Today my sweetheart and I visited the State Fair. Neither of us had been in ages, but they were featuring the traveling Star Trek exhibit, so we went. I’m not much of a Star Trek fan, but he enjoys it and has told me numerous times about how wonderful the permanent exhibit in Vegas was, so when I heard the ad I suggested that we check it out.
I admit, I had mixed feelings about going to the fair. It’s in the middle of the city and it gets jam packed with multi-generational families pushing strollers and snarfing down fried everything. I’m also not a huge fan of the rides (although I do enjoy a good Tilt-A-Whirl from time to time) and the games are a rip-off. In fact much of the fair is a rip-off, but I decided to reserve judgement.
I’m glad I did, because we had a great time. The weather was wonderful, I found the little leather backpack I’ve been looking for in one of the vendor stalls (and she discounted her price), I got a cute little string name bracelet (my name is rarely available), and the Star Trek exhibit was fun. I even purchased the cheesy photo they took of us with the Starship Enterprise in the background.
We also checked out the livestock, marveled over how many categories of baked goods there must be, and strolled through the hundreds of sewing and craft entries. I have to say, I should have entered some of those categories, because my work is quite a bit better than many of the ribbon winners, especially in the quilting category. Still, it was enjoyable to view the fair, and we left just as it was getting packed.
Yes, I ate my funnel cake with strawberries and whipped cream. And yes, my entire outfit (black shirt, of course) ended up covered in powdered sugar. It was absolutely delicious, although messy since there was no fork available. And I know it’s teeming with empty calories, however, I walked all over the fairgrounds and I’m not going to beat myself up over it. It was a great day, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!
Roughly three months ago I had my 47th birthday and decided to give myself some challenges for my 47th year. Some of them are coming along quite nicely, and others have yet to begin. Here’s a quick overview of how things are going for two reasons. First of all, there’s accountability. If I announce what I’m doing (or not doing) I’m more likely to progress toward my goals. Secondly, I want to give myself a push in the right direction. I have to revisit the goals to get them fresh in my mind again. Hopefully this won’t sting too much. I’ve included several links to posts that address particular goals, so feel free to poke around and read some.
1. Get at least one piece of writing published, in print, not via internet-not yet, but I am published in an online magazine, so it’s a start
2. Commit to eating home cooked meals at least four times a week (eMeals is helping with this one, check them out!)– sometimes yes, often no
3. Leave the house in plenty of time to not rush everymorning– this one has been going really great
4. Read 47 books –I’m only at nine (not including books I read to my students), but I’m off this week, so that number should go up! Check the facebook page for my reads.
5. Start a writing group –yes, but not the way I originally thought. I’m doing a writing group with kids. I also belong to a group, so starting a new one right now doesn’t seem to make sense.
6. Reconnect with old friends –I’m attending my college reunion next week, and there’s already talk a a high school reunion for next year. That conversation has gotten me back in touch with some friends from long ago.
7. Take my meds everyday until I no longer need them– Check! I finally figured out a method that works for me and never miss them now.
8. Use the treadmill at least once a week (hey, you have to start somewhere!)– honestly, no. More than before, but still not once a week.
9. Try Zumba (even though I have two leftfeet)– not yet
10. Finish the charity quilt on my sewing table-mortified to admit, but also not yet
11. Finish one UFO (unfinished object) per month (this would mostly bequilts)– uh, no
12. Eat more fruit– yes! I more or less like fruit now and have some almost every day.
13. Eat more vegetables –doing ok on this one, could do much better
14. Drink lesssoda-I was but now I’m not. Time to refocus on this one.
15. Teach my son to drive(eeeeeeek!)-not yet
16. Take the dog to the dog park at least once a week– not yet ( it’s been too flipping HOT)
17. Finish the office to make it a nice place to work (clear out clutter and organize)– and again, not yet (I’m seeing a pattern, gulp)
18. Donate unused items (just dropped off a bunch of items today but there’s more to get rid of) – this is ongoing but we could use another round
19. Leave work at a reasonable hour each day– most of the time I do
20. Limit pinterest addiction (it’s embarrassing, really)– I rarely go on Pinterest unless I’m looking for something specific. I don’t surf it though.
21. Keep on blogging! At least once a week share thoughts, ideas, challenges, triumphs, etc through this forum– YES!
22. Learn how to be a better blogger (and a more widely read blogger)– learning slowly but surely
23. Learn to box, really, I want pink boxing gloves and something to hit –I’ve started
24. Try to improve sleep habits –working on this one
25. Save up for a really cool family vacation-working on this one
26. Try to listen to my teenager better instead of just talking at him– this one is so so so hard
27. Talk to mom more– a couple of times a week
28. Discover more of my state (there are tons of hidden treasures I’ve never seen-not yet
29. Take more photos on my actual camera instead of my phone– working on this one
30. Learn some new aspects of the job I’ve been doing for a long time– working on this one too
31. Figure out some additional ways to get income into the household– I have two additional income opportunities I didn’t have three months ago, and the possibility of a third one
32. Take better care of my car (it has over 100,000 miles and it has to last!) – I did make it wait a while for its last oil change…
35. Surprise my sweetheart with a weekend away – not yet
36. Girls only day trip- probably in November
37. Climb that stupid mountain- haven’t even tried yet
38. Read magazines, then recycle (so hard to part with some of them, and no, I’m NOT a hoarder)- zero progress on this one (maybe I do have a few hoarder tendencies)
39. Push my limits in all ways –I could do better
40. Don’t forget to be kind, to myself and others – most of the time, yes
41. Look good in THOSE jeans again – not yet
42. Give myself a reason to replace my sneakers at this time next year – I better put some more miles on them
43. Sing even if I’m not great at it – yes, but mainly when nobody but the dog is around
44. Do more with less – doing pretty well with this
45. Get things done right away when possible-I suck at this, but I have been paying bills early
46. Have fun – I do
47. Enjoy life – ditto
Well, clearly I have some work to do, but on the flip side I’ve made a lot of positive strides in the past three months. I’m not disappointed by what I’ve learned through this little exercise. I know that these are achievable goals, and given a positive attitude and determination, I’m sure the next check in will show even more progress toward completing them.
Well of course there’s junk in my life. Everyone has it, in one form or another, and I’m no exception. In fact, I have plenty of junk. I have junk in my head, on my hips, in my home and in my heart. Do I need or even want all that junk? No I do not, yet I hang onto it, so there have to be some reasons.
Let’s start with the head. It’s full of all sorts of nonsense, making it difficult for important information to find a comfortable home. I can recite random factoids and song lyrics from 1975, but can I remember my son’s orthodontist appointment or where I put those photos? Often times, the answer is no. Since I know of no way to reorganize my brain, I’m trying to rely on methods outside my memory to help keep me organized. If only my brain worked more like a computer, where I could set up folders for information to access it more easily, and delete that which is no longer relevant. Of course that assumes I would actually do those things, but in reality my computer desktop is full of junk too. At least my computer works more efficiently than my brain, and I’m able to search it quickly, too.
Now on to the body junk, and boy is there lots of it. There is plenty of extra fat, some extra cholesterol, and an assortment of bonus skin cells here and there. I paint a lovely picture, I know. Getting rid of all that body junk isn’t easy. The skin, well, that has to be removed by a doctor, and frankly it hurts, so some of it I just live with (we’re talking little moles and skin tags, people, not horrific lesions). The cholesterol is a little easier to deal with. For a while it involved taking a tiny pill, but exercise has made those pills unnecessary. Yay! In fact exercise, along with a healthy diet, is the way I’m going to keep getting rid of the fat. I totally get it, burn more calories than you take in. Simple. But oh, so difficult! I’m trying, though.
That leads us perfectly into the junk of the heart. This is the emotional junk that we carry around. Here lie the messages that you maybe aren’t quite good enough. Maybe you don’t deserve love. Perhaps you’ll never reach your goals. Self doubt and unhappiness burrow into hidden corners of the heart and take up residence. They have to be exposed and banished. They are like a cancer. They have to be forcibly removed, but often traces of them are left behind. These need to be eradicated with consistent long term positive messages and large doses of love. Even so, they can creep back in. The health of the heart has to be monitored closely and intervention must take place quickly in order to avoid a takeover by those doubts and negative emotions. Fortunately I have a team on my side that loves me, making it much easier to wipe out those bits of emotional junk that do manage to creep back in.
Finally, there’s the actual physical junk that invades my living and working spaces. There’s clean and dirty laundry, piles of mail- both opened and unopened, books, magazine, dishes, quilting materials, electronics, toiletries, cleaning supplies, holiday decorations, office supplies, and tons of other junk. Now in all fairness, not much of it is actual “junk” as defined by me. To me “junk” is stuff that is useless or has no value. HOWEVER, too much stuff is too much stuff. As the very wise Flylady says, “you can’t organize clutter.” I know this, and yet clutter tends to accumulate anyway. That’s why so many of my 47 for 47 challenge items have to do with purging, streamlining, and consolidating items. As I sit here looking at my computer table alone, I know I have a big job ahead of me. Again, from the Flylady, “baby steps.” I set a timer and go through one area, tossing what doesn’t belong and putting away items that are out of place. I do this periodically, and it always feels great when I do. I give away items that are in good condition but no longer work for me and my household, and it always feel like a sigh of relief when I discover cleared off surfaces and a bit more breathing room. Now I’m inspired to do some fall cleaning. Look out junk, you’re about to go!
Today my sweetheart and I visited the State Fair. Neither of us had been in ages, but they were featuring the traveling Star Trek exhibit, so we went. I’m not much of a Star Trek fan, but he enjoys it and has told me numerous times about how wonderful the permanent exhibit in Vegas was, so when I heard the ad I suggested that we check it out.
especially in the quilting category. Still, it was enjoyable to view the fair, and we left just as it was getting packed.
BulgingButtons 