One of my blogging friends, Jeanne, recently posted “2010 in Review 10 Things I Learned.” Her lessons learned stirred some of my dormant brain matter. So I decided to recap my most significant realizations for this past year before writing my New Year’s Resolutions for 2011.
I also liked Shelly’s “Challenge: Fifteen Minutes a Day to Blog for Fifteen Days Straight” idea. So I’m going to try some shorter posts instead of just the usual monster truck posts that haul hours away from my writing schedule.
With that said, here is the first one in a mini series called My “ah ha” Realizations for 2010. I’m sure I’ll slip a few longer reflections in among these post because I can’t seem to help myself when I get into one of those “ponder life” trains of thought.
Realization #1 for 2010: Solitude is Essential
Maybe it’s my age, but I needed longer stretches of quiet in 2010. When I awoke in the morning and before I drifted off to sleep, I would lie still and think. I also spent more time enjoying the stillness of nature. Some of my most noteworthy epiphanies came during these moments of solitude.
During 2010, I wanted to cloister more than ever before. I did this during my time off from teaching. Although my husband teased me for lounging in my jammies all day, I didn’t mind. I used these times to indulge in luxurious writing sessions, connect with cyber friends, and greet new people online who share my similar interests.
Often my cloistered hours included reading. This week’s read, The Creative Life, by Julia Cameron, reminded me of essential truths pertinent to my writer’s life. A previous reader’s underlining resonated with me. Here are a few lines for you to savor in 2011:
- “It’s better by far to be willing to change and improve a piece of work than to stubbornly insist its genius.” –Julia Cameron
- Gina and Kay, the people currently editing my manuscript, will appreciate me reading this.
- “We work weekly at the dismantling of perfectionism and the development of spontaneity.” –Julia Cameron
- I need to work on this daily in 2011.
- “Like if or not, the next step for both of us is small, not large.” -Julia Cameron
- I know I should accept this truth in 2011, but I’m so impatient.
So there you go, realization #1 for 2010
JoDee Luna Art 
Happy New Year to you and yours. As we age we do need more time if nothing else things don’t work like they used to. My first thing in the New Year starts in the morning ( like it can start before then). I have nearly 500 post on here. I really don’t know what to do with them all!
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duke, Happy New Year to you too. What do you mean you “I have 500 post on here?”
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Thanks for the reference to my blog. I will have to read Julia Cameron’s book after the comments you posted from her book in your post, sounds intriguing. Quiet is so important for me these days after all the noise at work all day. I crave quiet morning, noon and night. Blessings to you and your family in the New Year, Jeanne
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Thank you Jeanne. This need for quiet must increase as we age. I agree with you. After a long day at work, I crave silence. I think that’s why I so enjoy writing during those quiet early mornings.
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Jodee:
Thank you for the mention. Your ‘a-ha’ blog is great. Had a couple of those regarding my health and how I orgainize my time.
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Shelly, let me know what conclusions you come to so I can get some ideas. In terms of exercise, I hate going to the gym but I need to so why do I fight it so? I’m having test for an irregular heart beat and an enlarged thyroid. Yikes! It’s hard to reorganize one’s life to assist with health issues. I just added regular medical massages and am in heaven. Why did I wait so long?
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I have almost 500 post on wordpress. I’m thinking about going through them and picking out the best ones and doing something with them.
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duke, I agree that you should do something with your best picks. I have a book brewing in me that is about blogging. We bloggers spend incalculable hours blogging and it seems a pity not to convert our best into books. Keep me updated as you think this through. I’m interested.
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We do spend so much time on our blogs. The book thing is something I have thought about too.
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I think our blogs become like black holes that our best writing falls into never to be seen again. Why not self-publish our best? Even if for the purpose of us re-reading them and smiling.
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There are times someone will comment on somthing I wrote weeks ago then I have to go back and read it so I can respond!
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duke, it’s that black hole blogging theory I mentioned. We write and then move on and forget what we’ve written.
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