July 8 2017

Play (Five Minute Friday)

play

When was the last time you, as an adult, took the time to play? I have found that taking the time to do things just for me, like participate in groups related to my hobbies, helps recharge me.
I participate in 3 different monthly meetings with crochet groups. I attend weekly writing group meetings and really look forward to seeing the revolving group of writers each week. Not everyone makes it to every meeting, but there are always a few of us there to write together. For me, these meetings are play time. I look forward to them and really miss not going when my schedule keeps me from attending.
You need to decide what it is that you consider play and find ways to work those activities into your life. “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy” and it makes me grumpy. This is why I make it a point to fit these meetings into my schedule before other things that I might enjoy less and not look forward to. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when something else is more important than attending one of my meetings and sometimes it is impossible to plan vacations so I don’t have to miss any of them, but it can be easier than you might think if you prioritize play. Take time to play and you will be glad you did!

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up!
The prompt this week is: Play
The assignment: Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write.

Category: Five Minute Friday | 3 Comments on Play (Five Minute Friday)
July 8 2017

Blessing (Five Minute Friday)

Blessing

I have been thinking a lot lately about blessings. I have been having trouble with my leg for the past couple of weeks since my knee decided it would be a good idea to try bending the wrong way while walking up the ramp after work to my car. Even when it first happened, it was a blessing that it was no worse than it was. It hurt, yes, but I could still walk on it ever so gently. I got the rest of the way up the ramp of the parking garage and into my car where I could sit and rest it for a while and consult Google to see what I might have just done to my leg and whether it was bad enough that I needed to get it looked at. Even Google was a blessing at that point. I was further blessed when I went to my writing group meeting because I could still use the leg to work the gas and brake and drive myself around. The meeting was very near a hospital that night, another blessing. There was nobody home to help me if I needed it, so hanging out where I could get dinner and sit and write while I rested my leg with friends around to help me if I needed it seemed like another blessing.
Two weeks later, it still hurts most of the time but is tolerable. I tell myself it is a blessing that, even with this pain, I still have both legs and they still work, although not as good as they once did. I can get up and down out of a chair and walk pretty much anywhere I need to. It still doesn’t feel strong enough to actually think about walking for exercise but at this point when it heals some then I tweek it again somehow, I am just glad it is still basically functioning. It is getting steadily better and that too is a blessing.
Your life is full of blessings every day. When you are feeling like you are a burden or life is not worth living for whatever reason, take a look around you and you can ALWAYS find someone else whose life is worse than yours who would trade you lives in a heartbeat if they could. Counting your blessings and thanking God for all of them is a great way to have a positive outlook on life. Give it a try.

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up!

The prompt this week is: Blessing

The assignment: Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write.

Sorry, this one is over a week late. This was the prompt for Friday 6/30/2017.

Category: Five Minute Friday | 1 Comment on Blessing (Five Minute Friday)
June 25 2017

Steady (Five Minute Friday)

Steady is something I think I have always tried to achieve. To me, steady means dependable, consistent and ongoing. I want to be a steady writer with a steady income and feel like that writing life is stable. I like the idea of working consistently toward a goal by breaking it down into baby steps that are manageable.

I have been making steady progress on a few of my goals for 2017. While I got off to a very slow start (5 months into the year before starting) on the office clean out project, I feel like I have gotten a great deal accomplished on that so far in June.

My goal of crocheting 26 hats this year for charity is one I jumped on very early and got ahead on. Now, before the year is even half over, I am finished with 25 of the 26 hats that I set as my yearly goal. If only I could make such steady progress on other things!

I have wanted, since November 2013 when I finished my first NaNoWriMo challenge, to become a year-round writer. To me, that means someone who writes during the other 11 months of the year, not just in November. It has taken almost 4 years, but I can honestly say that I AM a year-round writer now. I may not be writing books all year, but I am writing and publishing blog posts.
I feel like all of these little things helps me to make steady, albeit slow progress toward achieving my goals.

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up!

The prompt this week is: Steady

The assignment: Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write. 

Category: Five Minute Friday | 1 Comment on Steady (Five Minute Friday)
June 10 2017

Expect (Five Minute Friday)

When you went to bed last night, I bet you expected to wake up this morning. You expect to live a good, long life and don’t think too much about how many more days you have on this earth. We expect things to keep going pretty much the way they have been going. Until they don’t go the way you think they will. Until one day something happens to someone you know and they are no longer able to be a part of your life for whatever reason. Did you get to say what you’d been meaning to say to them, or did you wait just one day too long for the right time to tell them how much they meant to you? If today were the last day you would get to be with someone you really care about, do they know how much you care? If not, why not? What are you waiting for? Don’t leave things unsaid. Don’t go to bed angry take a few minutes and tell that person how much you care about them and that you appreciate the part they play in your life. Don’t wait until it is too late. Expect the unexpected and say what needs to be said. Give the hugs. Resolve the differences.

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up!

The prompt this week is: Expect

The assignment: Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write. 

Category: Five Minute Friday, Writing | 3 Comments on Expect (Five Minute Friday)