If I were asked to sum up the last year in words, I’d have to simply say, “Well, that was interesting.” So much has happened, and so much hasn’t happened too…it’s an odd roller coaster ride I’m on right now, and I’d really love a break.
I had good momentum coming into this year. I had confidence and determination and I was ready to write and do all sorts of productive things. I did start out strong with the writing, and then…our Murphy dog crashed, kept going downhill, and finally died in mid-February. It always knocks me off-kilter to lose a pet, and he was one of my favorites, so it took a few weeks before we were ready to look at getting Athena another companion. And right when we started looking, Apollo needed a new home, so…voila! Puppy! And all the fun and very time-intensive requirements that entails.
Needless to say, while I’ve been picking at my writing here and there, I never quite got that momentum back due to all sorts of setbacks (including a couple of illnesses and some medical problems that had to be at least looked at, if not fixed). Clearly I need to work on that more, since good routines would have kept me writing for the most part.
The three main resolutions I picked at the start of last year were:
– 5.5 hours of sleep nightly
– 12 flash fiction stories for a collection published in Dec.
-Read a minimum of 12 books
The only one of these that I came close enough to accomplishing is the first one. While I did have a few four hour nights, for the most part I was very cognizant of getting to bed and getting enough sleep. And I could definitely tell the difference when I didn’t.
When I realized that my resolutions weren’t exactly reachable any longer, I re-prioritized. I moved those to the “goals” list, and brought three of the goals up to priority status:
– Get eye problem figured out and mitigated
– Get a checkup for back/hip pain
– Publish something (anything) to be available no later than Dec. 31st, 2021
I did better with this list, though whether I get to cross the last one off is debatable. I had eye surgery done on my right eye, and it’s still healing, but the doc is optimistic.
I got a checkup and then a CT scan, and then an emergency room visit for the pain in my hip (and lower right abdomen. Whether or not I have a smoldering appendix remains to be seen, but it isn’t any of the “super-bad” things it could have been, so I’m glad I got it checked. I do have some gastric issues that are requiring a bit of a diet change, so I’ll be figuring that out in the next year.
As to the last one, I didn’t publish anything publicly, but I did get a story written, edited, printed, and sent out with my Christmas cards (something I’ve been doing for three years now). I think in a pinch, we can call that published, so I’m claiming that just because it was a lot of work just to get that one story fit for others to read.
I did get four of the twelve flash stories drafted, plus the start of a fifth. So while I didn’t complete that project, I did get a good start on it, and I plan to finish it this year for sure. I just really, really need to re-establish a daily writing habit. That’s going to be key for me moving forward.
There are so many things I’d have liked to do this past year, and so many excuses as to why I didn’t do them. I played a lot of games, and spent a lot of time thinking things would take too much time instead of just doing them anyways (because tasks rarely take quite as long as it seems they will).
I spent too much money, spent too much time sick or dealing with physical problems, and focused far too much on what I couldn’t get done instead of what I could. And I get why I did that, but…it’s time to stop, re-evaluate, reorganize, and get to moving forward again, sans excuses.
How am I going to do that, you might be wondering?
Stay tuned for the resolution post tomorrow. I have resolutions and goals. I have a plan. I have tools that will help me remember that tasks rarely take as long as I think they will.
Hopefully those things and a healthy dose of optimism and determination will get me farther in 2022.
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