Sunday, December 31, 2017

Bringing in 2018

My word last year, in place of numerous resolutions, was "Authentic".  Living with that word was pretty challenging, but also surprising.  I had to strip away all of the "shoulds" and dig deeper into what I really wanted with my life, who I really was.  Okay, it's still in process, but I'm more quickly recognizing my issues and those areas that tend to stay hidden from being my authentic self.

For 2018, my word is "Focus".  My goal is to be focused in each moment, on the person I am with, on the task at hand.  And I want to focus on some accomplishments, so to do that, I need to focus on the steps or mini-goals along the way.  This is not to focus to the exclusion of my family and friends, or of the rest of my responsibilities.  It is to remind myself that to accomplish anything, some focus is needed.

But I will also give myself the usual caveat:  if this word at some point doesn't feel right, I can change it.  This doesn't mean that I can toss it out if the going gets tough.  It just means that if it doesn't fit with who I want to become, I give myself permission to pick a better word for the right now.  Huh....sounds like that authentic thing just might have sunk in??

So I'm anticipating being focused to set aside the time to write every day.  I want to be focused when I am in my studio weaving and not wishing I were someplace else.  I hope to stay focused on my friends as we meet for tea.  I will consciously stay focused during each phone call or conference call. And I know innumerable more instances will arise throughout each day.  Sort of sounds like living in the moment, but with planning and scheduling in the mix.  Exactly how I will pull myself back from the brink of being unfocused I'm not exactly sure.  I do know that first I need to recognize the fact that I'm off the track.  Then I am hoping I will find ways to gently guide myself back.

Might I say that my main focus is to remain focused??




Saturday, December 9, 2017

A Great Book About Words

Am in the midst of reading  “Word By Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries” by Kory Stamper.  What a delightful book! With an entire chapter on “irregardless”,  a discussion of the terminal preposition, and historical perspectives on grammar to punctuation, it just might change your relationship with the English language forever. 
What an entertaining and intelligent read!