Every year I set forth on a quest, a journey, a mission: that for which I am destined. My life moves in currents and tides, not direct pathways. I don’t know about you, but I usually only see the ‘direct’ path after the walking’s done and I’m curled up with a book and a mug of tea.
In fact, when I narrow down my missions, the path starts out looking the image below: a pretty bridge going somewhere. But where?
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Write, Write, And Then Write Some More
And just like that – within the space of about three weeks – everything changed.
What’s that quote? You make plans and god laughs? S/he is probably rolling on the floor laughing.
I ran into The Stafford Challenge online somehow, someway – the way all of the best discoveries happen. I signed up on a whim. And now I’m committed to writing every day for the next year.
The challenge is actually about writing one poem a day and, to fair, I don’t think I’ll do that. But I will work at writing every day and be delighted if and when a poem shows up. I’ve been writing since January 17 and have about twelve new things that work as poems to me, so I am thrilled!
Move More Sit Less – Again
I’m using the FitBit tracker iWatch and Conqueror Virtual Challenges to move a little every day. That’s my entire goal – move instead of sit.
(Discloser: The link to Conqueror is a referral link. If you click through and finalize a purchase, you get 0% off your first purchase. For every two people who finalize a purchase, I earn one free standard priced challenge.)
So I got myself an iWatch… It does do everything and clean your dishes, and I’m still trying to figure it all out. It’s not as good at sharing information with the Conqueror app, though, and that’s disappointing.
I had my annual physical and the doctor says I’m in good health, but could use a standing desk. I know that I want a desk from Uplift and even know the size/model. But before I buy that, I have to make changes to my office area. And that will happen over the year.
Meditate 92 times
By this I mean sit down and deliberately meditate, not just stare off into the distance in a contemplative sort of way.
- I’ll use Insight Timer to track this. I started out strong in January but the program I was following inside of Insight Timer got b-o-r-i-n-g very fast.
- Needs to be 10 minutes or more each time.
- How did I decide on 92? There are 365 days a year, so divide that by 4 and you get 91.25. I rounded up and got 92. It’s a little more than one day a week.
Go on 10 Artist’s Dates
Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way helped me reconnect with my love of all things artsy, and especially with writing. I tend to forget that it’s ok to have fun, so this is a reminder that I deserve to treat myself to adventures here and there!
I did have an adventure this past Saturday. I drove about an hour away to the nearest Apple store to trade in all the Apple stuff I have collected over the last ten years or more. I got more than $200 in gift cards, then went to the thrift store. I adventured my way through the store. Then I walked outside and saw my car was in trouble. Does it could as an artist’s date if you ride home in a tow truck? 🤣
I also don’t think that a colonoscopy or cataract surgery count as Artist Dates, but I’ll be doing both of those this year, too. Thank goodness for that thing that’s happening in October…
Read 52 Books
You and I both know I’ll be smashing this goal, don’t we? It’s good to have at least one thing on this list that I know I’ll do no matter what – lol.
(Disclosure: All of the links to books are Bookshop.org affiliate links. If you click through the link and finalize a purchase, I earn a commission.)
- Keeping Secrets: Two Books in One – Saving Zoe & Faking 19 by Alyson Noel
- The Castaways (Nantucket #2) by Elin Hilderbrand
- Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree
- Raising Atlantis by Thomas Greanias
- The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron
- The Introvert’s Way by Sophia Dembling
- The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
- A Mosaic of Wings by Kimberly Duffy
Your Turn
What are your 2024 missions? Just how much is god/goddess laughing at your plans for the year?
