Gratitude and Intention #IWSG

 

Happy New Year!!! 

2023 is here and I have a great feeling that this year is going to be a good one! And what a great way to start it by having another post of the IWSG!!

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting!--from IWSG website

Find us on Twitter at @TheIWSG #IWSG

This month's cohosts are:  Jemima Pett, Debs Carey, Kim Lajevardi, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and T. Powell Coltrin!

January 4 question - Do you have a word of the year? Is there one word that sums up what you need to work on or change in the coming year? For instance, in 2021 my word of the year was Finish. I was determined to finished my first draft by the end of the year. In 2022, my word of the year is Ease. I want to get my process, systems, finances, and routines where life flows with ease and less chaos. What is yourword for 2023? Why? 

I have two words for this year: Gratitude and Intention.

It's easy to be bogged down by stress, worry and negativity but when I take the time to actively think of what I'm grateful for each day everything else seems to be less important. So this year I really want to start each day by focusing on what I'm grateful for.

One of the many things I'm grateful for is the IWSG, all of you who participate in this amazing community of writers, and of course Alex J. Cavanaugh who began the whole thing. I joined when it began maybe ten years ago (not sure the date it started). I took some years off but when I was ready to come back the IWSG welcomed me as if I had ever left and was even stronger! Thank you!

Intention

How many times have I caught myself scrolling through some type of social media app or even just getting lost in news articles that are for the most part meaningless? I'm really good at simply letting time slip through my fingers with not much to show for it. Not that I need to be accomplishing something every second but I want to spend the precious little time I have in this year of 2023 with intention. I want to decide how I spend my moments and not let them mindlessly pass without notice. To be present and to be grateful for each moment.

Do you have a word for this year? What are you excited about for 2023?

In other news, I woke up on January 1st to see that my e-book had made it to the #1 Best Seller list in its category on Amazon! What a wonderful surprise and a great way to start 2023 with a bang!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and have a very Happy 2023!!

Love,

Kathy :)

 

Time

Count-down:  24 days until departure for Alaskan Adventure!

Wikipedia Commons

I never have enough of it. It slips through my fingers like water rushing from a faucet.  Lately, I’ve been striving for efficiency.  I listen to books on cd in the car and at home while I’m doing mindless chores. I have lists and I try to fill every minute with something.  I’m always moving and trying to accomplish some task.  Some days I do manage to get a lot done.  

I wonder though, should my life be about crossing items off my “to do” list?  What is it that I’m rushing around to do?  It’s like I’m hurrying through one task to get to the next one and my mind is off thinking of what I have to do later.  

There is always this pressure of time.  Even with writing this post.  I didn’t get it posted early.  So I’m rushing to get it done.  Why?  Shouldn’t I enjoy sitting here looking out at the greening grass, listening to music and putting my thoughts down on the page? I write, because I love it but when I’m thinking about getting it done, I’m not enjoying the art of writing.  I’ve already moved on to the next thing.  

What if I learned to stop rushing, to feel every second even if it’s while doing the dishes? Wouldn’t I perceive the existence of more time?

On our way to Alaska we will have about 82 hours of driving time.  Time that I can’t be rushing around.  At first my husband and I wanted to bring books on cd to fill that time.  But then we decided not to.  We don’t want to “fill the time”.  We want to “be in the time”.  We want to talk with the kids, blast their tunes, and sing with them (luckily our tastes in music are all pretty similar).  I don’t know what we’ll talk about.  I’m sure we can’t fill 82 hours with conversation and singing, but that’s okay too.  I think a few hours sitting in our own silent worlds watching the scenery, looking for bears, and thinking will be wonderful. 

Maybe I will finally learn to have more time.

But if you have any great conversation starters I’m all ears!

Kathy :)

Little Girl in the Tree

This is me in a tree at my grandpa's house.   I loved being up there with the birds.  It was something special to see the world from a little different view.  It seems like only yesterday.  I don't know where the time has gone.  My son is about the age I was when this photo was taken.

Today I woke up a year older. I'm now only one year away from the big 40.  I always dreaded hitting that number, but birthdays are funny things.  I don't feel any older today and for some reason turning 40 next year doesn't bother me anymore.  I still strive to see the world differently and apart from knowing a lot more and being quite a bit taller and curvier, I still feel like that little girl in the tree.

My school picture :)