Practicing Purposeful

This Labor Day weekend was an exercise in my word of the year. This Labor Day weekend, I made the most of my days by deciding what the things I really truly actually wanted to do most were. One must-do per day.

Of course, as days are long it evolved into divisions by time of day (morning, afternoon, after dinner), but I had a focus point. "Today I really want to spend some time ________________________." And it was different each day. Each thing required me to say no to the other, the unessential. Each thing required me to step up and pursue my life. I was--I am--pursuing what I want to do and who I want to be. I want to be a person unafraid to do what matters most to me. I want to be a person unafraid to choose what is most important to me.

Monday: Looked for books and did some writing at Barnes & Noble

I still did things for others. My personal list didn't interfere with being a contributing member of this household. And therein is the beauty. A balance with boundaries. Some for me; some for you. No one is cheated; no one is overextended.

Sunday: I remember sitting in a photo booth with my aunt years ago. Good times.

Does the weekend have to end?


Well, these days on the calendar do, of course. That's the nature of time. But this practice, why does it have to be only on long weekends, or non-work-days in general? Sure there are a limited number of minutes in a day. But that's why being purposeful with those minutes is so good. Not being obsessed--sometimes the timing won't work out or other things will take precedence over what I planned or wanted; that happens to everyone and it happened this weekend. So I just chose something else that was possible that I really wanted to do rather than wasting the time doing things that weren't important to me. Purposeful.

And that's what I've been practicing this weekend.

Saturday: Oh yes. I colored my hair for the first time ever. And probably not the last.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

It's Another Mezcla Day

If you've ordered pizza online you've seen the little additional comments window.  Well, with a little inspiration from the interwebs, I decided to have a little fun and experiment.

I ordered three pizzas and asked them to draw a rocket.  The fun part is interpretation is up to the folks boxing up the pizzas.  I figured a rocket would be a good experiment to see what they would do.  Nothing too crazy, though next time I might get a bit more inventive.  We'll see.  Here's what I got:




I know it's kinda lame, but fun, just the same.

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I have now been to the ER two times, neither time was I the patient.  I would like to not go a third, as patient or friend or family of the patient.  However, I am glad that I took a first aid, CPR, AED certification class a couple weeks ago.  Here's hoping I won't need any part of it ever again!

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Flowers are a nice thing to have in the house.  A friend dropped by with three white daisies, which are now in a small vase in the living room for everyone to enjoy.  A lovely gift anytime.

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I took the week off from reading and writing blog stuffs, Twitter, and Facebook.  I'd caught myself on them (particularly FB) far too often for far too long without reaping benefits (or giving them, either).  So, this addict stepped back for a time, and it was nice.  I need to always remember that as fun and handy as social media can be, they are not, in fact, life.  Balance, as with everything, is important.

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This blog post is possibly the hardest thing I've ever had to format.  I managed to get the separation tildes in the center twice without aligning all my text with them, and now they have completely flummoxed me.  I have no idea how I did it before.

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Last, and not least, if you're in the area:
Free admission. Come and see beautiful dance today.

Southside Christian Dance Recital 2011
6pm, June 4th
Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College

3701 S. Service Rd.

Moore, Oklahoma

This is one of the highlights of my life every year.
 

Gotta work for my dreams.

I take from Disney's "The Princess and the Frog", other stories, and from life.  You gotta work for your dreams.  I've gotta work for mine.

If life were handed to you on a silver platter, would that be any fun?  Well, okay, yes it would.  Sort of.  Work isn't a bad thing.  Adam and Eve worked before they sinned when the world was without blemish, so I think it's safe to understand that work, of itself, is not a bad thing.  And dedicated work pays off.  The great people of history are renowned because they didn't quit, and they didn't sluff off the tasks at hand.  They worked for their goals and dreams, and it paid off.

I need to remember this.  I forget and tend to think, "It's my day off.  I should study or outline a story, but it's my 'day off.'  I don't want to work today."  But you know what?  Nothing gets accomplished that way.  I dream of getting paid to write, but a dream without work behind it is a daydream—thin, fleeting, and far from satisfying.

I'm not knocking rest and taking time to smell the roses.  Actually, I'm all about rest.  I love rest; it's a great pastime.  But remembering that work is a good thing and that it leads to better things, well, it's something I need to do a little more often.  Perhaps remembering that working for something, toward a goal, does actually lead to better things is the hardest part for me.

Every protagonist in a story works for their goal (all characters should).  Did you ever wonder why characters not only have to have a dream or a goal but must work to achieve it?  Why it's not going to be handed to them?  Because our goals are not going to be handed to us.

I need to remember that my goals are achievable, and that should give me heart.  I like stories that show just how hard a character had to work for the goal, because when it's achieved, I am inspired.  I am motivated.

So, do this: Realize that fiction is what it is and has the plot elements that it does for a reason.  It's a reflection of the challenges and the grandness of the life we live.  Dream bigger than fiction, because life is bigger than fiction, and work for your dreams.

I'ma gonna get up now and get to it.  I daydream big.  Now it's time to make it real.


P.S. - If you say, hear, or think the word "life" enough times, it starts to sound really funny.  Life!