Ephesians 4:32

 Something this world has forgotten and needs to relearn.

Creative Writing

 

I really want to start some creative writing again.  It's been years since I have done any.  And by years, I mean decades LOL I know that I have mentioned it before, but my journey in creative writing really began in 4th grade when I wrote a weekly soap opera for a class that had all of my classmates in it.  That was fun and I continued it for two years.  After that, I would periodically write stories throughout the remainder of my school years.  I enjoyed it and it was a good escape for me.

I really did not do much creative writing after that.  I never took any kind of creative writing classes in college.  I don't know why, but I didn't.  I think, at least the first time around, I was focused so much on my theatre classes and dealing with who I was, that it never occurred to me to take a writing class.  And in the times I've been in school since then, I just have had to take other classes that were more important.  Of course, I am sure there are some independent classes and/or groups of beginning creative writers out there that I could participate in.  

The difficult thing about creative writing, in my opinion, is that you really cannot force it.  I have tried to just sit down and make myself write something and nothing ever happens.  And that gets frustrating.  I do, however, keep a list (I know right LOL), of ideas of things to write.  I have learned that it is best to write when I feel passionate about something.  Some of the ideas I have jotted down have not been fleshed out yet, but they are ever present in my creative brain.  My work experience alone is enough to fill several books LOL  Maybe I will create something out of that.  Or I do have some family stories that I could dramatize, change the names to protect the innocent haha.  

It all starts with the blank page.  And that's a good place for me right now because that is parallel to my life.  I can start my creative writing journey as I make my way down this new path in my life.  It will be a good release for me.  It will give me control, to a degree, over something.  I know from past experience that sometimes the writing controls the writer LOL  Once you get a rhythm going, sometimes you just have to sit back and let the pen do its thing.  It is the one time I can make characters do exactly what I want them to and that can be fun.  I always enjoyed writing my elementary school serial, so I may go back to that format and see where it leads me.

Either way, I am ready to put pen to paper and just have fun. Not that anyone would ever read it besides me, but it will still be fun!  

That is all.

Morning routine update

 Overall, I will say that I am being successful in my attempts to change my morning routine.  While I will always check in some way on the computer in the morning, I am working at starting my day with something else.  And so far it seems to be working.  And these are just little things such as going through the mail or fixing breakfast or watching a program on tv.  Now, while these activities are not the most significant things in the world, it has been nice to try something different.  It puts a new perspective on my morning and often I get more things done.  One of those reasons is that I'm not letting myself get sucked into sitting at the computer for longer than I need to.  We all know what those rabbit holes are like!

While I may start off with something else, I still check my emails and find that I am quicker about it and don't feel rushed when I start to get ready for work.  This morning, I got my coffee started, made the bed and then sat and watched an episode of Reba, which is a great show by the way!  Once that finished, I found I still had plenty of time to get things done before work.  It's a good feeling and I look forward to finding some more interesting ways to start my day.

That is all.

Music on PBS

 One of the last things that Dad said to me when I talked to him on the phone the other day was to make sure that I watched the Memorial Day Concert on PBS this coming week.  He loves that concert and watches it every year.  I have seen it before and it's overall a pretty good concert.  It's very traditional and, honestly, if you've seen it once you have pretty much seen everything they'll do.  Years ago, Charles Durning and Ossie Davis were on there every year and gave the same speeches.  Good speeches, but after awhile you could repeat them word for word.  Now, it's Gary Sinise who does the same speech every year.  That's not really the point of this concert though and it should be enjoyed for what it is.

Growing up, I loved these kinds of concerts.  I still do, actually.  But for me, it was a time spent with family.  It seems like every holiday out there, PBS had some kind of musical special to go along side of it.  Memorial Day, Christmas, New Year's, Veteran's Day, 4th of July....there was always some kind of special music program on to enjoy.  Sometimes it was the whole family, sometimes it was only me and Grandmother watching.  But it was always family in one sense or another.

And every month, for a long time while it aired, Mom and I would watch Evening at Pops.  How I miss that show.  Thanks to Youtube, you can find those again online.  I have and really enjoyed them.  Performances you won't see anywhere else.  I wonder if they're still airing it up in Boston?  hmmmmm.

  I have PBS streaming right now, not in real time, so it seems like I enjoy the current concerts after they have aired, which is fine.  It works for me.  But I miss having someone to share those concerts with.  They were never Michael's kind of thing, so I never asked him to join me in watching them.  So it would be nice to have friends that love this kind of thing.  Sit back and enjoy the music for no other reason than it's a holiday and a good concert.  That would be lovely!

That is all.

Hobbies

 

I read an interesting article in Time magazine earlier this evening about hobbies and how to start them.  Now, I have a few hobbies, things I enjoy doing and I'm sure you do as well.  Of course, cooking is right up there at the top of my list.  Some people may not consider that a hobby because we all have to eat.  But for me, it's also a hobby.  I get lots of pleasure out of cooking.  It relaxes me and reduces my stress level...normally.  I mean, there are times when recipes do not turn out well and that can be stressful LOL  But that is one of my main hobbies.  I also enjoy reading and classic tv shows.  I read slowly, so it takes me awhile to get through a book, but I enjoy it nonetheless.

As I am working on rebuilding my life, I think it is time to add some more hobbies into it.  One of the things that really stuck out to me in this article was about picking new hobbies.  The author advised to look at what is lacking in your life that you want to be there.  Immediately three things came to mind:  physical activity, creativity and spirituality.  These are three things that I feel I do not have enough of in my life and if I can fill that void in the form of a hobby, even better!

I'm not exactly sure how I can find a hobby in spirituality, but I'm sure it's possible.  I do miss the weekly church events that I grew up with and would like to find something similar in my adult life.  I've been to several churches over the past few years and even though I liked both of them, I need something in between.  Maybe I will start exploring different churches and different denominations to see what fits for me.  And I do realize that spirituality does not necessarily mean religion, but for me it's going to be a good place to start.  

Physically, I need to find a hobby that keeps me moving.  I used to train at a boxing gym and have thought about going back to that at some point, if I can find the funds.  I did it because I loved it and it was good exercise.  I have no interest in serious competition but just having fun.  I have also seriously thought about looking for an adult dance class.  I loved dance classes in college and had pretty good rhythm.  I've always wanted to do ballroom dancing as well, so I may look at that.  Would be fun.  I could get out and go to the different parks in the area.  I'm not one for hiking, per say, but I would enjoy walking in actual parks.

Creativity is something that I have been missing as well.  I can think of several things to do as far as that goes.  I need to find a piano to practice on.  Talk about lowering my stress levels, piano playing does that for sure.  I think I may also look into auditioning for a play. It's been decades since I have set foot on stage and I would like to return to that...cue Norma Desmond!  I might also get back into needlework.  I did that a lot as a child and loved it.  I am not a good drawer or painter, but working with thread gives me the opportunity to create some thing of beauty.  Anyone have any other suggestioins?  I'm open!

I think that adding some things like this to my life will not only help me to be more well rounded, but it will bring me a sense of satisfaction and peace that I haven't had in a long time.  That is the hope, anyway.  Time will tell!  That is all. 

Pacing Myself At Work

 I have started making an effort at work to pace myself during the day.  I realize that part of my frustrations at work is that I am able to get through my list, most days, fairly early on and that leaves me with nothing to do for the rest of the day.  Now, when I say nothing to do, I mean the things that are specific to me at work.  I will always have CSR things to do, but my duties go beyond that.  Actually, almost all of the regular weekly CSRs have duties specific to them on top of our regular assignments.  But some days that phone doesn't ring that much or we don't have packages to deliver.  We just go with the flow.  

I do have a list of my own things to get done every day.  And, as always with me, I find a list useful.  One, I feel a sense of achievement checking things off of the list and, two, I am less likely to forget to do something if I write it down.  I use a weekly spreadsheet for my list and that is perfect for me.  The spreadsheet is helpful because I can plan ahead and also go back and revisit things left undone earlier in the week.

Anyway, I have begun taking my time working on my list.  I am not rushing to get it all done in one sitting and try to make it last throughout the day.  That way I can take time in between list items to focus on CSR duties.  And so far it seems to be working.  I am less frustrated by sitting here with not much to do because I am spreading the things out more.  It's making me feel far more useful than I did, even though I'm doing the same amount of things.  And I have learned that the day is going by quicker than it used to.  I'm happy with the results so far.  

Taking my time and making sure that I have the time to do what I need to has been most helpful and revitalizing for me.  And hopefully that will wash over into my home life as well.  Thus ends today's episode of The Continuing Adventures of Just a Waiter.  That is all.

No Vacation This Year....Probably

 

I am going to miss going on a vacation this year.  It's been a long time since I haven't really had a vacation during the summer but this year it probably isn't in the cards for me.  It's simply not in the budget.  That's one of the side effects of being single.  That one income does not always allow for such luxuries.  I will survive not having a vacation but it is still sad none the less.  I will try to take a few long weekends, maybe just some day trips here and there, but it's definitely not the same thing.  I love the planning of a week away.  The past few years, vacation was spent at Ocean Isle Beach and it was great fun.  I enjoy figuring out meals, snacks, activities, etc.  Hell, I'm still paying for our week at the beach two years ago LOL  But, in the end, it was worth the memories.

Sometimes I wonder how my parents were able to plan such wonderful vacations when we were growing up.  We had some great times on vacation.  Some were costly, such as going to Disney World several times.  But, I'm sure other times were not quite as expensive, though I never would have known.  It was all an escape for me and I was glad to get away.  Maybe I will call in some favors and find a place to go for awhile. Actually, I don't have favors to call in so I might just be begging LOL  I don't know.  All I do know is that I will miss the anticipation of spending an entire week away from the reality of my life, which is not bad, it's just reality lol

I'll probably start working on a list of the small trips I can afford to make and set about pursuing them.  It's better than nothing, right?  I'm grateful for what I have, I would just like to leave it all behind for a week and live carefree in a place other than Greensboro.  We shall see.

That is all.