Technical Difficulties

Please don't judge me for not blogging the last few days; I'm having technical difficulties. In short, we need a new computer. Fact is, we could use a new desktop and a new laptop, but we're concentrating on the former for now. 

The 500-words commitment is going by the wayside, but for the duration of the challenge I will blog as I am able to access the Internet and equipment. Once the challenge is done, I will transfer the minimum 500-words per day to my novel and aim to blog once or twice each week.

Anything in particular you would like to see on my blog?

The Powder Room

I spent all day in the powder room today. Does that sound like too much information? LOL

I've been reading Erin Boyle's Simple Matters, which deals with simplifying your life and home so you can enjoy them more. One of the areas she's mentioned is the bathroom, and since it's a small room where one can see almost immediate results, I thought I'd tackle mine today. As you know, one of my goals for this year is to become more organized. 

This isn't our main bathroom obviously, but it probably had just as much in it in terms of odds and sods.

Here are the before (left) and after (right) pictures of the medicine cabinet. Section 1:

Section 2:

Section 3:

I hope you can see an improvement, especially in the middle section! I went through and disposed of any expired items as well as items we hadn't used in a while or were never going to use, and though there's still the occasional duplicate, I think it's a lot better.

This was our shameful bathroom counter:

 And here it is after:

I forgot to take a 'before' shot of under the sink, but trust me, it was worse than this 'after' pic. 

And here we are under the counter beside the sink, before and after.







Even though our powder room is small, we have lots of storage. These are the shelves in the cabinet above the toilet. Before on the left; after on the right. I had to make the pictures smaller to fit side by side. Sorry.

There are three shorter shelves to the left of these, in a cabinet above our built-in laundry hamper. I'm not quite done those with those, but they're underway.

By the way, that built-in hamper was a pleasant surprise when we bought the house, but it sure does fill up fast. I split the rest of the day between laundry, dishes and food breaks.

Also by the way, my husband plans to get rid of the 80s wallpaper one day soon and paint the room. We are not wallpaper people!

I'm sure Erin would have saved a lot less than I have. All I can say is, it's a work in progress and next time I'll probably be even more hard core. 

I'm equally sure this post doesn't meet Jeff Goins' daily writing requirement, but hey, a picture paints a thousand words! :)

Influence (Five-Minute-Friday)

To celebrate the release of Kate Motaung's latest book, today's challenge word is "Influence." For those who aren't familiar with FMF, Kate gives us a word each Friday and we write something around it, then link up to a common blog post. We write for five minutes only, no editing allowed. My five minutes are bookended with the words Begin and End. Today's link-up is here.

Begin.

Just as in Spencer Johnson's book, Out of the Maze, there are thoughts that hold us back and thoughts that move us forward, in life there are influences that are detrimental and those that are beneficial. The trick is to recognize the difference. How much better off would we be if we recognized who had our best interests at heart and who did not?

We've all experienced both types of influencers, the good and the bad. In hindsight, we can see where we slipped up and let the bad ones in, allowed ourselves to go astray, down paths we never meant (or intended) to journey, and ended up somewhere we never wanted to be. Why can't we see this up front? Why do we let ourselves be drawn in and deceived? Are they such good cons? Are we that stupid?

Andy Stanley offers a very good question when it comes to decision-making: Given my past experiences, my present situation, and my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do? In terms of relationships, we might ask, given my past relationships, my present knowledge, and where I want to go, is this, or this not, a good person to have in my life?

Good friends encourage each other to succeed.

Stop.

That's seven words more than last week's effort; either I'm getting faster on my feet or the topic was easier to write about. The "problem" is, I wasn't done.

I suppose there are any number of reasons we can let a bad influence into our lives. One might be simple loneliness. We don't have many friends, so when someone comes along and shows an interest, we're far too eager to accept without really evaluating whether or not s/he's good for us. We don't even know him or her well enough to be discerning. Sometimes we can even be attracted to a person because s/he seems to get away with bad behaviour. And all of us can probably point to an example of a "good girl" who always falls for the "bad boy." It usually doesn't end well, if ever.

Attractive? Or dangerous?

Then there are people who really are cons, maybe even sociopaths, people who can present themselves one way, to suck you in, and before long you find yourself manipulated like a puppet on a string. You get confused because they can be so nice one day, so awful the next, and you ask, "Which version is the real one? Will the real [insert name], please stand up?" You want to believe the nice portrayal is the true one, but quite often it's not. It can take a while to get untangled from that type of situation because you're a good person and have trouble realizing that not everyone's like you.

I've had good influences in my life and I've had bad ones. And I can testify that the good ones are far better and yield greater rewards: trust, intimacy, encouragement, support, love. You never (or rarely) end up worse off than when they first came alongside.

If I can encourage you to ask one question as you consider a  friendship/influence, it would be the one I posed above and reiterate now: Given my past relationships, my present knowledge, and where I want to go, is this a good person to have in my life? If you don't know the answer right off, take things slowly and get to know the person better before sharing too deeply. You don't have to decide right away. But once you're in a position to determine the nature of his/her influence, don't be afraid to let go of the bad, even if they've been life for a long time. Just walk away. Run if you have to. Don't be afraid to get help.

Rewards

In Jeff Goins' 500-words a day challenge, Day 3 (get up early), he included this postscript: "Try rewarding yourself with little treats when you finish your 500 words for the day. Withhold certain things (like checking email or taking a shower) as ways of bribing yourself to do the work."

I was thinking about this concept when I came across this post earlier today. In it author Nina Faye Morey asserts that "Writing is definitely hard work and if we don't create some little rewards for ourselves each day, eventually all that hard work will suck all the enjoyment out of it."

She has a point. Writing is a pleasure, but it can also be a struggle. It's especially challenging for a "pantser" (someone who doesn't outline or plan her stories) when she has trouble clearing a hurdle or comes up against a brick wall. 

Morey offers examples of rewards that work for her - things like a cup of hot chocolate, Chai tea or a good book. Incentives, she reminds us, needn't cost the earth. 

So what kinds of things can I use as celebrations for writing achievements?

For mini-successes, like writing a blog post or completing 500 words:

• Reading a chapter in a book I'm enjoying
• Listening to a song on my current playlist
• Writing a note of encouragement to myself or someone else
• Taking a break for a cup of hot chocolate, coffee or tea
• Listening to an awesome TED Talk
• Watching a YouTube video
• Coloring a page in an adult coloring book
• Calling a friend whose voice I haven't heard in a while

For larger successes, like completing a short story or longer work, I can:

• Make it a night on the town! Dinner and a show
• Get tickets to a concert
• Invite friends over for a party
• Throw a book launch
• Treat myself to a mani-pedicure
• Get my hair cut at a fancier salon
• Go away for the weekend and stay at a nice bed-and- breakfast or vintage inn

Nina isn't such a fan of withholding rewards, which she views as a form of self-punishment and disincentive to write. I understand what she's saying, but I also get Goins' view of withholding as a way of enticing yourself. You're not failing to reward, you're just making yourself wait until you've got the job done. If I know, for example that I can't check my e-mail until I've written 500 words, or 250, that's probably an effective bribe. If I know that I'm not allowing myself any beverage but water until I finish that chapter, I'm going to work harder to finish the chapter even if (initially) it's not very good. 

When I started this post, I honestly wasn't sure if I'd be able to come up with very many rewards/bribes. It took some thinking, but I'm pretty pleased with the list I created and wouldn't mind expanding on it.

What are your thoughts on incentives? Got any that work especially well? Please share your ideas in the comments. I do my best to respond!

Bucket List

When I first started the 500-word challenge, Jeff’s daily writing prompts weren’t arriving in my inbox in a timely fashion. Most of the time I had my piece already written before I received his e-mail and I did have my own things I wanted to write about.

Today I’m going to go back to his challenge from Day 8 and use his prompt. He says, “Just write a list.”

It’s been a while since I updated my “bucket list,” and since this is still pretty much the beginning of the year and it fills the requirements of the prompt, I thought I’d share my latest version with you. You’re welcome :)

My bucket list includes only efforts that are a) fairly specific, b)can be accomplished in one fell swoop (or almost one fell swoop), and c) are easily checked off when done. In other words, it doesn’t include things like declutter my house and keep it clean and tidy, or build deeper relationships, even though I’m working on those as well (as you know if you’ve been following my posts over the last several days).

I’ve divided them into organized categories:

Career

•          Publish at least one picture book
•          Finish my novel and get it published
•          Enter and win a writing contest
•          Have a #1 Best Seller (hey, why not dream big??)
•          Obtain a Master’s, or equivalent, in creative writing
•          Study under/be mentored by an accomplished (maybe even famous) author
•          Attend one of the “big” writers’ conferences
•          Retire from my day job! :)

Spiritual

•          Go on a short term missions trip
•          Attend a service at HarvestBible Chapel
•          Attend a service at the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church

People

•         Visit friends who live at a distance, especially, but not limited to, Armita, Catherine, David, Debbie, Libby, and Patty
•          Find and reconnect with friends from elementary school: Gillian and Susan

Tasks

•          Finish my son’s baby book
•          Organize my photos and catch up on my photo albums
•          Create a book for my son using Shutterfly (I've already done one for my daughter)
•          Create a scrapbook for both of my kids

Health and Fitness

•          Lose 5-8 pounds
•         Take a ballroom dancing class, despite my two left feet
•          Learn krav maga

Practical

This used to include things like learning how to sew, knit/crochet, make jams/preserves, etc. Now I am older and wiser. There are certain things I am just never likely to undertake. Do you have any suggestions in this category?

Travel

•          Sweden
•          United Kingdom (Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland again, but also England and Scotland)
•          Vancouver Island
•          Manitoulin Island
•          Bermuda
•          Curacao
•          Chincoteague
•          Colorado (again)
•          Tennessee – not just passing through
•          Texas (because that’s where Libby is)
•          Drive the US west coast from Washington to southern California
•          Four Corners (where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet) – also visit Canyonlands, Monument Valley, Arches National Park, Canyon de Chelly

What’s on your bucket list?

Relationships, Part 3

You're right; I missed yesterday. I wanted to write, but had several other commitments as well, and when it came to choosing between blogging and catching up on my journal, my journal won out. I had fallen behind over the holidays and as of this morning am still only up to January 9th. Anyway, I feel we all need one day off a week and yesterday was it for me.

So, on to friendships. As someone who has no family locally (they're all a minimum of 45 minutes away, including in-laws), friends are important to me. I have a solid pool of people I'd call acquaintances, but not so many friends. And some of my actual friends are also an hour or more away. Whether they're long-distance or not, all of these relationships require a level of intentionality. Friendships deepen when people spend time together, learning about each other. What are your interests? Your pet peeves? Your goals and dreams? Your beliefs and values? Time has to be set aside for these conversations. But how and when when everyone's time seems to be at such a premium?

Like I said, intentionality is the key. I have one friend with whom I regularly go out for breakfast. Those "dates" are precious, but not really often enough for either of us. This friend is also one of my "Finishing School" partners, so soon we'll be resuming our once-a-week meetings, which will definitely help our friendship grow. 

I also have a book club that meets once a month and as with most such clubs, the discussions go beyond books and delve into our personal lives. Some of these relationships are going deeper as a result of getting to know one another in this group environment. 

Sometimes there's no option but to develop a relationship online and by text. It may not be ideal, but distance and geography are no barrier to true friendship. Some of the people I call my closest friends live very far away and the only ways we sustain our friendship are through Facebook, e-mail and the phone. 

Ugh. I'm not sure this has been a very helpful or enlightening post either for me or for you as a reader. My starting point for the subject of relationships was as a word for the year, expressing my desire to work on and strengthen relationships in 2019. Has anything in today's post been beneficial?

Let me recap and see if I can pull it together. 

• Friendships are important, whether friends are near or far away
• Intentionality is key, regularly making time for getting together, or making a point of consistently connecting via technology
• You can get to know people in group settings and identify like-minded individuals as those to connect with more deeply outside the group

I guess the next step for me is to discern how to best manage my life in order to invest in more face-to-face connection. I started tracking my use of time yesterday, but didn't set the hourly alarm on my phone as intended. I'm off to do that as soon as I publish this post. My goal this week is to see where time's a'wasting. I don't want to waste hours in pointless activities when they could be invested in people. It's people who make our lives richer through the gifts of themselves and their time.

More than Better (Five-Minute-Friday)

I’m going to try to do the Five-Minute-Friday challenges hosted by KateMotaung. Kate gives us a word each Friday and we write something around it, then link up to a common blog post. We write for 5 minutes only, no correcting or revising allowed. Today’s word is “Better.” What a great word for the first FMF challenge of 2019. Not sure if I’ll meet the 500-word challenge within the five minute period, but let’s see what happens.

BEGIN.

Better. We all want to get better, don’t we? We want to be better organizers, better finishers, better at relationships, better at using our time. The list goes on.

Hm. We want to get better, but where do we begin? One thing I think is important is self-assessment. If you don’t know what makes you tick or how you roll, you don’t necessarily understand what your pitfalls are, what holds you back from getting “better.” I’m not sure since I haven’t checked during this five-minute period, but I imagine you can find all sorts of self-assessment questionnaires online, specific to whatever area of life you want to get better in.

I’m not sure what it is within us that gives us this drive to improve. It’s something in our DNA, that desire for excellence or perfection. I do believe that perfection isn’t achievable in this life and there is beauty in a slight flaw. I think, as I reflect on it more, that God put this aspiration within us because He made a perfect world at the beginning and created our desire to get back there. He wants us to remember where we came from.

END.

196 words in five minutes. I’m sure others have done, ahem, better. But that’s not too bad for someone who’s a little rusty and hasn’t done the FMF in some time. There was definitely an urge to edit, though. I mean, this is my authorial blog! I don’t want to put up writing that’s less than my best!

Goins’ 500-word challenge for today is to describe a perfect day in my life. I’ll try to sum that up in the last 140-odd words remaining.

Bradley's Cove, copyright Susan Barclay

Newfoundland. I am 7 years old. My favourite cousin has traveled here with us. He’s 8 years older than I am and doesn’t have much in common with me apart from our grandparents and my mom, but he’s charming and fun to be with. The setting is beautiful, rugged. The sun beats down, the air is fresh and salty, a breeze blows in from the ocean, ruffling the long grasses in the abandoned outport. We spend the day walking into Bradley’s Cove from Western Bay, down to the rocky beaches where we look for interesting rocks and items shrugged off by the ocean. We walk up Dogberry Hill and pick partridgeberries or blueberries, depending on what’s in season. We stroll out to the lighthouse and look for whales. The day is lazy and I’m in the best place with the best company in the world.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, readers! While I've done an abysmal job so far of blogging consistently on my website (and have deleted the old posts), once again I am going to try to do better. Today I'm starting Jeff Goins' 30-day 500-words-a-day writing challenge. Stick with me, and you might find daily posts for at least the next thirty days.

I have a few "words of the year" for 2019: organizing, finishing and relationships. If you haven't heard of having an overarching word for the year, I first heard about it through author Gretchen Rubin, and you can read some of her thoughts here.

Neat and tidy

So, why organizing? It seems obvious, doesn't it? I have a pretty disorganized home, especially when it comes to books and papers, and I need to get it under control - once. and. for. all. Years ago Julie Morgenstern's book Organizing from the Inside Out was very helpful in guiding our filing system plan, but we need to go through and pull out papers that no longer have value and file away the ones that are lying around. We also need to go through our bookshelves and sell or donate any books we no longer want. I know this may aghast my reading-loving friends who cannot part with books, and I hear you since I'm an author and librarian, but just like physical libraries, our bungalow has limited space, for books and everything else. 

It's not just papers, of course. Somehow we've inherited or acquired lots of other things that need to move along - clothes, ornaments, tools we no longer use, etc. I admit that I've kept things for my children for far too long (kids' clothes and toys, for example) when they should have been passed along and enjoyed by other children. Mine are now young adults in their early 20s and while they both hope to get married and settle down some day, short of a surprising change in their circumstances, it looks like that is still several years out. In the meantime, I could be using my cedar chest for my own out-of-season clothing (instead of baby and toddler wear for future grandchildren), and the room that houses our freezer and filing cabinet could be cleared of so many unused things from times passed.

I own four books on the subject of organizing, including Morgenstern’s and Sandra Felton’s TheMessies Manual. Anna Shepard’s Express Housekeeping and Donna Smallin Kuper’s Cleaning Plain & Simple focus more on cleaning, but do have chapters on decluttering. I’ve also recently borrowed two additional books from the library: Dana K. White’s How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind, which has a whole section on decluttering and another on making changes that last, and Erin Boyle’s Simple Matters, which tells you how to live with less and end up with more, starting with decluttering, simplifying and organizing. Clearly, there’s more to it than book acquisition and book knowledge. As with everything else, it’s going to be the application of principles that brings about the desired transformation. But I am determined. This is the year!

This brings me to the end of today's 500 words. What are your thoughts on organizing and decluttering? Do you have a word for the year?