Sun rising over The Three Sisters
Hard to imagine, looking back, that today is the last day of 2010, the last day of the first decade of this century.
Hard to imagine, but it is true.
And what a year it's been.
Last night my eldest daughter asked me at dinner, "Mum, if you were to quit blogging every morning and use that time to work on your book, you'd be able to find the time to finish it."
She's right. But, I like blogging. I like the friends I've made, the connections I make everyday with like-spirited souls in this space of wonder.
Do I want to give up something I love doing?
yes, finishing the book is important. But is there some other time I could carve out to put to good avail?
One of my New Year's intentions is to balance my life. To not spend so many hours being a workaholic at my paying job, and to instead, shave off some precious minutes and hours to focus on my love of writing -- which means finishing that book.
I don't have issues with working -- I am blessed, so much of my work involves writing. Where my challenge comes is that I tend to work ten and twelve hour days on a regular basis plus on weekends -- which leaves little time for doing the other things I love to do.
Sure, there are those who would say I don't spend much time cleaning house -- they're right. And I don't spent time sorting cupboards and clearing out junk and well, you know, doing those household duties to keep our home in order. Not my forte.
Thing is, I love to read, to paint, and to write.
where I've gotten out of alignment is that I've taken what time I have to relax and vegged instead. Because relaxing is -- to write and read and paint and meditate and go for walks and even, at times, to clean a cupboard or two.
Vegging for me is to watch tv, aimlessly surf the web, play online spider solitaire (luv it!) or simply move objects around the kitchen without any clear objective.
Finding balance is my key focus for 2011.
But give up blogging? It is part of my morning routine. Part of what keeps me writing it out, writing through the ups and downs and curious moments of my daily living. Part of what keeps the words flowing in all their fat and juicy contexts, in all their silly, inside out and upside down expansiveness.
Writing it out in the morning keeps me in the flow of writing.
So... here goes. Creating space to write and work on my book -- that's my objective for January. to set it into my routine, to create a pattern of working on my book at least an hour a day -- that's my intention.
Wish me well!
I wish I could do it.
I want to do it.
I can do it.
I will do it!
And now, a few of my favourites from 2010. As it was so difficult to pick just one post from each blogger as my favourite, I randomly picked one (well sort of randomly...)
From Glynn Young at Faith. Fiction. Friends -- Glynn's blog is always filled with great stories, poetry and book reviews as well as commentary on faith and Christianity and being a great human being -- and proud grandfather too!
She was strong, this woman.
Susan Etole at Just a Moment -- wow -- every time I visit her site, which is as often as she posts, I am awed by the beauty of her photography and ability to marry words and images into inspirational sparks that light up my day.
Provision
One of my commitments for 2011 is to read poetry to C.C. every night. I've started early. Wanted to get into practice before the big fireworks catapulted me into the New Year. I've begun with L.L. Barkat's, Inside Out. Reading L.L.s work over at Seedlings in Stone is like lying on buttery sand on a tropical beach and feeling the warm waters washing over your feet.
I can't post the actual link to the page as her blog is set up differently, but on Monday, June 9, 2008, she posted this piece Of Bridges and Violins and Words -- I didn't read it until much later but it stirs my soul and soothes my spirit.
Kathleen Overby over at Almost Paradisical has to be one of the most considerate, giving people I've ever encountered. While she doesn't write often enough for my liking, when she does post -- I am always intrigued and enchanted. Her writing provokes my thinking. She wakes me up.
Kathleen also is a wonder of snail mail. Every so often an envelope or card will arrive and it will be Kathleen, dropping in to visit via the postman/woman. What a wonderful gift she is. What a beautiful heart she expresses in everything she does and writes and says.
Silent Cry
I lost this lovely woman for awhile. She'd moved her blog and I had not updated my bloglist to reflect her new address. I kept clicking on the address and finding no blog to access. and then, I found her again and I was sooooo happy.
Every time I visit nAncY's site, I come back refreshed, revived and re-invigorated to live this one wild and precious life in the rapture of now!
Under the Banyan Tree
I only recently met Claudia through One Stop Poetry. Her blog is filled with poetic imagery at Splittergewitter -- and I'm so glad I have met her. Her poetry is stirring. She weaves imagery into words in ways that leave me filled with wonder. What a blessing it is to find a poem on her site -- and even more so when she includes a video of her reading her poetry. Awesome!
poetree
She is creative and inquisitive and we will definitely be hearing much more of this young poet from India. Trisha is a gem as is her site, Sharmishtha Basus Poetries. She encourages people. Shares her art and words with an open and giving heart, always opening up new ideas and ways of being present in this world.
Grey Green Sapphire
Sandra Heska King is a woman of deep, abiding faith who shares brilliantly and passionately her words and thoughts and beliefs. I don't have her unshakable faith. I do have great admiration for the depth of her belief, her courage and her beauty. Reading Sandra's blog awakens the Divine all around me.
I See Glory
I have been blessed this year with finding my love of writing poetry again. I've been blessed to be encouraged by some amazing people -- in particular, Jingle and the group of poets who manage the site, Jingle Poetry.
And perhaps, this is as good a place as any to leave you, hanging breathless, wanting more. There are lots of other places to visit. Lots of inspiring, funny, clever, witty and profound places to be inspired, get motivated, get jazzed up.
How about visiting Brandi @ Drama, conspiracies and Just general awesomeness, or Jeff @ To my children, if they are listening. Or, a couple of my new blog friends I'm so delighted to have encountered, Becky Sain @ First Pages or my neighbour from central Alberta, Hope @ The works of Hope. And then there's Thelma @ Widowsphere: A circle of Hope, she's always got great offerings of what's happening in and around her world.
so many treasures to uncover.
So many treasures found in 2010.
It has been a year of expansion. Of opening up to the wonder and beauty of the world in all its multi-coloured, multi-hued and sparkling facets.
It has been a year to evolve, to grow, to move beyond the limits of my comfort zone out into the big wide world beyond the realms of my imaginings.
it has been a year to let go of. To release.
To be.
Hard to imagine, but it is true.
And what a year it's been.
Last night my eldest daughter asked me at dinner, "Mum, if you were to quit blogging every morning and use that time to work on your book, you'd be able to find the time to finish it."
She's right. But, I like blogging. I like the friends I've made, the connections I make everyday with like-spirited souls in this space of wonder.
Do I want to give up something I love doing?
yes, finishing the book is important. But is there some other time I could carve out to put to good avail?
One of my New Year's intentions is to balance my life. To not spend so many hours being a workaholic at my paying job, and to instead, shave off some precious minutes and hours to focus on my love of writing -- which means finishing that book.
I don't have issues with working -- I am blessed, so much of my work involves writing. Where my challenge comes is that I tend to work ten and twelve hour days on a regular basis plus on weekends -- which leaves little time for doing the other things I love to do.
Sure, there are those who would say I don't spend much time cleaning house -- they're right. And I don't spent time sorting cupboards and clearing out junk and well, you know, doing those household duties to keep our home in order. Not my forte.
Thing is, I love to read, to paint, and to write.
where I've gotten out of alignment is that I've taken what time I have to relax and vegged instead. Because relaxing is -- to write and read and paint and meditate and go for walks and even, at times, to clean a cupboard or two.
Vegging for me is to watch tv, aimlessly surf the web, play online spider solitaire (luv it!) or simply move objects around the kitchen without any clear objective.
Finding balance is my key focus for 2011.
But give up blogging? It is part of my morning routine. Part of what keeps me writing it out, writing through the ups and downs and curious moments of my daily living. Part of what keeps the words flowing in all their fat and juicy contexts, in all their silly, inside out and upside down expansiveness.
Writing it out in the morning keeps me in the flow of writing.
So... here goes. Creating space to write and work on my book -- that's my objective for January. to set it into my routine, to create a pattern of working on my book at least an hour a day -- that's my intention.
Wish me well!
I wish I could do it.
I want to do it.
I can do it.
I will do it!
And now, a few of my favourites from 2010. As it was so difficult to pick just one post from each blogger as my favourite, I randomly picked one (well sort of randomly...)
From Glynn Young at Faith. Fiction. Friends -- Glynn's blog is always filled with great stories, poetry and book reviews as well as commentary on faith and Christianity and being a great human being -- and proud grandfather too!
She was strong, this woman.
Susan Etole at Just a Moment -- wow -- every time I visit her site, which is as often as she posts, I am awed by the beauty of her photography and ability to marry words and images into inspirational sparks that light up my day.
Provision
One of my commitments for 2011 is to read poetry to C.C. every night. I've started early. Wanted to get into practice before the big fireworks catapulted me into the New Year. I've begun with L.L. Barkat's, Inside Out. Reading L.L.s work over at Seedlings in Stone is like lying on buttery sand on a tropical beach and feeling the warm waters washing over your feet.
I can't post the actual link to the page as her blog is set up differently, but on Monday, June 9, 2008, she posted this piece Of Bridges and Violins and Words -- I didn't read it until much later but it stirs my soul and soothes my spirit.
Kathleen Overby over at Almost Paradisical has to be one of the most considerate, giving people I've ever encountered. While she doesn't write often enough for my liking, when she does post -- I am always intrigued and enchanted. Her writing provokes my thinking. She wakes me up.
Kathleen also is a wonder of snail mail. Every so often an envelope or card will arrive and it will be Kathleen, dropping in to visit via the postman/woman. What a wonderful gift she is. What a beautiful heart she expresses in everything she does and writes and says.
Silent Cry
I lost this lovely woman for awhile. She'd moved her blog and I had not updated my bloglist to reflect her new address. I kept clicking on the address and finding no blog to access. and then, I found her again and I was sooooo happy.
Every time I visit nAncY's site, I come back refreshed, revived and re-invigorated to live this one wild and precious life in the rapture of now!
Under the Banyan Tree
I only recently met Claudia through One Stop Poetry. Her blog is filled with poetic imagery at Splittergewitter -- and I'm so glad I have met her. Her poetry is stirring. She weaves imagery into words in ways that leave me filled with wonder. What a blessing it is to find a poem on her site -- and even more so when she includes a video of her reading her poetry. Awesome!
poetree
She is creative and inquisitive and we will definitely be hearing much more of this young poet from India. Trisha is a gem as is her site, Sharmishtha Basus Poetries. She encourages people. Shares her art and words with an open and giving heart, always opening up new ideas and ways of being present in this world.
Grey Green Sapphire
Sandra Heska King is a woman of deep, abiding faith who shares brilliantly and passionately her words and thoughts and beliefs. I don't have her unshakable faith. I do have great admiration for the depth of her belief, her courage and her beauty. Reading Sandra's blog awakens the Divine all around me.
I See Glory
I have been blessed this year with finding my love of writing poetry again. I've been blessed to be encouraged by some amazing people -- in particular, Jingle and the group of poets who manage the site, Jingle Poetry.
And perhaps, this is as good a place as any to leave you, hanging breathless, wanting more. There are lots of other places to visit. Lots of inspiring, funny, clever, witty and profound places to be inspired, get motivated, get jazzed up.
How about visiting Brandi @ Drama, conspiracies and Just general awesomeness, or Jeff @ To my children, if they are listening. Or, a couple of my new blog friends I'm so delighted to have encountered, Becky Sain @ First Pages or my neighbour from central Alberta, Hope @ The works of Hope. And then there's Thelma @ Widowsphere: A circle of Hope, she's always got great offerings of what's happening in and around her world.
so many treasures to uncover.
So many treasures found in 2010.
It has been a year of expansion. Of opening up to the wonder and beauty of the world in all its multi-coloured, multi-hued and sparkling facets.
It has been a year to evolve, to grow, to move beyond the limits of my comfort zone out into the big wide world beyond the realms of my imaginings.
it has been a year to let go of. To release.
To be.
Wishing everyone an inspired New Year.
May joy and peace find you even in the darkest of moments.
May you be filled with the light of love where ever you journey.
6 comments:
Happy New Year, Louise. Your kind words mean a lot.
i feel all toasted and buttered-up.
what a nice feeling...thank you for that.
a secret i want to pass along... to getting into the writing, start the first few days with promising yourself that you only need to write for fifteen minutes. it is okay if you go on longer than that, but, 15 min. is the lower limit.
Oh, Louise. You made me weep. Love you, friend! You inspire me every time I visit.
Praying for you as you find that balance. One of the things I'm doing this year is writing portions of my book on my blog. Two birds. One stone.
And thanks for some new sites to check out.
just like you my relationship with all of you has been very, very fulfilling.
If i start counting the ways you all have improved me i will have to write a book.
lots of love
trisha
mydomainpvt.wordpress.com
oh louise - i'm speechless - thank you muchly for your kind and nice words. when i started my blog in march 2010 - just to experiment a bit for a blog i would write at my workplace, i never dreamt what fantastic people i would meet on the web - and you for sure are one of the gems out there.
I feel blessed that God has given me a place in your angel heart.
thanks my dear, sweet friend.
trisha
mydomainpvt.wordpress.com
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