Three Things Thursday: The New Year

I’ve had a lovely three weeks with my husband and his sister here in Iowa. That makes me smile, even though getting on the plane to head back to Michigan does not. Well, that’s not entirely true. I am looking forward to getting back and seeing my daughter and grandson and my parents. I am even looking forward to getting started with the new semester and meeting my new students. So even though it will be hard to leave David behind, I can smile about all the great memories from our time together.

On a related note, the second thing that makes me smile is that I got to play a part in helping the sorting and de-cluttering process here at his sister’s house. Yesterday was the day Salvation Army came to pick up the first load of stuff that she’s been wanting to get rid of. With all the furniture from the basement and the bags of clothes, and the stuffed animals, and boxes of video tapes, they pretty much filled the van. Whether or not she ultimately moves is immaterial; the place is now beginning to become more her own. After Salvation Army left, Dave and I wrestled the sofa from downstairs up to the living room. With the bulky furniture out, and the streamlined versions in, we got to surprise her when she came home from work. Well, she knew that Salvation Army was coming, and she had told us what she wanted to go and about wanting the sofa brought up, but while we were the ones making it happen step-by-step, she was able to come home and just see the results. I couldn’t wait! And the smile on her face was worth all the little aches and pains we felt this morning.

The third smile is that because of #2 above, we have shaved some time off of how long Dave will need to stay in Iowa. Dave will still need to have Salvation Army back one more time (I know it’s hard to believe with everything that went yesterday), but he aims to get that done next week. But with any luck, he’ll be home by mid-February or even sooner! And that’s definitely something to smile about!

This post is part of JusJoJan and Three Things Thursday.

Finding My Way Back Home

It may not look like much to you, but I’m thrilled to have half of this wonderful corner room in my parents’ basement. Now I have space for my books, files, and other work-related odds and ends. I also have a desktop (and one of the file drawers in the desk) to call my own.

My parents have been awesome about letting me move back in with them while I get on my feet. I live in the guest room with access to half of the closet and three dresser drawers that were vacated for my arrival. I appreciate these arrangements immensely, but it was clear to my parents and to me that the bedroom wasn’t going to allow me to get much work done. (Although, I did have this cute mini station figured out, where I put a TV tray in front of the chair in the guest room. My lightweight netbook fit very well on it, but it didn’t allow for any materials to be on a surface next to me.)

Luckily, my parents have two tables in the dining room, and we cleared off one of them for me to have a temporary space. During the last few weeks, I worked there in the evenings, but it was an adjustment for both my parents and for me to have me in the living space. After all, they’re accustomed to it being just the two of them. Going to other locations, such as the library (remember this cool place?) or a coffee shop or even a bookstore(!), worked well. It gave us all a break, and I got reacquainted with some of my old haunts. But I’m not always quite as productive as I’d like to be, because of the travel and set-up time. OK and all the amazing things to look at when I’m at the library or bookstore.

A few days ago, when I came home from one of my outings, my parents told me they had a surprise for me. And they took me downstairs to show me the space you see above. My dad had sorted things that were stored in the room and on the desk to make this space for me to work. (My mother and I have been sorting through other areas of the house in preparation for a rummage sale at the church, but that’s a whole other story. Let’s just say, we’ve been quite productive!)

Over the last few days, I’ve been moving my books and work-related things to this basement space. In the meantime, I was still working on my netbook either upstairs or at one of my neighborhood haunts. Yesterday was productive, with major progress on three different writing projects. And today is my first day in my new space. It’s quiet and comfortable, and all of my stuff for my projects is within arm’s reach.

I just had a lunch break with my parents. With a cup of coffee, I’ve just returned to “my office” to work for a couple more hours before heading out with my mother this evening. Since classes (and other work projects that will be discussed in a future post) will limit the time I have to work here, it’s nice to know that I have a place where I can work without reconstructing my workspace each time. Now back to finish my syllabi for next week.

Thanks, Mom and Dad!  🙂

February’s Fast Forward Fridays: My Plan

 

I will admit, there is little that derails me faster than physical clutter. Too much stuff (even if it’s organized) is still too much. I need white space, even though it took me a long time to realize that.

At the same time, when I take on too much (my biggest weakness), the “too-much” stuff seems to take on a life of its own. I get behind on putting things away, and the problem grows and grows until I’m in the situation in which I currently find myself. Hard to start anything because I feel like I’m being buried alive.

So for me, the 28 days of February are going to give me a running start at sorting, decluttering, and getting only necessary things organized. The rest are going bye-bye. This is an important step on my way to our return to the US in July. Going from our lovely apartment to 4-6 suitcases is going to be a challenge. Time to at least sort through my personal mess stuff so that I regain some white space AND have less to do when it comes time to pack.

Remember, the trick isn’t to be perfect in your list-making, but to just plan something for the next 28 days (even if you plan a few break days in, based on your personal preference).

Without further ado, here is my list for February.

• 1 – Top shelf of closet
• 2 – Middle shelf
• 3 – Lower Shelf
• 4 – First Metal Drawer
• 5 – Second Metal Drawer
• 6 – Three wood drawers (Fast Forward Friday – Check IN)
• 7 – Hanging Clothes
• 8 – Printer Cabinet (2 shelves)
• 9 – Printer Cabinet (other 2 shelves)
• 10 – 2 bookshelves
• 11 – 2 bookshelves
• 12 – 2 bookshelves
• 13 – 2 bookshelves (FRIDAY)
• 14 – Fabric ❤
• 15 – Other quilting and craft supplies
• 16 – black ottoman
• 17 – sewing table
• 18 – kitchen table
• 19 – files
• 20 – files (FRIDAY)
• 21 – music shelves
• 22 – bedside table
• 23 – ironing board
• 24 – living room surfaces
• 25 – catch-up; maintenance
• 26 – catch-up; maintenance
• 27 – FRIDAY
• 28 – CELEBRATION

See you on Friday for our first check-in!  Hope you can join us!

 

https://myriad234.wordpress.com/2015/01/31/a-free-form-february-challenge-fast-forward-fridays/

 

If We Were Having Coffee: Happy 2015!

If we were having coffee,

I’d tell you that it’s been four years since I had surgery to get my replacement knee. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long. I remember that even on the day of surgery, I could feel the difference when I moved my leg. The only downside is that the surgery was done during my second year in Taiwan, before my husband had joined me, but there were so many wonderful friends and colleagues who helped get me through the hospitalization and recovery. So happy anniversary to my wonderful knee! Wishing you many more, dear knee! 🙂

I’d tell you I have set several intentions for the new year based on my vision for the new year.

I’d tell you that this is my first post of the new year. In fact, it’s the first post since November 21. But I’m making a comeback in a limited way. And one of those intentions is to reconnect with the blog world. But I’m going for regularity, not numbers. That means the plan is to write one blog post a week. If I do more than that, great, but I will do at least one post every week.  I’ll figure it out as I go, but no time like the present to start.

I’d also explain that here in Taiwan, our college semesters are significantly different than they are in the US. For starters, our weeks are 18 weeks long, instead of 15. And we start a bit later in September than most US colleges and universities. As a result, we’ve been teaching since September with only two holidays. Our semester break comes in time for the celebration of Chinese New Year. (There is talk that Christmas will be included in the holiday calendar next year.)

Now that you know that information, I’d tell you that final exams are this coming week. And then the grading, and then our semester break. Yeah, it sounds great to have a month off, but don’t forget I taught on Christmas Eve day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve. (We did get New Year’s Day.)  I have to admit though, that although I dislike an 18 week semester — everyone gets so worn out, I do like the break at this “unorthodox” time. I feel like it’s more of a break than just being off to engage in lots of holiday hoopla. The Chinese New Year still has a lot of newness to it for us.

I’d tell you that, barring anything unforeseen, the textbook project is over! The relief is amazing. It will be even more amazing when all the ink is dry, and the books are in the students’ hands. My stress level has gone done dramatically.

I’d tell you that I have a big list of loose ends I want to tie up over break, especially things that had to be put on the back burner as I finished the textbook. But it feels good to feel like I will have some time and space to make some real progress.

I’d tell you that I’ve started peeking at a few blogs, starting to read. Not a lot of comments yet, but I’m looking forward to reconnecting with the great people I’ve met here.

I’d tell you that it’s official. David and I (and our wonderful Puppy) will be heading back to the US in July of this year. This is my sixth year of teaching in Taiwan, and while I have loved almost everything about it, it’s time to go home.

I’d tell you that the next six months are going to be a bit of a whirlwind, as I complete things here in Taiwan and anticipate the move back. But it’s exciting, another phase in our lives. I will especially love being to grandparent at a closer range. Hey, Logan! Grandma’s coming!

I’d tell you that it feels good to write this post. I look forward to next week. 🙂

I’d tell you the days are moving by, and there are only 127 days to 60.

Thanks to Diana for gathering everyone together this week.  🙂  https://parttimemonster.wordpress.com/2015/01/10/if-we-were-having-coffee-the-inaugural-weekend-coffee-share/

 

Returning to Rome

Photo credit: nuchylee at freedigitalphotos.net

Apparently when I leave Rome, I make it worth my while. I haven’t posted the last two weeks, so let’s start with a report for August 18, which was the last time I was here. Two weeks ago, things were real quiet in Rome, so I held off. Then last week, I had decided to take a blog break. I may actually post about that elsewhere, but for now it’s time to get back on track.

In spite of the extra time, I didn’t get as much done as I had hoped. That might just be a good indicator that taking two weeks off from posting isn’t necessarily the best plan. Oh wait! I didn’t actually plan it that way. But you get the idea. On the other hand, with three weeks since I made this list, the report is bound to have lots of progress, right?

REPORT FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 18

(and including the weeks of August 25 and September 1)

1. Complete 12 one-hour blocks. The tasks for those blocks include:

• editing project 1 (2 sections) (I actually finished the first run-through of editing on a major project!)
• complete 2/3 of new editing project (that was a stupid way to set it up. I don’t know which fraction is done. Maybe 1/2.)
• 2 sections of a work project (Sort of–I did more than two sections of a work project. Does it count if it’s not the same work project that I intended to do when I wrote this? If it showed up in my to-do pile, and I switched gears to meet a deadline?)  🙂
• writing two sections of the mapped-out writing project  (I drafted one section and designed a worksheet)
• make a basic plan for upcoming webpage (I have something REAL basic, but it’s a start)

2. Meet with J to plan collaborative project (done, and have actually completed a couple of the tasks)

3. Sew blocks for Clue 3 of Summer Mystery Quilt (done, I even sewed about a third of the blocks together to start the quilt top)

4. Continue visiting my fellow builders. (not really. The first week, there didn’t seem to be anyone building.  The second week, I was on a break.)

5. Write a post about decluttering; schedule launch.  (NO. and it’s really starting to annoy me. But it will be more of a priority soon!)

6. Plan out the next two weeks of the blog. (No, I decided I’m not doing any genuine planning until at least October. Just going with the flow for now.)

7. Catch up on 20 of my unanswered comments.  (Just no.)

8. Attend Friday dinner. (A lovely time was had by all.)

HABITS TO MAINTAIN:

• CURVES – 3 times a week; walking 3 times a week. (one week Curves was only 2 times, but I did extra walking)

 

GOALS FOR WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 8

1. Complete 12 one-hour blocks. The tasks for those blocks include:

• finish the paper editing project
• start editing a thesis (if I hear back on it)
• finalize syllabi and first week lesson plans (Classes start next week.)
• complete writing Project A
• submit proposal for upcoming webpage

2. Travel to Taipei to attend faculty meeting Wednesday.

3. Sew some more of the quilt top for the Summer Mystery Quilt

4. VISIT my fellow builders.

5. Write a post about decluttering; schedule launch. (PRIORITY)

6. Catch up on 10 of my unanswered comments. (Decide how important this is.)

7. Complete three 20-minute decluttering blocks.

HABITS TO MAINTAIN:

• CURVES – 3 times a week; walking 3 times a week.

Good luck to my fellow builders. May this be a good week!

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This post is part of the Building Rome Project:

http://greenembe.rs/2014/09/08/building-rome-week-37-embracing-pain/

Feeling Trapped HERE: Stream of Consciousness Saturday (Part 1)

Linda’s Friday prompt for Saturday’s Stream of Consciousness post is “hear/here.” I think I’m going to do this in two parts, starting with “here.”

I’ve been struggling for several weeks to feel like myself. The one good thing I know is that I have not been dwelling in the past. And I’m only mildly dabbling in the future — though that is part of my “long-range” planning for heading back to the US next summer. My point is that, for now, I try to be in the present. I try to be here.

The unfortunate thing is that at the moment, here is not an especially nice place to be. I can’t seem to get excited about what to do here. I know this is the best chunk of time I’m going to have for the next twelve months. Yet, I can’t seem to enjoy and explore the here and now.

Luckily, there are moments, when I get little glimpses of motivation and wonder here. And I daresay that those moments might be coming a little more often than they did during the last few weeks. This gives me hope because there are things I want to do in my present here, so that I can make a relatively smooth transition to the future.

I’m not looking for sympathy, or even suggestions. I feel like I’m finding my way out of this. It’s just been a frustration to feel like the moments float by me without my participation. I am not usually this passive — therefore, the discomfort is — haha — uncomfortable. I guess the main reason for following this train of thought in this post is that I’ve learned that these little Saturday exercises often move me to the next level if I let this unconscious part come to the surface. So here I am.

Another reason I can recognize that things are improving is that my productivity is slowly returning to a more normal level. Not quite as good as I’d like, but still — it’s significant. The goal setting I’ve been doing over the past few weeks was supplemented this week by a few “concentrated lists” for a particular day and time. That seemed to make a difference. In other words, I like contests, games, challenges. I need to remember and use that to my advantage, even when I think I don’t have the desire to play.

Because that is the other key: making sure that fun and play are part of my here. It’s important to give myself down time and to really give myself over to the playful side, like when I take time out for Zentangle with coffee, of course (as in the picture above) and a couple finished Zentangles in the photo below.

As August gets into full swing, I’m feeling a lot more optimistic about here, and I look forward to having some fun things to show you in the near future.

You might want to check out a whole other angle of this week’s SofCS with my post about HEAR.  🙂

****************

If you’d like to join in, please do. It’s a great way to meet new people and see new blogs!

Here are the rules from Linda’s page:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” or “Begin with the word ‘The’.”

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people will come and read your post! The way to ping back, is to just copy and paste the URL of my post somewhere on your post. Then your URL will show up in my comments, for everyone to see. For example, in your post you can copy and paste the following: This post is part of SoCS: http://lindaghill.wordpress.com/2014/08/01/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-august-214/  The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. Have fun!

An Alternate Route to the Construction Site (Building Rome)

Building Rome is a mini-challenge hosted by Bradley at Green Embers. Participants set weekly goals, then report in the next week, and cheer each other on along the way. You might want to join in the fun.

I’ve come up with a general format for these: (1) Report my progress for the previous week; (2) Provide commentary that explains shifts in progress and understanding and future goals–with the hope it doesn’t bore you to tears; and 3) the goals for the upcoming week. Then, me being me, I added a final note at the end.  It seems to work. Preparing these posts really gets me focused for the time ahead.

REPORT FOR THE PAST WEEKEND

 

1. Complete 18 one-hour blocks. The tasks for those blocks include:  Only completed about 6 blocks during the week.

• editing project (3 sections) — COMPLETED
• writing project (finalize template, begin introductory material) MINOR PROGRESS (need more)
• complete a project spreadsheet (PRIORITY) NO
• preparing for fall classes — type notes for two lessons NO
• Writing 201 — read post, choose piece for revision, and spend at least 2 hours on said revision  NO

2. Maintain walking three times this week (in spite of the heat).  DID THIS FIVE TIMES

3. Start piecing possible designs for quilted postcards. NO

4. Visit more of my fellow builders and comment on their posts. I visited everyone. I left some comments.

5. Make a plan for my blog. I gave some serious thought to this and have a general idea. Will pursue it more this week. However, extra points for posting every day last week!

6. Catch up on my unanswered comments. Made some progress. Need more.

THIS WEEK’S COMMENTARY

I love Bradley’s theme for this week: SETBACKS ARE NOT ROADBLOCKS! Truer words were never spoken. It’s so easy to use setbacks as an excuse to stop moving forward. As some of you know, I didn’t have a great week, and it shows in my unfinished business above. But I am gradually becoming more and more like my normal self, and I expect this week to be better. In addition, I’m still pleased with the fact that I still made some progress in many areas. Plus, I did something that wasn’t on the list. I read a book! I can’t tell you the last time I read a book just for the enjoyment of reading. So that’s a bonus. I think it’s something we should remember in our reports–that sometimes things we didn’t think of when we were planning come up. If we take care of those things, or if we accomplish something that wasn’t on the list, it’s still an accomplishment. So it’s good to report the extras too.  🙂 

For example, I had three! unexpected social events this week. In other words, none of them were planned when I set my plan for the week. They were real opportunities — and with my current moods, it really made sense to embrace the opportunities rather than stay holed up at home trying to meet goals for the sake of goals, while ignoring relationships. So on Friday, I went to the ceramic museum with two friends. On Saturday, we attended a good-bye dinner for my colleague, Steve. (That’s Steve in the thumbnail above.) That evening, another colleague came to spend the night, and we spent Sunday morning together, before she headed back to Taipei. Those three events may have done more to help my spirits start returning to a normal level than any amount of work I might have gotten done.

My last bit of news has to do with a couple of meetings today that have the potential to change my life dramatically. This is particularly significant in light of the fact that I’m planning to return to the US in a year or so. The meetings have helped me think of alternative ways of meeting my objectives. I have a new perspective on a couple of things, and I have someone who wants to collaborate with me on a new research project. Doing something with a collaborator is going to be an added impetus to get it done.

So there are some adjustments to my to-do list for this week. Some things that didn’t happen last week will indeed carry through, but I’m going to step back a bit and do some longer range planning so that my goals in future weeks are more in line with this new perspective.

 

GOALS FOR THE WEEK of July 28)

1. Complete 18 12 one-hour blocks. The tasks for those blocks include:

• editing project (3 sections)
• writing project (finalize template, begin introductory material)
• complete a project spreadsheet (PRIORITY)
• write an abstract draft and other preliminary materials for new research project
• make a rough schedule for the coming year — determine which projects are really the priority in order to set appropriate course for return to US

2. Maintain walking three times this week (in spite of the heat).

3. Start piecing possible designs for quilted postcards.

4. Visit more of my fellow builders and comment on their posts.

5. Make a plan for my blog.

6. Catch up on my unanswered comments.

As I made the new list, I realized not that much really changes. I cut down the number of one-hour blocks, and make them more focused to leave other time for the other things that I want to pursue (quilting, blogging, and decluttering). It turns out the non-work items (#2-6) really don’t change much at all. I’m just focusing the “work” time differently. It will be interesting to see what next week’s goals look like after I spend some time this week looking at the big picture.

Good luck to everyone on meeting your goals this week!

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This post is part of the Building Rome Project. http://greenembe.rs/2014/07/28/building-rome-week-31-setbacks-are-not-roadblocks/

A question of balance?

Your Friday prompt for Saturday’s Stream of Consciousness post is, end your post with a question. Extra points if you fit an exclamation mark somewhere in the body of your post.

A week to pick our own topic. How to get started. What will I write about? I could write about the fact that this week hasn’t gone according to plan. It hasn’t been a bad week, unless you judge it solely on how much of my weekly list got accomplished. However, there is more to life than a to-do list. I know that. Still, I’d like to be closer to catching up.

On the other hand, today and nearly every day this coming week has social events scheduled. Not my choice, yet they are all important, and they are all time sensitive. In other words, they can’t be put off.

If I had a third hand, I’d be focusing some time on the big picture and what is really reasonable to have on a to-do list over the next 7 weeks. Maybe I should choose just a few significant things (however I decide to define that), and allow lots of down time to do things I find relaxing and rewarding, like more quilting and other creative endeavors.

I realize as I am writing this, that the cloud of apathy that has been my constant companion for a while now might possibly be dissipating. Even if it’s just beginning, that would be great news. It also means that once again, SofCS has helped me make a realization that breaks down the “logjams” that exist in my head (and in my physical environment). Writing is amazing!

So, now I’m thinking that it’s time for a fourth hand that would take a day away from the expected and do some writing and exploring of all the things floating around in my head. In that way, I may discover a fifth hand that I hadn’t thought of. After all, I can let my subconscious mull all of this stuff over for a couple of days, and then see what nuggets of insight it will provide if I just take the time to write and listen to it.

So, I’m taking comments and suggestions. I suspect I know how this will go, but I’ll ask anyway. If you were in my situation, what would you do?

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This post is part of SofCS: http://lindaghill.wordpress.com/2014/07/25/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-2514/

Building Rome: Week 3

Building Rome is a mini-challenge hosted by Bradley at Green Embers. Participants set weekly goals, then report in the next week, and cheer each other on along the way. You might want to join in the fun.

I posted toward the end of last week because I had been teaching at a English summer camp Monday through Thursday and had no time until that was over. On Friday, I reported on my week 1, and then set some things for my short week (weekend) that was left. So before setting my new goals for the week of July 21, I will report on my weekend task list.

REPORT FOR THE PAST WEEKEND

1. Use one-hour blocks as needed to complete the following tasks:

• an editing project – one more section COMPLETED
  
• completing another project spreadsheet NOPE, will add to new list
  
• preparing for fall classes – just type the notes for one session OK, I didn’t do this, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. It’s just that when intended to work on it, I had the wrong materials with me.  Reschedule for this week.
  
• write three emails regarding one of my fall classes and a meeting for next week All three completed!
  

2.  Walk twice over the weekend. YAY!

3.  Complete Step 2 of the Mystery Quilt Challenge. YES!!! See the note below about this item!! A new RE-discovery about this accountability thing.*

4.  Visit more of my fellow builders. Since it was so late in the game by the time I did this, I visited everyone on the list, read through what they were up to and “liked” all of them, even though I didn’t have time to comment.

 *SPECIAL NOTE: 

I want to point out something that happened to me yesterday having to do with #3 above. I had this Mystery Quilt Challenge on my list for both weeks. When I updated my list on Friday, I put this task on the weekend list (my abbreviated week 2), figuring I could get it done over the weekend. While it’s true, I underestimated how much time it would take (a little more than 2 hours rather than the one hour I originally estimated), it still was manageable. But last night, it was hot, and I had done a lot of other stuff, and I had other things I could do, and blah blah blah. You know what got me going? The fact that I’d have to get on here and say I didn’t do it. Sure, I could do it next week. But that isn’t the point. It’s on my list because quilting is something I want to do for me, and what does it say about me following through on things for me, if I’m not even doing a simple quilting activity that only requires 2 hours?

So if anyone doubts whether this accountability stuff works, here’s one example. I will tell you this. If it were just me, I wouldn’t have any trouble disappointing myself–it would just be one more week I put it off — to my sick way of thinking. But having a group who cares whether or not I do what’s good for me and my goals — it does make a difference. So thanks Bradley, and all those who are on the construction crews. You’re making a difference in my life, and I appreciate all of you!

GOALS FOR THE WEEK of July 21)

1. Complete 18 one-hour blocks. The tasks for those blocks include:

• editing project (3 sections)
• writing project (finalize template, begin introductory material)
• complete a project spreadsheet (PRIORITY)
• preparing for fall classes — type notes for two lessons
• Writing 201 — read post, choose piece for revision, and spend at least 2 hours on said revision

2. Maintain walking three times this week (in spite of the heat).

3. Start piecing possible designs for quilted postcards.

4. Visit more of my fellow builders and comment on their posts.

5. Make a plan for my blog.

6. Catch up on my unanswered comments.

Wishing my fellow “countrymen” a good week.

 

TIME TO GET AWAY: Stream of Consciousness Saturday, July 13

Where to begin! The prompt was to take off with either “getting away” or “getting out.” They both have such interesting connotations for me.

I so want to get away from everything. I need a vacation, but I need to focus on the catching up that I’m doing. I need to get out of this funk I’ve been in for a while now.

I need to get out of bunches of deadlines I took on when life looked so much brighter. Sometimes, I see far too many possibilities, and then the hard reality sets in. Of course, it would be nice if I could simply get out of some of the deadlines. If I could go back and renegotiate my involvement. But alas, the things I most want to get out of not that easily set aside. I do have a plan, but I still have to work that plan before I can see my way out.

But it isn’t hopeless. And in the meantime, maybe I can get away for a few days somewhere in the next few weeks. And in the meantime, I’m using coffee breaks to get away. In addition to my morning coffee at home, I get out at least 3-4 times a week for coffee. The walk to the coffee shop gives me some exercise — in both directions. While there, I am able to hyper focus on whatever projects I bring along. The getting away from my computer desk does magic for my productivity.

In spite of this talk of getting away and getting out, I’m also drifting to thoughts of getting into things that refresh me. The purpose of getting out is to build up my passion, my motivation to do the things that are often hampered by the crazy deadlines and ill-considered projects. With a plan to get away from those things, I can get into my writing and my quilting. I know I’ve written about these creative endeavors before, but the fact that they keep returning is something I need to listen to.  I need to learn to advocate for my creative voice. And that’s definitely something I want to get into.

 

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This post is part of SoCS: http://lindaghill.wordpress.com/2014/07/11/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-1214/