What the actual…? We are at the end of the first quarter of 2020. It’s time for an update on my dreams, plans, and goals for the year. As I prepped for 2020, I promised myself Freedom. Three months in, where am I? More or less confined to home, along with the rest of the WORLD. That’s right: coronavirus, COVID-19, social distancing, quarantine, work from home… it’s a whole new world. How does one work towards the goal of Freedom without leaving the house? Let’s contemplate that and see if I was able to accomplish anything in the start of Read More
Tag: Life
Crawdads in Context
I imagine you know what it feels like to be overwhelmed. Everyone living today knows the feeling, and I might be biased, but I think this is especially the case for women. The past several months have been my busiest time of year at work and there have been extra complications that made this year’s process more stressful. Add the fact that I was getting a divorce and dealing with a lot of personal stuff (stress) and that I am leading a book study of The Calling and participating in one for Warrior Heart Practice, and I’ve fallen behind on Read More
Finding My Calling
I am working through a twelve week course that is a scientific approach to discovering my calling. Everyone is supposed to have a calling but they don’t all have to be about saving the world. Maybe doing your “true work” is your own way of saving the world, no matter what that work is. Your calling might be to help people learn about native plants or to create a safe space for children or to see how high you can jump. The old saying goes: “Choose a job you love and you’ll never had to work a day in your Read More
FREEDOM 2020
Why Pick a Word? Do you pick a word or phrase as a theme for the year? I don’t remember how long ago I started picking a theme word, but it might coincide with when I started using the Rituals for Living Dreambook and Planner. I love this planner so much. I really feel like it helps me stay focused on what is important and helps me make plans to achieve some things that might just fall under “that would be nice” or “someday” if I didn’t have a system for dreaming and planning. My theme word for 2019 was Read More
2019 Annual Review, Decade Review, Turning Point
It’s the end of another year and the end of a decade. Last year I wrote my first Annual Review on the blog, and I am sticking to the same format this year with a little expansion for looking back at the decade as it draws to a close. As they say, this year has been a real humdinger. Right this moment I find myself in a sort of “grey space,” and in-between state. I’ve mentioned it before, and for now, it persists. This exercise will help me see that there is balance between the highs and the lows – Read More
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
I love the holidays. I love seeing my aunts, uncles, and cousins and being reminded how lucky I am to come from a big family. What I don’t love is coming down sick the day after Thanksgiving when my workload is insane and I really can’t take any time off. At least I don’t have to worry about spreading my disease when I’m the only one in the office. In an effort to ensure I am not spreading the plague, I went to see my doctor. In true doctor fashion, he asked me a lot of questions, but my favorite Read More
Third Quarter Review 2019
Well, y’all…. DANG. I complained that the first quarter was rough, then I said the second quarter kicked it up a notch. Now… How do I put this? The third quarter kicked my teeth in, then it poured a little gasoline over my head, lit a match, walked away until the flames died out, then came back with a wire-bristled brush and scrubbed at those burns until there was nothing left but blood and bones. How do you describe it when you have already had a rough year, your “summertime” depression refusing to pass, and one thing after another triggering Read More
My Favorite Fantasy
This month for book club, I read two fantasy books. Is it right and proper for someone with a degree in English literature to admit that they prefer fantasy books above all others? That’s not going to surprise anyone, is it? It is a close call between fantasy, horror, and sci-fi when trying to pinpoint my favorite genre. Yes, I love the classics and have even been known to argue in favor of a literary canon – everyone should read Shakespeare, even in high school – but fantasy is the genre I return to when I want to lose myself Read More
My Must-Own Albums
When I recently upgraded my cell phone I lost a lot of music that I had imported from my CD collection and transferred from computer to phone for years. I also lost one of my favorite audiobooks that I listen to repeatedly. This has me pondering if I should pull out the old CDs or if I should just pay for these again in a digital format that can live in the cloud. Of course, when it comes to music, I am also a subscriber, so I find myself making more playlists and stations and not buying albums. Sometimes I Read More
Learning to Live
It’s back to school time here in beautiful Northwest Arkansas. This always seems like a good time for a fresh start. I think a new school year probably runs second only to New Year’s Day when it comes to people thinking about how they want to change their lives in the upcoming months. This is the first fall that neither of my kids are going to school. Kid #1 has graduated from college and #2 is taking a bit of a gap year. That doesn’t mean I didn’t peruse the Back to School aisles and get myself some new Staedtler Read More