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Just Jot it January, 2019: January 2
“One-Liner Wednesday” (https://lindaghill.com/2019/01/02/jusjojan-2019-daily-prompt-jan-2nd-and-one-liner-wednesday/) Except, of course, NOT one-liner Wednesday for me because these Jots are not only my 500-words a day challenge, but also part of my Ultimate Blogging Challenge challenge (http://ultimateblogchallenge.com).
Imagine that I will follow this prompt and only write one line. But I can’t. Because this Just Jot it January is also part of my 500-words a day challenge, as you read above. So, what’s a girl…woman…person…to do?
If I were to present a one-liner, however, what would it be? How about “Welcome to the Thunderdome”? I don’t know why, but that keeps popping up in my head as I head back to work (after over 2 weeks off) and into a new year.
I have a good feeling about 2019. Again, I don’t know why (I don’t know why about a lot of things today, and that’s ok!), and it may turn out to be wishful thinking, but I think I’ll let myself enjoy the good feeling for now. Gotta enjoy it while you can, right? There is always so much potential to imagine when starting a new year. We pin our hopes and dreams (and resolutions) on the belief that we can start fresh – new year, new you, and all that stuff. That’s the reason the gyms are full in January! The hard part is holding on to those dreams, hopes, and aspirations after the first couple of weeks of January. Once we miss a few days at the gym, eat one too many chocolate bars, or skip writing that blog post, it’s game over.
Realizing the propensity for resolutions to lead us into believing we are failures, people, myself included, now say that they don’t believe in resolutions. No…now it’s all about SMART goals, or whatever the most recent manageable resolution-replacement is. But no one really talks about what to do if you feel you are failing (because it doesn’t matter if you are trying to follow resolutions or goals, failure is always an option). How do you let it go without feeling like you just need to give up. How can you be ok with starting over day after day after day. How can we recognize that success can be measured in small chunks, and we can absolutely celebrate those chunks, and celebrate ourselves for taking them on (and dare I say, celebrating when we may take them on and fall flat on our faces!)
I know I am rambling now. It’s just that time of year when people say Happy New Year, and ask what your resolutions (goals) are for the brand spanking new year in front of us. And that’s really when the stress begins.
Welcome to the Thunderdome, man!
Just Jot it January, 2019: January 1
Another new year, another goal to write more, so here I am joining Just Jot it January for 2019! The rules for Just Jot it January, from Linda G. Hill (https://lindaghill.com/) are basically to Jot something down, perhaps using the prompt words, or not. It is just a way to get you writing something in the new year (as far as I can tell). So, my Jots will be a bit longer than some, since I am going with a 500-word “Jot” plan, but also plan on seeing pictures with my Jots, ’cause that’s what I do!
“Your prompt for JusJoJan 2019, January 1st, is whatever you want to write. If you haven’t already posted about your New Year’s resolutions, this would be an excellent time to do it! Have fun!” (https://lindaghill.com/2019/01/01/jusjojan-2019-daily-prompt-jan-1st/) Except, of course, NOT one-liner Wednesday for me because these Jots are not only my 500-words a day challenge, but also part of my Ultimate Blogging Challenge challenge (http://ultimateblogchallenge.com).
So I’m committing to writing 500 words every day for a month on my blog to kick off a new year. Just Jot it and the Ultimate Blogging Challenge are both great venues for getting my butt in gear, and being accountable. Linda asks about us to write about our resolutions, if we want to. Like many, I try to think of a new year as a time not for resolutions (as those seem to always end in failure), but about goals you can aspire to, and reach in a variety of ways. This is one such goal – writing more. I already do morning pages most mornings, and try to journal whenever I remember to. So lots of room for easy improvement there. And I blog every day as well – I will just work on adding more words to my kitty pictures 🙂
Another goal is around my photography. 2018 was a good year for settling in with my camera and I definitely understand it much better. So, 2019 will be a continuation of improving my skill, and taking more time with the big girl camera every day, if possible.
Then of course there is the obligatory exercising more. Specifically trying to get my butt out the door every day to walk, and eventually run, again. There really is no reason not to, except the dark and the rain…but that’s why they invented hoods and flashlights!
Finally, I am committing to more meditation. I already try to meditate every day, so adding a few more minutes a day shouldn’t be too hard. Along with this comes the hope that I can be more mindful and present in 2019. Especially when facing challenges at work where I find I react more than I should. Reacting is easy, but it doesn’t help me get through the day without the old blood pressure rising. Reducing stress is the name of the game for me this year!
And thus I come to the end of my first post of 2019, reaching 500 words and kicking off a new year with new/old goals to keep me motivated. To reward you for your patience slogging through my goals, here are some scenes from last night’s NYE “party” with our friends Judy (who made the pavlova pictured) and Gord! Happy New Year everyone.
Judy’s pavlova!
The weird birthday candle Judy brought – yes, she brought her own birthday candle! It sparks, and spins, and plays Happy Birthday – and has not stopped (it’s out on the deck, hopefully playing too quietly now for the neighbours to hear).
Prosecco, and Seattle Space Needle fireworks on TV! A NYE tradition 🙂
Just Jot it January: January 3
Today’s prompt word is Drama (https://lindaghill.com/2018/01/03/one-liner-wednesday-jusjojan-daily-prompt-january-3rd-2018/), and “Since today is Wednesday, I challenge you to make your JusJoJan post a one-liner.” Nope, can’t do it ’cause these Jots are not only my 500-words a day challenge, but also part of my Ultimate Blogging Challenge challenge (http://ultimateblogchallenge.com).
So, today is challenging in its own way, with no one-word to guide me. What to ramble on about today? Well, the email from Jeff Goins, who heads the 500-word challenge, talks about how getting up early is a good way to get your writing in. Morning typically is quieter, and like exercise, getting something done first thing in the morning can a) give you a sense of accomplishment (and man, sometimes what I do first thing in the morning feels like my ONLY accomplishment for the day) and b) means you don’t have to drag your ass to the gym (or outside for a run in the pitch blackness that is our lives after work in the winter) at the end of the day. Am I equating writing with exercise? Well, yes. I am. Exercise is work, but it makes you feel good when you are finished. Now, I think it’s similar with writing, except you aren’t perhaps “finished” in the same way – if you write to publish, there is rewriting, revising, editing, etc., etc., etc. Exercise isn’t quite the same, unless you are training to complete something. So, wait. Then there is exercise for exercise sake versus exercise that also trains you to complete a marathon. And there is writing for writing sake (which is what I am doing now…let’s face it, I am not spending a lot of time revising and editing these posts for “publication’), and writing to finish an article or a book. The regular, daily exercise (physical or writing) keeps you in shape, and improves performance, for the longer-term “finishing something significant” side of things. Well, what do you know? I found something to write about!
So, here I sit this morning after reading some blogs and doing a short meditation, making a change and working on my writing. Starting out with rambles and hopefully as I work through these posts this year, learning how to better formulate my sentences, choosing better words, and framing my thoughts in a more engaging way. Like exercise, there is a lot to think about when you are writing. It’s not just about squatting, for example. You have to think about your knee alignment. And not just “are your knees going beyond your toes?”, but also “are your knees collapsing in or out?”. When you are doing rows, are you pulling with your shoulder or your shoulder blade? Are your lats engaged? Is your back flat? Are you breathing? Same when you are writing. Have you started that sentence the same way you start all your other sentence? Are you using a verb? The right verb? Modifiers? Too many modifiers? Is that comma really in the right place?
At a certain point, exercise becomes more second-nature. You still must be mindful of how you are doing them, but you can concentrate more on adding more weight, or doing more reps, and generally getting stronger because you understand your form. I guess the same is true for writing. The more practice with your form in mind, the stronger your writing becomes.
And now, as I finish my 500 words for today, here is a picture of ducks.
