But there are a great many nights after the kids go down where I'm still short of my 5 mile goal. Night walking in the neighborhood is a treat. Without the sun as a distraction, I'm left to ponder the day, the sidewalks and listen to the cars on the freeway... and just wonder.
I decided tonight that I want to add a new goal to my walking: each night when I come home, I want to sit and complete a timed write for my blog. Ten minutes. And then maybe a few more to reread and edit.
I used to ask my students to write for 10 minutes, but I rarely engaged in the task myself. I owe it to them to do some timed writes of my own. I just looked at the clock a second ago and there were still six more minutes. It'll come easier as I begin to get accustomed to the time and am able to better gauge what I can write in that amount of time.
While walking I was thinking that I should start keeping a list of all the blog topics that I'd like to write about. As a teaser, I'll start the list here:
- Recycling day
- Garbage day
- No good deed goes unpunished
- Former student sightings
(3 minutes left)
- Safety dog
- The owl
- Good deeds
- Soccer
(2 minutes)
Okay, so at yoga today, we had to hold a pose for 11 minutes. Seriously. Eleven. I thought I was going to die. I didn't even have a clock to watch, like I'm doing now with this post. But I'm happy to report that I didn't die. I kept breathing even though I couldn't keep my arms up the whole time.
- Let your heart shine
Alright, with 16 seconds, I'll go ahead and call this moderately successful first attempt. My writing can only improve from here, right?
Good for you! The best writers always struggle with the actual sitting down to do it, and you've made an admirable start!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It's all about setting an intention to start a new habit. I like to think that writing is a better use of time than getting sidetracked by FB groups or ridiculous trending stories of the day. PS -- Your comment somehow posted in duplicate, so I deleted the second. Good day to you, friend!
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ReplyDeleteYou have my admiration for your goal setting. I used to do morning pages (20 minutes before doing anything else (except a bathroom stop, of course), and found they very helpful for my creativity. You have inspired me to return to the practice.
ReplyDeleteAnd, speaking of practices, just what yoga posture did you hold for 11 minutes? I am getting a bit of muscle fatigue just thinking about it.
I need to get one of the kids to help me make a video or take pictures of the pose. More on that soon. I'm just hoping that new goals breed healthy habits. January 1 passed, and I had no compelling reason to make any changes. A neighbor asked me if I wanted to start running, but I opted for walking. Then I couldn't walk without thinking of writing. I figure if I can get home and pick up my phone to read and rest, I can make the time to pick up my computer to write. Good luck with your intentions, too!
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