Getting back on Track

Trick or Treat?

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I realize Halloween was a few days ago and I had the inspiration for this post (and many other posts before it) prior to today, but it just never seemed to make its way out of my mind and on to the page, but as I have mentioned, this year has been insane.  The good news is that my family members appear to be back on track health wise.  I did take the summer off from school, but ultimately ended up feeling guilty, so I doubled up on my classes and boy am I regretting that decision!  It has made it difficult to find any spare time to write aside from my assignments.  There has been at least one paper due every week, so yeah… I REALLY haven’t had a lot of spare time.  So while it was certainly a treat to relax this summer, the trick is on me with managing my current class load as well as working fulltime, being a mom, wife, and trying to help family that is definitely feeling better but not quite up to par.

I believe I mentioned in a prior post (or maybe it was one of those posts that never made it) that I have an inspiration notebook.  I write down ideas for blog posts, ideas for stories that one day I hope to write, and sometimes just errant thoughts.  This evening, while I was writing one of those tedious assignments, an errant thought came to me about something that was said to me earlier this week and inspiration struck me like a lightening bolt.  I grabbed my notebook and quickly scrawled out a plan to host local group classes and potentially being able to expand this site and the plans I had for myself after graduation.  I shared these ideas with my husband when he got home, he looked at me in a way that I can only describe as awe and said “that is actually a really good idea! You should do it on YouTube!”  I hadn’t considered that, but I am now trying to figure out what I need to do that.  So, while I do not think it will happen until this semester is over, be on the look out for some exciting announcements coming late fall or early winter about some of the things that will be featured here in the future.  I am excited and I hope you will be too!

Life just keeps knocking me down.

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We all have those times when we feel like we get bombarded, where life just keeps knocking us down.  So far 2018 has been filled with death, illness, and injuries of people in my life more so in the first three months than the last several years combined.  The aftermath has been overwhelming.  I have been caring for loved ones and trying to climb my way out of all the things that I was putting off to be able to be there for those that needed me, so I wasn’t eating or sleeping properly as I was too worried about making sure I could fit it all in.  After I was able to get back to “normal”, I crashed.  I had been so busy taking care of everyone else, I didn’t take care of me.

After everyone was on the mend, I tried to get back to writing my book and my blog, but I was so drained that the right words would not come to me.  Every post I wrote took dark turns.  I couldn’t find the inspiration to even be able to write a page in my book.  So I decided to put everything aside and focus on me.  I had already planned on taking the summer off from school to focus on writing, but so far I have ended up focusing on me instead.  And you know what?  It is working.  I am beginning to feel like I can work writing back into my life.

Yes.  I had set goals for myself that I have not reached, but other things in life took precedence over those goals, so I simply put those goals on hold.  Sometimes that is what we have to do.  You do not have to give up your dream just because it isn’t working out the way you want it to, you just adjust your timeline or the path you take to reach your dream.  I am going on a very relaxing vacation in August.  There isn’t anything close by that will distract my family with the sparkly lights of “we have to go do that”.  There isn’t anyone going with us!  It is going to be a week of I don’t have anywhere else to be or anyone to entertain.  I can’t wait!  I am hoping to find a little time each day to be able to write and get my book back on track, but if not, I will be in pure relaxation and my mind and body could definitely still use that too.

Don’t be afraid to adjust your timeline when it becomes impractical.  Don’t be afraid to change your goals if you find out that it isn’t really taking you in the direction you need to go.  Don’t be afraid to redefine your dreams.  The things I wanted as a child are not all the same things that I want know.  We grow, our world expands, unexpected circumstances happen, and things change.  How will you react?  Do dream.  Do set goals.  Do take care of you.