Life in progress


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#SoCS – Maxed out

As always at this time of year, I’ve given myself the maximum amount to do with the minimum time to do it. I love Christmas time. I really do. I just don’t like all the responsibility that comes with it.

I love giving, I hate shopping. I love eating, I don’t like the stress of making sure I have everything I need and getting it all ready on time. And don’t even get me started on wrapping presents. I love seeing them under the tree … if only the elves would wrap them for me.

Is that too much to ask?

It looks like I won’t be able to have my mother over this year. The Covid cases in my town are climbing, and while I trust myself not to give her anything other than gifts and food, I understand that not everyone is as careful as I am. The long term care home has to make a blanket rule, and I’m much more comfortable with them saying no to all the families.

But my mother won’t understand. She doesn’t remember there’s a virus, even if I tell her every two minutes. I’m hoping they’ll still let me visit with a negative Covid test. I might at least be able to do that.

So where was I with the mini/maxi thing? Oh yeah! I’ve also given myself a week to edit 50K words of my own book for publication in February. And I have two days to go with 25K words left to go before I have to send it to my developmental editor.

I’m working at maximum capacity, I tell ya.

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This stressful-just-reading-it post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Find the prompt here and join in! https://lindaghill.com/2020/12/11/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-dec-12-2020/


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#SoCS – Optimism

I’m an optimistic kind of gal. I always have been. The type who prefers to look on the bright side, no matter what life throws at me.

So what’s the point of this post?

I have no idea.

And that’s a good thing, right?

Because the world is my oyster.

And the page is, well, blank unless I can find something to write on it.

Which I will! Because I’m optimistic.

Do you have any idea how much stuff I didn’t get done this year?

I didn’t have a badge contest on my blog this year. Can I do it for both SoCS and One-Liner Wednesday before the year is finished?

Sure I can!

Can I still find a way to run Just Jot it January 2021, even though I’m overwhelmed with life?

Of course I can!

Because I’m not only optimistic …

I’m an optimistic glutton for punishment!!

Watch for updates. 😀

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This optimistic post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Find the prompt here and join in! https://lindaghill.com/2020/11/27/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-28-2020/


Blogging Me01

Want to grow your blog? A lot of great ideas here, and lots to think about. Check it out.
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Repeat after me – Wooohooo!

Ms. Sassy has almost reached her goal!!
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Yashodhara Sirur's avatarSass and Sauce

When I had only just started blogging, and I had something like 30 followers,  I came across Wes’s blog – Nearly Wes. I loved it so so much and right then I decided to put this on my bucket list – “To garner 125 followers on WordPress”, because that was the number Wes was on. I’m pretty sure he’s moved waaaay ahead now, but the 125 has stuck with me and still remains my goal.

Today I realised I am just 25 followers away from getting a check on my bucket list. Yes, I have one hundred WordPress followers 🙂 Woohoo! Yippee! Yay!

And who knows I might wake up tomorrow and find 25 “New Follower” notifications. Fingers crossed so bad that they are now entangled 😛

PS: Another reason to say Yay – Just 9 days to go for my engagement partyyyy!

PPS: In case you need another…

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HarsH ReaLiTy Has Moved!!!

No more HarsH ReaLiTy on WordPress!!
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Stepping Out

It’s a sad day for WordPress – one of our good friends is leaving us for more blissful pastures. Be sure to stop by and say so long to Glazed!


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Keeping it Real with Reintroductions

If you hadn’t heard, Linda is flying away to a land far away this week so she asked for some help with the  SoCS prompt. I was excited to help, but then I remembered that Linda likes me to “introduce” myself and I don’t know; I just feel so awkward. It most likely won’t stop me in the future, but maybe it will remind me to plan better, although I’m not entirely sure how you plan one of these posts.

I guess I’ll just jump right in and go for it. If you were around last year, I’ll try not to bore you with a repeat of my first introduction post.

Not much has changed with me since last year except my day job. After six months of working a job I really hated, I finally found something that I love, but it restricts when I can actually jump on the blog and write. I’ve had to work writing and blogging into my nighttime and weekends and it hasn’t been as easy as it was a year ago, but I feel it’s totally worth the sacrifices. Every time I go a few days without posting, I feel like I’m missing something and I inevitably end up hearing from a family member to get my butt in gear.

Perhaps the change in my circumstance led to the change that has happened on my blog. I’ve done a lot more poetry this year, which hasn’t been a bad thing. I’m reminded how much I love poetry. I do miss the longer stories I used to write, but those take a lot more out of me and at this point, I can’t seem to find the time. I’m hoping I can fit them in once I’m more established at the new job.

I also started my very own prompt this summer called Song Lyric Sunday. I love music and wanted to share my favorite music with my blogging friends and have them share their favorites with me. It’s more like a simmer right now instead of the wildfire I hoped it would be, but I do love those who have participated with me. If you’re interested, you are more than welcome to jump in!

You can find me over at This Thing Called Life One Word at a Time. As I’ve said, I write poetry, flash fiction and I try to write stream of conscious every Saturday, although I’ve missed a few weeks this year. I have three beautiful kids that I write about quite a lot and I’ve written a few posts about the struggle with the day job. I guess you could say I try to keep it real.

I’m excited to read all your posts on Saturday. I hope I can make Linda’s absence not seem so rough, although I know she will be missed.


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One-Liner Wednesday – Love is…

CAM00673If I could reach up

and hold a star

for every time you’ve made me smile…

…the entire evening sky would be

in the palm of my hand.

Edit: Find the artist who created the image on this fridge magnet here: http://deloresart.blogspot.ca/
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Anyone who would like to try it out, feel free to use the “One-Liner Wednesday” title in your post, and if you do, you can ping back here to help your blog get more exposure. To execute a ping back, just copy the URL in the address bar on this post and paste it somewhere in the body of your post. Your link will show up in the comments below. Please ensure that the One-Liner Wednesday you’re pinging back to is this week’s! Otherwise, no one will likely see it but me.

As with Stream of Consciousness Saturday (SoCS), if you see a ping back from someone else in my comment section, click and have a read. It’s bound to be short and sweet.

Unlike SoCS, this is not a prompt so there’s no need to stick to the same “theme.”

The rules that I’ve made for myself (but don’t always follow) for “One-Liner Wednesday” are:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Make it either funny or inspirational.

Have fun!


HarsH ReaLiTy Challenge!

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Don’t Mind Me, I’m Just Helping Out

I was stoked to help Linda out with SoCS while she is on vacation for a few weeks up until she asked me to write an introduction post. I had difficulties with my own “about me” page, much less saying hey to all you lovely folks and letting you know who I am and why I’m here (not sure I even know that… well, actually, I know why I’m a guest here at Linda’s blog, I’m just not sure I know why I’m here, as in the big HERE, you know?). I was thinking I was smart by having someone else go first, but then Pav went and threw up that post yesterday and I realized it probably wasn’t the best idea to let him go first! (Great post, by the way)

Speaking of Pav, it’s pretty funny in a weird sort of “holy shit the universe just did that” kind of way that Pav and I were selected to help out. Pav’s blog was one of the first I really got hooked on when I started reading blogs, and his writing adventures actually started me thinking it was something I wanted to do and probably could do. He is also the one who led me to SoCS, so I have a lot to thank him for. Thanks Pav!

I’ve always loved writing but it wasn’t something I thought was a “thing for me” so I never pursued it. I wrote some poems in high school and started what I thought could be a pretty great book probably ten years ago, but I didn’t jump in with both feet so it sort of fizzled and died as those pesky things are wont to do when you don’t put time and energy into them. The thing that really started my thought process about writing was when my sister went back to college and ended up sending all her papers to me for editing. I’m probably one of those really weird people who likes the edit process, although to be honest, I’ve never tried to edit a novel, so I’m not sure I really know what I’m in for. Does it count that my sister got A’s on all the papers I edited? Probably not…  Anyway, when she ended up graduating and going into a line of work she was passionate about, and not only that she was thinking about turning her senior thesis into a book and asked for my help, I said absolutely but I also did that sister jealousy thing where I told myself I could do what I love too!

I jumped into my blog in May honestly believing I wasn’t all that creative and wondering what the hell I was even thinking. Since that scary moment when my finger hovered over the publish button wondering if I should or shouldn’t, I’ve managed to surpass even my own expectations and found a pretty great blogging community on top of it all. If you want to check it out, I’m over here at This Thing Called Life One Word at a Time. It’s a crazy mix of flash fiction, poetry, ramblings about running/exercising, and being a Mom to three pretty great kids.

Introductions aside, I decided to jump right in, so I’ll be first out of the gate this week with your SoCS prompt. I’m looking forward to interacting with all of you and hope I am an acceptable substitute for Linda while she’s away.

Thanks for the trust, Linda! May you not live to regret it.