In 2022, I’m combining lessons from the heart with some –cough cough – goals.
But I don’t like the word goals, so it’s a quest, a journey, a mission: that for which I am destined.
Let’s start by reviewing last month. How was August?
August’s Tarot Card
I did a tarot spread for the full year and the August card was Unexpected Visitors. This card asked me to expect the unexpected and the synchronicity that that can bring. There’s a reminder to adapt to shifting conditions by flowing, not forcing.
Whelp, that was definitely the theme of August – especially the very last week of August! I swear it was like the heavens aligned or something. I’m so grateful that I got over my reluctance to admit, indulge, and celebrate my teenage boy band: the Bay City Rollers. Attending the Bay City Roller Day celebration seemed to have unlocked a whole new level of excitement in my life, but more about that in the months to come.
August had me canning food, too – something I’ve never done on my own. I’ve canned carrot relish and a carrot cake jam so far. Beets and more carrots are next!
August had the first phase of a multi-phase change in my back yard, too. That’s made a huge difference when it rains: water collects in rain barrels that I can then use to water plants. And I worked in the back yard several times, too. More of that to come in September and October… Hint: because this work is done I can plant more stuff!
August also found me finishing up the first draft of the novel, which frees me up to work on other projects. So August was endings and beginnings…
September’s card is Metamorphosis – some loss but with the loss I will love who I become. To put it another way, even with temporary discomfort beauty is revealed. I wonder what this month holds?
Write 250 Words A Day, 5 Days A Week
This goal is happening thanks to Big Secret Goal #1: write the first draft of a novel. It already has tapered off because I’m not actively working on the book. But it will ramp back up again when cold weather sets in and I start on the second draft.
Revamp WordStorm Casserole Poetry Book
Not happening.
Post Twice A Month On This Website
Nailed this in August. There’s the August Mission Update, a post that revealed backyard changes, and a post all about the Bay City Rollers Day celebration.
DeGoogle, deApple, deMicrosoft – embrace Linux!
Why? Because Google, Apple, and Microsoft all track your every move online and that’s wrong.
In August used my Linux machine most of the time for personal use: checking personal email, watching YouTube videos, checking social media.
Have Fun
Looking at the calendar, most of August wasn’t that different from any other month. I got a couple massages, went to the dentist, meditated with friends. But the BCR Day Celebration was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Go read the blog post and learn why.
Big Secret Goal #1: Finish the first draft of a novel
I turned in the first draft of my novel to The Write Practice over Labor Day weekend! Yeah me! And as a reward I get to go on a weekend writing retreat in October.
Big Secret Goal #2: Backyard Landscaping
This goal is done and dusted! Check out the big secret goal reveal that goes into a lot more detail about what was completed in the back yard this year.
What I’m Reading
On GoodReads, I have a 2022 Reading Challenge goal of at least 50 books. I snuck a couple of books in during August:
- The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal. This is the third in the Lady Astronaut series and I could gobble more up on a regular basis.
- Don’t Stop The Music: The Bay City Rollers on Record by Hannes A. Jonsson. Finally a compendium of all of the recordings of the group and various offshoots. There’s far more to this group that S.A.T.U.R.D.A.Y. Night! I do wish the author had added a table of contents and index; a slightly different organization would helped, too, but I’m so happy to see this!
How About You?
How was your August? What was the best part of your summer?