New Year, New Focus

It's easy to say, "I'm gonna make some changes this year... This year is gonna be better than the last... This year, things are gonna be great..." but making that happen is something else entirely

Each year presents a new set of possibilities, a different set of priorities, a totally clean slate - how do we prepare ourselves to make changes? Make a to-do list? Create a personal inventory? 

The word "inventory" - meaning "a detailed list of all the items on hand" and only slightly related to the word "invent," which means "fictional, made-up, imaginary" - implies that we need to take stock of what our assets are, but is it necessary to make a new list each time? Review any new assets, new challenges, new opportunities? Is there a way to reinvent ourselves so we don't have to keep doing it over and over again?

There will be dark days ahead. There will be choices and milestones. There will be joy. My main objectives this year are to help my family, find personal freedom, and be of service to those in need. I will write. I will find creative focus. I will do good in the world.

I suppose it's up to us as to whether or not we are willing to risk going into the unknown, to push ourselves, try new things, open old wounds and expose ourselves to the world, attempt to fix mistakes and make things better - but is this just another distraction to keep us from finding true inner peace and living happier lives? If life is a bowl of cherries, why are there so many pits?

There will always be obstacles in our way, but sometimes we just have to swim upstream anyway; we really need to try to live up to our ideals, be honest, do the right thing. It isn't just enough to take stock of ourselves... When we feel compelled to look up at the stars, surely we can also find a way to look within ourselves, see our soul's worth and make the most of what little time we have

Seek your soul. Introduce yourself, shake hands and step into the light - here's to making it count

International Day of Peace

The writing is going pretty well... I'm going to three (THREE) local writers' groups and the feedback has been so wonderful and educational... I need to work on one story in particular in the hopes of sending it to a publisher or entering it in a contest... there are a couple of other ones that I'm also reevaluating and are in various stages of rewrites

Making the occasional jewelry item for the Etsy shop...

Trying to get organized (it's slow going, though) - we had a tag sale but didn't get rid of very much...

And continuing to lose a few pounds here and there - I found two pair of blue jeans (why do we call them a "pair" ?) that were too small and were supposed to go to Goodwill... but they fit me now!

One of my senior cats that I adopted more than a year ago passed away last week... now I have three (Tyler, Copper and Silver) - his former owner wanted his ashes so we had him cremated and I have one little bag of ashes and she has the other one... poor old guy, Bailey was not the easiest cat I've ever loved, but I gave him the best life I could...

Work is okay but it is also very depleting... but if I could only sell some stuff... or sell some more jewelry... or sell a story... life would be more fun!

So - here's to the end of summer and the beginning of fall and on to winter (not a big fan...) 

Happy International Day of Peace!

A Blogger's Challenge

A fellow blogger has issued a challenge to 10 other bloggers... List ten things I love, and ten things I hate (or REALLY dislike).

I LOVE:
Family
Friends
Trees
Animals
Music
Movies
Books
Writing
Help others
Champagne

I HATE:
Noise
Ignorance
Mean, hateful people
Intense cold
Intense heat
Bad spelling and grammar
Worry
Procrastination
Clutter
Lack of money

I did spend some time coming up with these two lists, and even rearranged the order several times for no apparent reason, since it's not supposed to be a list of best-to-worst, or vice versa. Now, you might expect a writer to spend a great deal of time explaining in detail about the meaning of each item on these lists, but I think I must err on the side of simplicity and let each one speak for itself. 

As for these twenty admissions, I admit I am guilty on several counts - that is to say, I constantly worry about things, I procrastinate, I am surrounded by clutter and I am always broke. But I do my best to enjoy/practice/live up to all the rest. 

I know I'd like to make a few changes - but is it too late for that? I'll let you know... someday.

Trying To Find My Writing Mojo...

Writing is easy. Writing is hard. Writing is every bit as easy or hard as it sounds.

Contests to enter. Blogs to post. Here are some inspirational thoughts...

Yup... Wish me luck!

My Favorite Month, May, Has Come and Gone

It's always a busy month, May... kids graduating, proms, a national holiday, my birthday - and somehow the entire 31 days flew by and not a single blog post... I intended to at least post some vacation photos (from March, which seems so long ago now) and I will download them soon... but for the present, I just feel the need to post something in hopes it will spur me to get back to blogging!

There are the usual myriad unfinished projects, and more are added every day - once in a while, I actually finish one, like this Herkimer "diamond" I wire-wrapped for a friend...



Then there's the writing and the book project, and more mermaid paper dolls for the Etsy shop, and organizing my space and on and on...

But for now, we'll just keep it simple: the book project must proceed, and the writing must come first and foremost...





Finally, a shout-out to my favorite TV show that just aired its season finale, Outlander on Starz... Today is World Outlander Day, celebrating 24 years since the first book in the series was published. Since then, author Diana Gabaldon has written a total of 8 Outlander books and several related novellas, and this year the first book was adapted into a brilliantly produced series. 

Romance novels are not my genre of choice, but since Outlander is also historical fiction with a science-fiction twist (time travel, to be specific), I had to read the first book. Thousands of people world-wide have read all of them, multiple times, so the fan base is extensive. And although many devoted readers can be snarky and can't quite appreciate the difference between a novel and its film adaptation, I enthusiastically applaud producer Ronald D. Moore and his team for doing an amazing job of recreating 18th century Scotland for the small screen and bringing these characters to life on so many levels. 

So, Happy World Outlander Day! Next year, Season Two (Dragonfly In Amber, Book Two) begins - Je suis prest ("I am ready").

And The Beat Goes On

More Etsy sales! Writing a poem a day during National Poetry Month (April)! Two writing contests! Working on a prototype for a book!

Lots to do and, with no job, lots of time to do it.

Let's start with my Etsy shop:

Someone I know bought these three pairs of earrings... 

...and the first mermaid I listed.

Then another friend bought the second mermaid I listed...

... and then someone I didn't know bought a pair of earrings. Modest sales, but it's still encouraging.

The poems have been fun... not great poetry, by any means, but for me it's mostly been about the discipline of writing something every day - sometimes I pair them with one of my photos:

The writing contests (I've entered two now) have been motivating me to write as well. We'll see what transpires in a month or two.

Then there's the prototype. I want to start writing stories about people's pets - I started with one of my own fur babies, my sweet little Nancy. The story (it's actually a poem) is finished and I need to either come up with illustrations or figure out how to get creative with photos of her.

So, that's it - a photo essay of what's been going on! Please click on the Etsy badge at the upper right of this blog post to see what's listed in the shop, and the link to my web page is below that.

Looking back at the last few posts, I realized I never posted any pictures from my vacation... maybe next time!

Three Sales and a Funeral

Today: Grey, wet, windy and cold - spring is much too slow this year, in my humble opinion.

Went to a neighbor's funeral this morning - she was 91 - what a character she was, such a formidable force of nature right up until the end. I am really going to miss her irascible spirit and our lively chats. She was one for the books.

Then, when I got home and checked my Etsy shop, I got a lovely surprise: A friend bought 3 of my creations - 2 pairs of earrings...

... and the Mermaid paper doll I listed this morning! She is quite lovely (the friend and the Mermaid).

Not only is it a truly wonderful feeling to have my work appreciated, I also get to make someone happy!

And I have finished writing a short story (3000 words in just a few days) that I am sending off to yet another writing contest.

I figured out a basic plot, decided how it would end and, to my surprise, the story practically wrote itself.

Life is so unpredictable - a day can start out somber, or even sad, and then you look up and, if you can blink the tears away, you notice there's a rainbow.