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My thoughts about things. |
| A place to put my thoughts about various stuff. |
| For the last 28 days, I have looked at that reminder that says, 'Hey - you haven't written in your blog! WRITE IN YOUR BLOG!' Ok, so it doesn't say it that way.  But to my eyes and ears, it seems to be in that tone. And for the last 28 days, I have sighed and passed it by because there wasn't anything that I really felt like putting here. Not that I've been having a bad time, I haven't. I've spent a lot of time with family and worked on various projects, plus had the chance to do a lot of reviewing. It's been great.Still, I want to be able to write here regularly. I am just not ok with slapping together words simply for the sake of a post. So, here's where my idea for today's post came from - The Writer's Cramp last week of poetry challenges hosted by Bianca. I normally do not write poetry much. When I do, it is usually for a good cause, such as something for a family member. I've never felt compelled to search out the dynamics of poetry. I guess all of mine is what would be called free verse. It works well enough and those on the receiving end have always seemed happy to get what I've created. It helps that it comes from the heart. I've had the time and opportunity to explore two different poetry styles this week: Breccbairdne and Dutch Tanka. These were two styles that Bianca set forth for poetry week of Writer's Cramp. I have to admit that when I read through the guidelines for the Breccbairdne, I sighed and closed the page! But being stubborn as I am and intrigued, I came back later and read them through again with a fresh eye. Temptation overcame reluctance and I wrote my first one! It was a fun challenge and had me so enthused that I returned to try the Dutch Tanka poetry style. This one was somewhat easier to follow, and I wrote a poem that was one of two that won for that day! I have never been attracted to much poetry. Most of it feels like it twists my brain and makes me wonder if I am constantly missing what the poet is really trying to convey. However, these two opportunities have helped me overcome some of that feeling and not only enjoy the works of others, but also attempt and achieve written poems of my own. For my own writing experience, this has been a remarkable feeling, especially for it to happen the last week of the year.  I also had the inspiration today to start another novel on here! I have it kept for my eyes only for the moment as I write the prologue, but once that is done, I will post it so that others might pop by and review it. 2023 - wow. I can't believe it is almost here. There are a few events that are on my mind for the coming year, some concerning and some celebratory. Mostly, I want to be able to live in the moment, while planning for the future. I have a tendency to live in the past or future and that is a recipe for stress. I am definitely looking forward to all of the WdC fun that will be had as we make our way through the new year! |
| I always think this every year, but how did we get to December so quickly? It really does seem like just yesterday it was New Year's. December 2022 has been ushered in with stress, happiness, problems, celebrations, and change. Of course, that's the only thing that stays the same, right? Change. For a long time, I have felt more stressed and on edge because - frankly - every time I let myself get comfortable, something happens to spur on change in my life. Most of it turns out to be good change, even if the beginning of it is all chaos and heartache. My family and I are good at being flexible and sticking together to get what needs to be done, done. Even though we are all feeling weary and have our own individual issues to address, we have once again pulled together to support one another and provide reassurance that everything will be ok. And the simple truth is that it will be, one way or another. The sun sets tonight, it rises tomorrow and another day full of possibilities will begin. One day earlier this week was a particularly long one that was filled with different kinds of stress. I had made it to the evening and still had things to do, but I grabbed just a few spare minutes time to sit down and read a couple of items posted on here and do reviews for them. For just that brief amount of time, I was separate from everything else. I set down my burdens and found joy in the words of others, feeling what they had written and experiencing the worlds they created. I'm pretty sure it dropped my blood pressure by a significant amount. I literally felt more relaxed, more focused and refreshed with a renewed sense of optimism. I really enjoy reviewing items on WDC. I have felt guilty because at times, when I am tied in knots from trying to put words into my own projects, I will pop out and do some reviewing. The thought repeats in the back of my brain that I should be writing, but the truth is that I am writing, just in another format. It's all exercise for the brain... and if it can provide some true stress relief, then - yes, please! It also leaves me feeling lighter and in a better frame of mind to go back to my own writing. Writing - oh, how I love to write. Seriously, I do. It's sometimes more of a need than a desire. I feel better afterward. I sleep better. My mind feels less cluttered and there is a wonderful sense of accomplishment to get those characters out of my head and onto the page. But there is stress with it. I edit while I write and then end up writing very little. I get frustrated with a storyline, so I choose another to work on instead of sticking it through with the current one. I'm still trying to figure it all out and the trying to figure it out is driving me batty. URGH. But. Here I am on the first day of the last month of the year. I have made progress. I am improving. It's a process and it's one that I am going to enjoy being here to be able to continue working on. If the only thing that stays the same is change, then I choose to do my best to make those changes count for something worthwhile. |
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