthophyll and probably a whole band of others. Unfortunately, the exhilaration value of these words is limited, at best.
I'm afraid I am going to have to excuse myself and exit. I will focus my efforts on executing a scintillating exhibit for the letter Y.
Were you aware that there are about seven billion writers and wannabe writers in the world? That's a rough estimate, but while reading through hundreds of the more than 1,000 blogs that are part of the Blogging A to Z Challenge I have encountered an extraordinary amount of writer's blogs.
Everyone writing a blog is actually a writer to some degree, but there are innumerable people who would love to earn their living as writers - particularly as writers of fiction and poetry. The writers whose blogs I've read exhibit an amazing amount of creativity, energy and excitement.
While writing fiction has never been one of my dreams, mainly because I don't have plots and characters running around in my brain, I am in awe of those who are actively pursuing their dream of becoming a published writer by actually writing, not merely talking about it.
The only thing left to say is, Write On me hearties yo ho!
I've mentioned before that I'm a little bit late to the dance, the technology dance. I didn't get a Facebook page until January, I didn't own an e-reader until Christmas and I didn't discover the wonder of online groups and forums until last spring.
It's not that I dislike new technological ideas, but it's that I didn't have time to explore them. I still don't have time, but I changed some priorities. (I still can't get my blog to do some things I want it to do and my Transitional-Woman Facebook page needs a lot of help. However, these are tales for another time.)
Today's focus is the world of virtual friends. We were all suspicious of online forums in the early days, thinking they were full of stalkers and weirdos. But as I was obliviously rushing through life these somehow became legitimate places on the web.
Last year, when we finally got WiFi, I started exploring this land with a vengeance and soon became part of many, many groups connecting me to nice strangers who shared the same interests I have.
It didn't take me long to realize that I could not keep up with all of these groups and still stay connected with the flesh and blood world. So I whittled down my list to a few groups and have found myself amazed that I am friends with strangers.
We share our love for our hobbies, we know each others kids names, we share spiritual lessons learned, we know each others birthdays and we sometimes confess our foibles and sins. Just like Real Friends.
My family was amused by my growing circle of virtual friends. As I shared this and that about their lives, my kids got this little, "Oh isn't Mama cute," look on their faces and my husband smiled at me indulgently as he often does. But I've come to realize these women are no different than the penpals that people used to have in bygone days.
My virtual friends are slowly becoming real friends. We share our concerns and pray for each other. We keep up with the events in each others lives and grow concerned when we don't hear from each other for a while. If that's not real friendship, what is?
What do you think about virtual friends. Are they as real as real friends?
Sometimes I feel like a moron. (Is it still okay to say moron? Am I offending some people group that I totally do not intend to offend?)
When you're in your teen and twenties, you know what's going on in the worlds of sports (well, maybe), entertainment, news (maybe), technology and life in general. By the time 30 strikes, you get so busy being a grown up - or acting like one because you don't really feel like one - that you don't have time to keep up with all the new developments springing up everywhere.
Suddenly, you're my age and have accumulated vast amounts of wisdom, knowledge and information about almost everything, and but have no idea about what's going on in the technological world because it changes every single week.
When I was in my 20's, I was sure that I was always going to be cool and up-to-date. I have no clue what happened, but I lost it somehow.
Despite my vast storehouse of knowledge I feel like I don't understand anything anymore and have no clue how anything works, or even what it is for. Last year my kids had to explain to me the differences between tablets, smart phones, ereaders and iPods. Which is wireless, what's 3G, you know, all that mess.
I feel like I'm gaining some ground and all of this formerly unexplored and unknown territory is becoming somewhat familiar.
But can someone please explain to me how to get a Facebook badge on my blog and how I can design my own button to share with the blogging world? Remember, you're talking to someone who only learned what html was a few months ago.
(By the way, when I was looking for a picture to illustrate a confused woman for this post, most of the pictures I discovered had blond women in them. I resent that.)
I originally began this blog as a forum for exploring the transitions I'm facing in my life. It didn't take long to realize that I'm the only one who really cares about that.
So I thought, where do I go with this now? I don't want to go down in the history of blogging as the owner of the most boring and under-read blog ever.
After having a good long think, I realized there are a lot of people facing a lot of transitions in their lives; transitions like mine and transitions I haven't faced.
That's when I had my brainstorm, "I'll write about my transitions sometimes, but I'll also explore other ideas related to life changes and transitions and invite guests writers to share their experiences."
After a more recent good long think, I decided to expand on the idea of transitions and also look at transitions that take place inside of us. Because after all, a person's life could remain relatively unchanged on the outside for a long time but massive changes could be occurring in that person's mind, heart, thoughts and attitude.
So that's where Transitional-Woman is heading. I'm looking forward to seeing what my guest posters will share and I'm looking forward to sharing the lessons I'm learning as I muddle through my transitions.
And maybe after another good long think, things will change again. Who knows? But in the meantime, contact me if you have a transition you've experienced and would like to share the lessons learned or the struggles you're still wrestling with.
No matter what kind of transition we're dealing with, and there are many both good and bad, it helps to have a support network.
Planning a move? Having a baby? Deciding what college to attend? Are you an aspiring author? Becoming a step parent? Has someone you love died? We all need support.
If you are going through a transition, here is a short list of support suggestions. Not all of them will be applicable for every situation.
Find someone to talk to. A shared burden always feels a little lighter.
Ask for help, don't be afraid, don't feel ashamed.
Let people know specifically what you need. Others aren't always aware of what type of help would benefit you most.
Go online. Depending what your transition is, the information you need to make the best decision may be a Google search away and you just might find a forum full of experts to consult or a great online group to join.
Get help from a professional. I don't just mean spiritual or medical help, but hire a home organizer if you need to whip your house into shape in order to sell it.
Look for a support group in your area. Do you have a special needs child, an alcoholic parent, a physical handicap? There are support groups available for all these situations and more.
Reciprocate. If you know others facing a change or challenge similar to yours, perhaps looking for a job, help each other by exchanging job tips and networking information or reviewing each others resumes.
You don't have to fight your battles, move your mountains or swim upstream alone. Look for support and in turn, when you are able, provide support for others.
Ever since I was a little girl, my dream job has been to read for a living. After graduating from college I could have tried to get a job with a publishing company, but I never pursued it and my life moved in other directions.
I still think this would be a wonderful job (although I'd also really love to be a lighthouse keeper, but I don't think that job exists anymore). However, I still don't live in an area where there are publishing companies and I can't just pull up stakes and move as easily as when I was single.
But I am excited to announce a new transition for the Transitional-Woman!
My dream is sort of coming true, that is, although I'm not being paid for it (except in free books - who's complaining?), I have been given the opportunity to read and review three books on this blog in the near future. My chance to review two of these came about because of the Blogging A to Z Challenge. How cool is that?
The books are from genres I don't usually read, but I find myself eager to read something different for a change. Two of the books had online excerpts that sounded great, which is why I approached the authors asking if I could review them. One of the author's generously sent a copy of the first book in her series so I can read it first before reading book two for review.
Because I've had the chance to read hundreds of different blogs during the Challenge, I've discovered so many hard-working authors laboring over their books trying to get them published. I respect their efforts and wish these transitional men and women great success.
It was Q-day, and as I quietly questioned myself about the subject of my post, I was overrun by a quantity of queer and quarrelsome Q-words.
"Quit, it," I said, "None of your quackery. I have a quality piece to compose."
They were quite adamant and would not be quitted. I could not quarantine my brain long enough to cogitate on more serious Q-subjects. I could not quash the inundation of obscure Q-words that were quibbling in my mind for preeminence. I was quite overcome.
"I am on a quest for excellence," I complained, "I will not get caught up in a quagmire of queer quips and crazed queries from you. Begone."
What can a writer do when the words run out of control, but quiver? You cannot quell them, they become the master, you the slave to their quirky and quixotic ways.
I tried, oh I tried to quench the flow of Q-words, but they would not be quenched. They became more querulous and quarrelsome as they queued up to escape my brain.
It was like a quartet of quarreling quidnuncs on a quest to quite overrun the page and take control of my writing. I felt queasy. All I had wanted was to quickly compose a quality Q-post. My quadriceps were aching from my gym workout and I longed to quaff my quart of tea and cogitate.
I felt queasy with concern over the situation. Were my qualifications as a blogger good enough to pacify my readers? Would they acquiesce and accept the takeover by a quintillion Q-words? I had my qualms.
"Cease this quackery," I bellowed. "Your behavior has put me in a quandary. I know nothing of quants, quaggas, quarks or quantum physics, so I cannot compose a cogent post on those learned subjects but I desire to create the quintessential blog post on the letter Q. I cannot do this if you continue to cast up this crazy quilt of Q-ness in my face."
I was caught in a quagmire of Qs and there was no escape. I was quaking with anger, but knew the battle was lost. The quaint Q-words had won the day. My quest for quality was all for nought. I felt like a quack, but pressed "Publish".
What a boring blog, writing about procrastination. Again. Au contraire, this is the conclusion to my Eat That Frog! post. Despite my procrastination tendencies, I actually finished the book.
Brian Tracy, the author of Eat That Frog! gives us 21 techniques for overcoming procrastination, but because you may be a procrastinator too and never actually get around to reading it, let me share some of what I gleaned.
Write down your goals.
In the evening, plan for the next day and write down what you need to accomplish.
Prioritize your tasks.
Determine the three most important tasks and do those before any of the rest.
Do the most difficult and most important task first.
Stick with that task until it's completed before moving on to the next.
Clean and organize your work environment and keep materials you need to do the job accessible.
Make a list of all the steps needed to complete the job and do the first step now.
Continually upgrade your skills and knowledge, don't let your lack of ability hold you back from achieving your goals.
Identify what you do well (at your job) and put all of your energy into doing that thing the best you can.
Identify what it is that holds you back and determine how to change it.
Put pressure on yourself and set deadlines, make task completion a kind of game.
Working long hours doesn't produce more results, productivity diminishes after eight or nine hours, so don't pull all-nighters.
To stay motivated, keep a good mental attitude.
Look for solutions rather than spending time complaining.
Don't become a slave to technology. Turn off all of your electronics sometimes.
Arrange your day so you have large chunks of uninterrupted time to complete tasks.
After planning and prioritizing begin working quickly and try to avoid interruptions.
Tracy indicates this is a book that teaches you to overcome procrastination, but really, it is also a book about time management and improving your productivity at work.
Like any good advice, it only works if you use it. I have a lot of frogs in my life that I need to eat so it's time for me to put all of this information to work.
It's been almost a year since my mother died and I legally became an orphan.
Having no living parents or grandparents gives one an odd feeling of un-connectedness. I have a husband, children, a sister and sister-in-law, a brother and brother-in law, a niece and nephew-in-law, numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and my husband's huge extended family.
So it's not like I'm alone in the world, but the knowledge that one doesn't have a mom or dad to turn to in troubled times feels lonely. My dad died when I was 13 and my mother and I were not close, so it's not like I was in the habit of confiding in her. I can't explain it, exactly.
It was more like feeling bereft, adrift, floating in the water in a boat with no oars, sails or motor.
Even though I felt like I'd been on my own in many ways since I was in my teens, there was still a feeling of loss. And a feeling of envy for women I know who are closely linked to their mothers. In view of my feeling of envy I realize that my feelings of loss are for what I never did have, a close connection to my mother.
There is no going back and changing the past - even if it were possible, only the ability to go forward and have a different kind of relationship with my daughter.
I grew up in a city, Buffalo, NY to be precise. (I love it. Right here is where I always get little smiles of sympathy and understanding nods. Tell people you're from Alaska, Minnesota or Maine and they say, "Oh that's interesting." Tell them you're from Buffalo and you get the same kind of sympathy a person who has had to have all their limbs amputated gets).
So I knew all about city living, public transportation, stores, entertainment, crime, police sirens. Then I grew up and said, "Self, you're grown up now. You don't have to live here anymore."
I don't do things by halves. I moved 3,000 miles away to southern California. Eden, Nirvana, Paradise. A place of sunshine and suntanned smiling people. They don't even know what snow looks like. Happy, happy, happy. I get married, have four suntanned smiling children, and then insanity strikes.
Husband and I start to think we are doing our children a disservice by living so far away from family. Making a totally incomprehensible decision, we decide to move back to Western New York.
But not Buffalo. No, husband's family has an unoccupied house on sixty acres, next to my husband's old family homestead (which burned down in a fire - that's how he made his escape).
Wonderful, grand idea. We load up the moving truck and drive cross country in two white mini vans, each housing an adult driver and two children (minor occupants rotated frequently to avoid untimely deaths).
We eventually cross from Pennsylvania into New York and suddenly the sky turns grey and it begins to rain. It was an omen. We should have obeyed, turned around and headed back to California.
But, no, we are obviously not that smart.
My husband was a country boy and told many winsome tales of growing up on the farm (his dad was actually a teacher) and seduced me with thoughts of fresh air; room for the children to run and play and grow; space for a garden (no room for that at the California townhouse); family with whom we could spend holidays; a lower cost of living.
The partially furnished house had mice. Mouse droppings in the pantry, mice in the walls, a dead mouse under the sofa cushions. It was cold. It was grey - a lot. It rained - a lot. It snowed even more.
We had no neighbors as far as the eye could see. The eye could see a long way, we lived on a hill. Our mailbox was a quarter of a mile away down a dirt driveway. The closest grocery store (so called) was only a fifteen minute drive away, but charged extortionate prices. The next decent-sized, modern grocery store was a 35 minute drive away. We planned our trips to "town" to go grocery shopping, do errands and go to the library where we could borrow movies (television reception was a little bit fuzzy). It was a big day, town day.
Even though we only lived 60 miles from where I grew up, I was homesick; homesick for California.
My husband couldn't find work, I was depressed, neither of the homeschool groups in the county wanted us to join, "Oh, so and so group is meets much closer to you.'" Truthfully, neither met close to us. Our family's were busy with their own lives so we rarely saw them. Our white mini van was smashed up on a snowy January evening while driving to our nephew's wedding reception (he got divorced).
Here's a conundrum I have been musing over for the past couple of months, monetizing the blog. What to do. What to do.
Should I or shouldn't I? Am I writing for the pleasure of writing and sharing what I write or for profit? Why not both? I've been reading up on this subject in other blogs and have discovered most bloggers are either for it or against it. No surprise there.
I can see the pros and the cons, but I still can't decide.
If you're a regular reader of Transitional-Woman, I hope you'll forgive a re-run. I wrote this post a few weeks ago and wanted to replay it for the Blogging A to Z Challenge because I liked it so much. Also, it has two L's, so that counts for something, right?
One of my favorite contemporary Christian songs was performed by Steven Curtis Chapman and is called Live Out Loud. If you're not familiar with it, he sings about being more aware of the bigger, greater life around us and how we should, "Crank up the music, climb a mountain and shout."
As a woman who lives with a great deal of caution, I find this song inspiring, thought-provoking and empowering. It makes me want to forget the "what ifs" of life and just .... live out loud.
It makes me want to throw off fear - fear of what could happen, fear of looking foolish and fear the unknown and just ... live out loud.
All that just from a song. I feel excited just thinking about it. Who knows what wonderful, exciting, unexpected things the Lord will do next?
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline, 2Timothy 1:7.
I want to really live my life before it is over, embrace the fun, challenges and changes around every corner.
Is it my imagination or is everyone juggling more and more all the time?
I don't know about anyone else, but either I am getting worse about managing my time or I am over committed. I believe I have fewer obligations than a year or two ago, but frequently feel overwhelmed. All those balls I'm juggling seem to be equally important and have to be kept in motion.
Another thing I've observed is that kids appear excessively busy too. I don't ever remember feeling busy when I was a kid. Maybe the mists of time are getting too thick and I'm not remembering accurately.
I know some teens who stay up until 1:00 a.m. finishing school assignments. My last year of high school I worked 16-24 hours a week, but honestly don't remember ever needing to stay up late to do homework.
With all of the advanced technology available to us, shouldn't life be simpler? Or maybe because some tasks have become easier (mainly due to the widespread availability and use of computers) we are all taking on other responsibilities and commitments.
Perhaps we're wasting more and more of our time on things like Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and other social networking options and we're not taking care of things like housecleaning and yard work. It doesn't take long for mail and laundry and dishes to pile up; a dirty oven to become a filthy one or a few weeds to become a healthy crop if we don't keep up with them. When our chores reach that level, they begin to feel insurmountable.
These are just some of the thoughts buzzing through my head as I see my teen son struggling to keep up with the obligations of his life as my husband and I struggle to keep up with our work.
How about you, do you feel like a juggler. Do you think we are busier than ever?
Are you a failure as a joke teller because you get the story all mixed up?
Do you lose track of time because you're so involved in the task at hand?
Are you mean and cranky sometimes?
Is your hair too long, too short, too thin, too thick, too straight, too curly?
In short, are you imperfect?
We live in a plastic media age where every one seems to live a perfect life. Everyone except us, of course.
I know people who don't like to look on Facebook very often because everyone else they know seems to be living the perfect life, or so they say. It is like getting one of "those" Christmas letters every day of the week.
But, we are real, imperfect people, and despite all of our faults and foibles, specifically created to be just who we are. And we are created by God for a specific purpose, a destiny that only we can fulfill.
Let's embrace that thought instead of dwelling on the lie that everyone else is better than we are, perfect.
It's an exciting concept, the idea of a destiny to fulfill, and I'm not sure if most of us will ever actually know our expressly-created purpose. Perhaps, it doesn't matter. We are who we are, living our lives, hopefully in obedience to God, hopefully trying our best to be the person God created us to be. Despite our imperfections.
The clock is ticking down quickly. Homeschooling in this household will end in just a matter of weeks as our youngest child graduates from high school.
How do 17 years go by so quickly? I began homeschooling the year my oldest child was starting 3rd grade and my second child beginning 1st. I didn't decide to homeschool because we hated the public school system; and, no, we're not weird cultists trying to keep our children isolated from the world.
But, after being a volunteer at my children's school and seeing all that the teachers were up against, I realized I could do a better job educating my children at home. There are no perfect education solutions, but homeschooling was the right answer for our family.
Looking back, I'm amazed at how much homeschooling has changed in the last two decades. When I began researching way back when, it seemed that a lot of homeschooling families lived off the land, were entrepreneurs and their kids went on to Harvard. An exaggeration, but that's how it looked from my perspective.
In reality, the homeschooling population is very diverse, from one-child families to very, very large families; from people holding strong religious convictions to those holding none at all; every ethic group imaginable; all income levels; and city, suburban and rural dwellers. Everyone is represented among homeschoolers.
Curriculum availability? Where do you even start? The selection is so vast that at least one vendor of homeschooling curriculum and supplies that I'm familiar with has an annual catalog that is as thick as a mid-sized city's telephone book.
When I was looking for material to use when my eldest child was ready to start high school, I had to look long and hard. Curriculum was available, but the selection wasn't extensive. By the time my fourth child was ready for high school, the selection was so wide that it was mind-boggling.
So in retrospect, would I homeschool again? Absolutely. Would I do it the same way? Absolutely not. I have the advantage of hind-sight now. I saw what worked and what didn't for my children. I also got to know my children very well because of all the time we spent together and have a much better understanding of each child's learning style.
I wish I knew then what I know now, but the years spent learning and growing together day by day have been some of the best of my life. We are blessed that we could spend them together.
On this day before Easter, I think about three things, God, grace and the gift.
Without God there would be nothingness. End of story. I wouldn't be here writing this, you wouldn't be there reading this. If you don't believe in a universe created by God, you will, of course, disagree. And you know what? That's your privilege. But I've lived too long and seen too much to ever think that all of this - life, the universe, people, intelligent thought - is just happenstance, randomness.
Next, grace. I can't even begin to comprehend this concept. Theologically it's often defined as unmerited favor, a blessing given which is undeserved. As messed up as I am, as many mistakes as I make, as unlovable as I can be - still, grace is poured down on me. I am loved and forgiven - every time.
And finally, the gift, represented by the cross, the iconic symbol of all Christendom. The gift was a sacrificed son.
The early Israelites could only obtain forgiveness for their sins through animal sacrifice. Seems barbaric, strange, incomprehensible to 21st century minds. But we have to be purified somehow. What right do we have to think that we could ever be good enough to deserve to be in the presence of an Almighty God?
This has got to be the craziest book title, ever. I kept hearing about the book (written by Brian Tracy) in January, probably because it deals with overcoming procrastination and this has got to be pretty high on the New Year's Resolution list. It is at my house, anyway.
Apparently, my family isn't alone in wanting to get over this debilitating habit/problem/character flaw because I had to wait two months before Eat That Frog! was finally available from my library system. Either a lot of other procrastinators live in my county, or the person who fills the book hold requests in my library system has a problem with procrastination as well and decided to read the book before sending it on to me.
Back to that crazy title. Here's where Tracy got the idea, "Mark Twain once said that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long."
Tracy goes on to say that if we do the most important, biggest, hardest, worst thing first every day, it will eventually become a habit and we will be on our way to overcoming procrastination.
He doesn't promise miracles, but he does have a lot of practical advice. Some of the topics he covers include habit, planning, motivation, technology and scheduling.
Although I very excited about what I've read so far, I'm rather embarrassed to admit that I haven't even finished chapter 1 yet. Could procrastination have anything to do with it? Procrastinating about reading a book about procrastination?
I think I might need an intervention.
Are you a non-procrastinator? Do you have any tips to share with me?
Are you a procrastinator? Maybe you should read the book too and we can encourage each other to eat our frog.
I am struggling people. With exercise. Again. I haven't fallen off the wagon, or treadmill as the case may be, but I am losing momentum.
Why is it so hard to stick to this? I really envy people who love to exercise and can't wait to do it everyday. For me it is drudgery, a chore, work, pain, you get the idea.
Recently, I read how endorphins and pheremones are released when you exercise. These are the chemicals in your body that make you feel happy and are supposed to lift your mood. I can honestly say this has never happened to me.
Keeping my eye on the goals, i.e.; good health, strength, endurance, flexibility and weight loss doesn't seem to be enough to convince me to drag my lazy, tired self out of bed every morning.
But I won't give up, I just needed to moan a little bit and maybe get a little sympathy. Pathetic.
I wrote a post about job hunting last month that generated some interesting comments. One of my suggestions was for job searchers to dream about what their perfect or dream job would be. That really seemed to strike a chord with readers. Since I don't have a mega-blog this was obviously just a small sampling of people, but of all the different ideas I shared in that post, the idea of a dream job was what resonated for most readers.
It was also surprising to find out that so many people want to work from home. In a country where getting ahead and being a "success" are emphasized, I was amazed by the number of people who don't want to be in the rat race.
For other people, their dream had already come true. They had their dream job. I felt so happy for them and was glad that they realized they were "living the dream".
Generally, I don't think we dream enough, or at least I don't dream enough. I get stuck in the necessary, in the needful and forget there could be something wonderful just around the corner. So much has to be accomplished in a day. Money has to be earned, bills paid, food purchased and cooked, children educated, house cleaned and maintained, and this is just the short list. It's easy to forget to dream. Easy to forget to dream about the future and dream about how we'd like our lives to be.
My springtime challenge (there's that word again) to you and to me is to dream. What would we like to be different about our lives? What would we like to change? How can we make it happen?
We have reached the zenith of the Blogging A to Z Challenge. Good grief, how can I continue to blog without an alphabet prompt?
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