As 2019 approached, I found myself melancholy as I reflected on all the major events and milestones in 2018. So many amazing things happened (so many I might forget one or two) —
- my older daughter’s second pregnancy announcement
- my other daughter getting engaged and getting married
- planning and executing a wedding in 6 months (with my daughters of course)
- hosting our grandson’s 2nd bday and the reveal that our second grandchild is going to be a girl! (the same weekend of our daughter’s wedding)
- managing all that comes long with a growing business
- the ongoing challenges of loving and leading our three teenage/young adult boys still at home
- the unexpected discovery of my husband’s biological father’s family (he never knew who his father was until this past October) — more on this when we fly out to meet them in early spring!
- celebrating my mom’s 60th birthday
- celebrating our daughter’s 25th birthday
- celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary
It may not be a surprise or a disappointment to anyone besides myself that in light of all this, I failed to achieve some major personal goals in the areas of healthy living and writing! And though I realize they may have been unrealistic considering what I knew 2018 would entail, I questioned if it would be a waste of my time and energy to even map out plans for 2019.
First of all, two years later, I still haven’t hit my 100k word goal for my Cord of Three WIP. And until I do, I don’t see it worth the time and money to plan on attending any writing conferences. I have nothing new to offer and so much to still apply from what I’ve learned from past conferences. Not to mention I have a dozen or so post drafts and ideas and can’t even manage to get those published on a regular basis.
I makes me question if writing is even a thing I should be doing at all right now.
Yet, as I focus on 21 days of fasting and prayer as my start to the year, I realize it’s the other things I need to let go.
With major events behind our family (aside from the anticipated arrival of our second grandchild in the next few weeks) — I can choose to set aside time to write and not take on other ventures.
Okay, so back to my original thoughts. (This is what happens when I don’t blog for a while — I end up with a free-write that goes all over the place! So bear with me as I attempt to post more regularly in the coming months.)
2019 goals and plans…
Physical Health FIRST
First, I’m starting off with a 21-day sugar detox. Though I’m not a sweets person, we tend to have a lot more on hand during the holidays and I need to detox and get back to my ideal keto/paleo diet. My other blog/website — Essential Carbohydrate Living — is where I will be posting more about this. It’s been highly neglected in recent years, but I need to keep it updated for my own health and those who have found it helpful in discovering a lifestyle focused on limited carbohydrates as necessary due to food sensitivities in themselves or their children. Please click the link if you’re interested in more on this topic (and know I’m aware this site needs work and updating!)
Purging the Fruitless SECOND
At the end of the day (or year as it happens for me) — I know I waste a lot of time on fruitless efforts. Things like micromanaging our budget when we own a business and income isn’t consistent enough to have a detailed plan. Or wasting time trying to outsource business tasks that I can actually do on my own. This may seem like a contradiction, but 2019 is going to be about keeping it simple and focusing on what works. I’m going to give our business a quick plug, since I do spend a lot of time on it! King Hardwood Floors has grown very quickly since we started it back up in mid-2016. But instead of growing it more in 2019, we’ve decided to focus on project management and increasing the skills and team production of our small, yet talented crew of workers. In the end we hope it will be more profit with less effort, which will ultimately mean I have more time for my third focus of 2019…
Pursuing my Passions THIRD
After getting my health on track (which will lead to better rest and a clearer mind), and simplifying my time and efforts on our business I will (should) have more time and energy for writing and sharing the positive things in my life.
From finally finishing the full draft of my sisters’ focused novel A CORD OF THREE, to roughing out a draft of A DESPERATE HOUSEWIFE (hoping the final 50k words will happen in November), to documenting my diet-lifestyle journey and sharing all the blessings that come with being a grandma and having the privilege of living close to and caring for my grandchildren — I want to look back at 2019 and know I focused on the good things in life!
As I scroll though my camera roll, Facebook posts, and Instagram feed, I hope to see amazing memories and a snapshot of my progress. And of course, I hope and pray that I will see a more consistent list of posts here — in topic and timing — for my own record of accomplishment as well as in connecting with other women (writers or not) who have a lot going on in their lives, but are still striving to achieve a bigger purpose.
Okay, I’ve got 15 minutes to finish my lukewarm coffee, shed my robe and get ready for some errands and shopping with my grandson. If all goes well, you should be seeing some Instagram and Facebook posts about our day!