Happy New Year - 2015

Welcome to the year 2015.  We made it through 2014. I am not really into resolutions anymore.  I was when I was younger but now I simply don’t have time.  Last year was a very hard year for me, although rewarding in some areas as well.   

So, what did I learn last year?  What do I want to do better this year? 

1.  One thing I would like to do better in the coming years is to take a breath more often for myself.  I spend a lot of time and energy on everyone but myself.  I will wear myself out for everyone and then have nothing left for me.  Not even half an hour for a read.  I put everyone ahead.  Even people that are not family and a few simply acquaintances, will be put ahead of myself.  I spent most of last year utterly exhausted.  I will be trying very hard to say no.  It’s not in my nature, but I am going to work on it. 

2.  I am a grandmother.  Did you know that?  I have a wonderful, full of life, one-year-old Grandson.  When I was a new mother, I would get so much un-needed and un-wanted advice from everywhere I turned.  I hated it.  I have tried very hard not to be that person, to wait until I am asked before giving my opinion.  I cannot tell you how freaking hard that is.  Watching, knowing you could help, knowing you have good information that could be utilized.  Failing miserably at not being that overbearing opinionated person.  It’s very hard on the outside to sit quietly when a baby is crying or getting into trouble or learning something the hard way or sick or whatever.  I hope even with all my failures at keeping my mouth shut that I am not THAT person I so loathed as a new mother.  I will continue to work on this.  I promise. 

3.  I always feel very energized during NANO.  Yes a little stressed and overwhelmed, but I feel good about the writing.  It’s the deadline and the schedule that I seem to thrive under.  I want to continue to feel that energy during the year.  Not just during the month of November.  I tried to keep it going during December, but the holidays crushed any imagination I may have had.  However, I am back up and running and moving forward.  For those that are interested, I finished the first draft of Howl 2, now to be known as:  The Full Moon Rises.  I have already begun my first round of edits and I plan on kicking butt throughout this month to get it done and sent off to my publisher. 

Those are the main ideas for my year.  Maybe to some they are resolutions, but to me, they are life changes that I want to make in myself forever, not just for the new year.   So with that being said, I am off to continue with my edit and hope to have draft 2 done in a few days, if I can find the time to myself.  We all know how I am with that…Happy New Year everyone!