The library of my life, minus the card catalog.

Updated word for 2009

Posted: June 29th, 2009 | Author: Jacky | Filed under: Life | 1 Comment »

When I picked my word for 2009, I had lofty visions for myself. I’d been running consistently for a few months, feeling generally inspired by the start of a new year and all the possibility that comes with it, and even made Excel charts of everything I wanted to accomplish on a weekly basis (which seriously detailed how many ounces of water I should be drinking daily, how often I should be exploring and taking pictures, and how much money I should be putting away for retirement).

The extent of my highly detailed goals ended up overwhelming me instead of keeping me on track. I wanted to do so much that just thinking about it exhausted me. All the projects I wanted to do and books I wanted to read left little time for friends or just myself. It was hard to keep up the momentum when everything was slipping by so quickly.

So now that the year is more than halfway through, I’m revising my word. From here on out, it’s “pace.” In running, it’s starting off easy so that you can last the distance. It’s knowing how to adjust when you’re struggling up a hill or coasting down a slope. It’s keeping steady over a flat surface and staying in tune with your body and how it’s reacting. Maintaining a good pace includes taking breaks for water and recovery so you can recharge and come back stronger.

And with those same ideas in mind, I want to work on challenging myself to write more, post more, be better about my presence on this site and start a conversation with readers. But I’m going to ease back into it. Once I’m writing consistently, I’ll focus on adding photography. And then the design (what’s the use in being proud of my design if there’s nothing on the site?).

I realize now that I can’t get it all done at once and still be present or coherent enough to enjoy it. And there’s nothing wrong with honestly gauging where you are in life and proceeding accordingly.


Back in action

Posted: June 28th, 2009 | Author: Jacky | Filed under: Life | No Comments »

As part of an e-course I’m taking called In the Fishbowl: Life as an Artist (offered by Marisa of Creative Thursday), I’ve been thinking a lot about this blog and the direction I want to take. After I unsuccessfully tried to upgrade my WordPress two weeks ago only to delete everything, I feel like I’ve been running backwards and not focusing my efforts on what I really enjoy. The actual writing. Just when I start making time for the site again, I have to devote my efforts to the nitty-gritty maintenance. In some regards, starting the site over with the beginning of the e-course and has allowed to me think about it from a fresh perspective.

Marisa and my fellow fishes in the class have brought up some great topics that I’ve been pondering and hope to share with you once I’ve sorted them out. One comment Marisa made that hit me in the face was that if we’re going to have blogs, we need to be fully present in them. Unlike the situation I’ve had going on here since February. If my subscribers weren’t deleted through my technical difficulties, I may have shooed them away with neglect. So while I can’t promise a makeover overnight, I am committing to this: a post a week, so help me God.