If You Can't Beat 'Em..........

Okay, okay, I'm going to start "blogging"! Back in the day we called it "journaling" and I wouldn't have let anyone read my private thoughts for the world. But, times have changed and I consider myself to be somewhat of a modern woman, as well as an aspiring writer, so..............

Here's what's on my mind today:

I had a birthday two days ago. I'm not ready to tell you how old I am. But it's older than you think. At least that's the most common reaction that I get upon telling people my age. "No!" they say, "you look about ____!" and it's a number that is a good 8 to 10 years younger than I really am. It's a catch 22 for me, because I am definitely one of those people who is getting better with age. I'm a late bloomer. I married late, had my daughter late, pursued my dream career late and most importantly, grew some confidence late! But I do appreciate the compliment. Anyway, back to my birthday. I had every intention of sitting in my favorite coffee shop, Sam & Zoe's, and getting my dreams and goals organized that day. I see my birthday as being a very important starting point as well as being a good time for assessment - much like New Year's Day. I ended up getting a massage - a gift from my envied-by-all-my-friends husband - which rendered me useless for the rest of the day. I am not exaggerating one bit! I met my mom and sisters for sushi afterwards and I remember thinking how much trouble it was to mix my dab of wasabi into my low sodium soy sauce! I could've put my head down on the table! After lunch I could only muster enough energy to wander aimlessly around the shoe store next door.

SO! Today is the day. Just 2 days late. Today I plan the next year of my life. But first I will look back on the year that just passed - rather quickly at that! In a nutshell, my life is GREATLY improved compared to this time last year. I have lost 30-35 pounds (um, it varies almost daily!), written 20 songs, become more involved with my church, endeavored to parent more meaningfully and have been on some fabulous vacations! On the downside, I have not touched my guitar in 6 months (I'm primarily a lyricist) and I have not written a word of fiction in over a year. All in all, it was a successful year. It feels like a good foundation for the coming year and all the expectations I have for it.

So, I've gotten my songwriting career back up and running. I am not satisfied with just writing songs. My goal for the coming year is to write more fiction! I will write 2 short stories and will write 100 pages of my yet-to-be-titled novel!

I will blog regularly and explore other outlets for my non-fiction writing.

I will play one writer's night by this time next year. This means actually picking up my guitar and practicing!!

I will write 3 songs by myself - lyrics AND music!

Whew! I better get busy. I've placed a tall order. And I'm already two days behind..............