Nutshells, Hiatus, and Saying Goodbye To Perfectionism

April in a Nutshell
Hey people!  No long introduction this time - just diving straight into the nutshell.
Are you ready?  Hold onto your hats!
1.  I nailed my Camp NaNo goal of 30,000 words. 
*takes it in for a moment*
    Coming out of the deep, slimy pit of writer's block - writing 30,033 words felt pretty good!  A week into April, I realized I had to change my goal a little; I recognized that I was not going to be able to get any 'useful' writing done--i.e. writing on my current projects--April had to be devoted solely to 'Breaking the Block', flexing a writing muscle that had gone largely unused after several months of editing.
    So that's what I did.   I changed my NaNo title to 'Breaking the Block', stuck to the word count, and started sprinting with picture prompts.  These two things were like magic, I started spraying words like buckshot.  It was fabulous to just let my imagination start pulling stories and scenarios out of thin air and force my fingers to go. 
     The dam of writing words seems to have broken, now to start chipping away at the dam of actual cohesive story plotting and planning.  'plants Viking helmet firmly on top of head and practices steely look'
      Joining Nano was a last minute, split second decision - and I am so grateful that I did, as I believe the Lord - who cares about every part of my life - led me to join and helped me to get back on track with my writing.  I'm very grateful. 
    I bought my first pair of red shoes!  RED SHOES!   Yes, this is a mile-marker in life, for fashion divas!
    I even got a pair of orange shoes!  Ah!  Fashion Paradise!
Aren't they sweet and cute and utterly delightful?  'minces about the room in new shoes'
Released two new songs to my Youtube Channel.
Reached 16 subscribers on my Youtube channel and . . . *drum roll* . . . 35 subscribers to my blog! 

Which is wonderful - and leads me to my other news - which isn't quite so nice.  My Hiatus. 
Hiatuses
Hiatus:  a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.
 
That's right - I will not be blogging for the Merry Month of May.

Please don't panic and please don't stop following me - I'm not going anywhere.   Well actually, my blog IS going somewhere.  I have officially decided to move my blog over from Weebly to Wordpress.  No more wonky formatting, new posts will appear MAGICALLY, direct to YOUR inbox - I'm going mainstream. 

Even though I've hired someone who knows what they're doing to help me, I'm very, very intimidated at having to learn a new program.  Trying to navigate Weebly all by myself was terrible - and the first glimpse I had of Wordpress' dashboard looks like a nightmare.   Everything in me is screaming one thing . . .
     Anyway, May will be devoted largely to my three biggest projects - publishing The Keys to the Chains, releasing the paperback of The Reluctant Godfather - and moving Allison's Well to Wordpress.   Three technical monsters I do not relish tackling.  *gulps*
These three goals are going to be nearly all-consuming challenges, thus, I must focus. 

As much as I hate to take a break from blogging - it was be silly to keep creating fresh material that would just have to be transferred over to my new blog - or at least - I think it would be counter-productive. 

At first, I thought I couldn't take a blogging hiatus - at least not yet.  I've only been blogging since November of 2016 - that's not long enough.  I had this idea at the back of my head that the Blogging Police might come and round me up for breaking some kind of law. 

Which brings me to the final part of this post.
Goodbye Perfectionism - Great expectations....no matter how hard I try...this wave of emotion overtakes nearly everything I do....a mixture of fear and excitement...an almost agonizing swarm of thoughts and dreams overwhelming my present moment . . . and most of these dreams and anticipations are entirely unrealistic. 

For instance, I wanted to enter the blogging world like this -
Instead, I entered it....like this -
In short . . . I want to be perfect.  Or at least epic.  :D

But I don't have to be.  Not only are there no blogging police, I have not failed the world, or God, or even myself by having a less than perfect start to my blog. 

God doesn't make errors, he has no mistakes to regret, no missed opportunities to yearn for - humans do, and I believe that is natural - a natural part of our fallen state.  At one point, human beings were perfect and faultless - and yearning to be so is a whisper to every human heart - a remembrance of what we once had with God - so that we will look forward to what He promises to give us again. 

But only God can give that perfection - and it is a perfection for my eternal soul.  I will never, ever be perfect in this life - and not only is it foolish in the light of eternity to sweat the little things, they help me grow closer to my final destination. 

     And I have grown with Allison's Well.  I have now been blogging for six months, posting for the first time to the Well in late November.  It’s been an amazing ride. 
     I have enjoyed this first bucketful of water mightily—and I hope to lower my line even deeper into the well the Lord has given me in the years to come.  I have had have another thing in my life to discipline me, as I strive to post regularly.  My blog has forced me to look at everything with fresh eyes, eager to see potential in the smallest happenstance, ready to hear a voice—the Voice—in everything around me.   My imagination has been sharpened as I look not only with new eyes at my life but push myself to meet deadlines. 
     My well has broadened horizons not only for myself, but my whole family.  I have met amazing, and wonderful people.  I have been able to speak words of affirmation to people, and then received blessings back. 
      I have learned many things from this blog, mental, emotional and spiritual; wonderful lessons that I hope continue to expand inside me, so that I might grow and share them. 
       It hasn’t been perfect, there’s been dry spells, and disappointments -  but these small things have been so outweighed by the good that it is truly astonishing – God has blessed me so much with Allison’s Well – and it is my great hope that Allison’s Well has blessed in you in some small way as well. 

     So, goodbye perfection - hello life!  I'm going at you life, full tilt, as fast as I can. 

Dear Perfection -
     I expect that I shall still see a great deal more of you throughout my life - you are the sort of guest that likes to bother its' host.  But I really doubt I'll see you on Allison's Well again. 
     I'm off  on an adventure and I have to pack lightly - there's no room for you in my luggage. 
     Kindly go visit someone else - you've worn out your welcome on Allison's Well.  And believe me, this blog is no place for you - I'm having too much fun here to pay you any attention now.  
    
     Sincerely,
     Allison