Journal Day #6

Journal Day #6 - Motivation

Prompt:  Everyone has different things that keep them going.  Sometimes it's the people around us, other times it might be what's waiting for us on the other side of hard work.  Whatever it may be, there's usually some sort of motivation to get up every day, get things done, or maybe even go the extra mile.  With that said, what would you say is your biggest motivation in life?  Has it always been this way?

I have always struggled with motivation.  I'm struggling right now!  Motivation must be a mythical beast, like the unicorn, because I'm not convinced it exists.  Okay so that's not entirely true.  It does exist but some day it is really hard to find even the smallest amount of motivation to get anything done.  You know the kind of day I'm talking about, where you hear the couch and Netflix calling to you.  Sometimes I just have to succumb to the lazy but when I can't, I have my husband's help.

My husband, David, is my motivator.  We do everything together from the fun stuff to the yucky stuff.  It's a lot easier to get stuff done when you can do it with someone you enjoy.  It's still easy to feel overwhelmed and under-motivated and we combat that by making sure we set aside time to recharge our batteries and succumb to the lazy.  We plan little weekend getaways so we have that chance, and then we have something to look forward to.  The weekend getaways with David are a huge motivator for me.  It's incentive for me to get things done, so I can really enjoy the time.  It's also nice to just get away from things and have it be just the two of us.  It's those moments that make all the other stuff worth doing/getting done.

Also, coffee.  Because always coffee.

Thank you for the prompt Sometimes Sweet!

Choices

My sisters and I were raised Christian.  As we got older this meant something different for each of us.  I had my fill of attending church and dealing with the hypocrisy that seemed to take hold of so many people after I saw how things really were.  When my sisters and I were growing up we were very active in our local church.  We attended Sunday School and church services, we were part of the children's choir and later the adult choir, we were acolytes (lighting the candles at the front of the church and helping with communion), ushers, Sunday school teachers/assistants, attended confirmation classes when we were old enough, and members of the hand-bell choir.  Of course some of those rolls we grew into, but we were always a part of something.

Valerie and I being awesome acolytes

Journal Day #5

Journal Day #5 - Challenges
Prompt:  We all encounter challenges on a daily basis.  You may consider yours something small, like having enough time in the day to accomplish everything you set out to do, or it may be a bit bigger - perhaps something you have to overcome mentally or emotionally, or even a struggle when dealing with a difficult person.  Whatever the case, take a look at your daily life - what would you say is the biggest challenge you deal with?  Or if you have a past struggle you were able to overcome, how did you do it?  This week, write about a challenge you currently deal with on a day to day basis, or discuss one you managed to get past.

Journal Day #4

Journal Day #4 - Unlimited Resources
Prompt:  If you had unlimited resources, what political or social issue, or area of scientific or medical exploration would you fund?  Do you have a cause that is near and dear to your hear that you'd put your time, energy, and money into if you had the means?  Tell us about it, along with a bit of background explaining where you're coming from.

Journal Day #3

Journal Day #3 - Hindsight
Prompt:  They say hindsight is 20/20, and with good reason-looking back at something always give us a better view.  We're often able to really see how our choices and decisions then shaped our today, and examine what we would have done differently given the chance.  When looking back though, we often look way back, but for this exercise stay a little closer to present time and look back just 12 months.  If you could go back just one year, what would you tell yourself?  What advice would you offer about everything you've experienced?

I would tell myself to keep dancing to my own drum.  I try to live my life with no regrets.  When I have to make a decision I try to take the people around me (husband, family, co-workers) into consideration.  How will the choice I make impact them, and me?  Will I be able to live with my choice?  So maybe I end up playing it safe.  I've never been a big risk taker, and I'm okay with that.  I'm happy with my life and where I am today.

I would encourage myself to keep doing those things that are good for me; keep walking with my husband, keep eating better, don't let family contact fade away, and keep writing.  I'd remind myself family is import and, and taking care of myself is too.  No regrets.

Thank you for the prompt Sometimes Sweet!

Journal Day #2

Journal Day #2 - Meaningful Song
Prompt:  We all have songs that really mean something to us.  Often just hearing it can take us right back to that place and we are able to re-experience the memory associated with the song.  Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but either way music has the ability to really draw things out and evoke deep emotion.  Choose a song that has a particular meaning to you.  Tell the story of the memory associated with the song, sharing as much detail as you can.  Take us there; let us experience it with you.

It's really more of a whole album, Depeche Mode - Violator, but if I had to pick one song from that album it would probably be World In My Eyes.  It makes me think back to the summer between middle school and high school, and hanging out with my friend Josie.  I had always felt like an outcast in school but hanging out with Josie was different, I finally felt like I fit in.  Josie didn't go to school with me, she was home-schooled.  We met when our parents had become friends.  She was so outgoing and friendly, I adored her instantly.

I practically lived at her house (it seemed like) that summer.  I have fond memories of lounging about her comfortable living room listening to the Violator cassette (CD's were just becoming available) over and over while it gently rained outside.  We would sit around and write bad poetry and talk about boys.  I can still see the brown furniture with the knitted afghans thrown over them and the wood coffee table we would usually cover with teen girl magazines and junk food.  We wouldn't turn any lights on, there was natural light coming in from the windows and when that faded there were candles everywhere and a couple laval lamps.  I was happy there.  I have fond memories of those days with Josie and any time I listen to that album today I can close my eyes and be back in her living room.

Thank you for the prompt Sometimes Sweet!

Journal Day #1

So I stumbled across this journal day idea and found this blog - Sometimes Sweet.  She posts a prompt every Sunday, posts her story response to the prompt on Thursday, and encourages her readers to share their journal day entry with her on her blog.  It seems so calm and friendly and like a really low-key way of starting to branch out and share with other people.  So in following with my writing goals I'm going to try it.  I'm a few weeks behind so there may be a handful of posts coming but once I'm caught up it will be once a week.  Hey, I need all the help I can get getting my creative juices flowing.  Here goes!

The Journey-Part 4

This part of the journey has been the most difficult to write.  Reliving some of this has not been fun, but as I work through it I've been able to box it up nicely in my mind palace where it need not be disturbed again.  Not a day goes by where I'm not thankful for David, but going back through this and our journey to one another makes me appreciate him that much more.  I don't know anyone else who would have been so patient or kind.  I am one lucky lady.  David, I'm sorry you've been reliving this because of my need to write, but thank you for understanding I needed to do this.  You just get me. *loves*

The journey continues...

The Journey-Part 3

My relationship with Fenton was a lot of work.  I thought that was what a relationship was, something you had to work hard at to make work.  Our relationship was either fun or incredibly draining; there were no quiet lulls.  One minute we'd be thick as thieves going on a quest to find a rare Star Wars action figure, the next we'd be arguing because I was too clingy.  It was a constant cycle.  I suppose I should have seen it as an early warning flag of things to come, but this was my first non-high school relationship and I was not exactly looking at things rationally.

The Journey-Part 2

The next part of the journey takes us to Fenton's sister, Cestus.  My friendship with Cestus was as bumpy as my relationship with Fenton was (see Part 3-coming soon!).  I always felt like I was walking a tight rope and with one misstep I would find myself on the ground and bruised and wondering what had happened.