2018 and Change

This is a Good Poem January First This is a New Year and This is a Good...

2018 and Change

Krissie had us post our word for the year over at ReFab, and I picked “change.” I have obvious reasons politically–vote in the 2018 midterms, people–but mostly for personal reasons. I had a rough time several years ago and it’s taken me until now to get centered again. Moving into the middle of nowhere was a HUGE help–you would not believe how peaceful and beautiful it is here–but now that I’m back on my feet, it’s time for change, big and little.

First, I’m not going on a diet, but once it gets warm enough for me to go outside without an asthma attack, I’m going to start running again, not to lose weight but to get back that feeling of invincibility that I’m losing as I age. I used to run five miles a day. I don’t expect to get back to that, but a couple of miles wouldn’t hurt. My eating isn’t too bad–diabetes gets rid of most of the crap in your diet and my distaste for any food not homemade or at least served in a restaurant takes care of the rest. But “more vegetables” is definitely on the list. I hate fruit, but I have frozen blueberries for muffins and pancakes and I use Simply Fruit jam which is as close as I can come to eating the actual thing. That and apples. An apple a day . . . Why doesn’t fruit taste like chocolate doughnuts? Oh, well.

Then there’s the house. Because it’s freaking cold here, I shut down the back porch (closed in to make my bedroom and workroom) and moved to Krissie’s guest room at the front of the house. That means I have the living room, bedroom, and kitchen, which is great The dogs are less pleased–twin bed instead of a queen–but they’re still getting treats and food and water and a warm place to sleep, so they’re coping. I’m clearing out the kitchen–Krissie and I share a taste in kitchen stuff, so she’ll take the stuff I have duplicates of when she comes down–and I’m going to move my yarn to the workroom where it belongs,, which means the leftovers of that go to Krissie, too. And I’m going to find a contractor and give him a list of things that I’ve been dealing with for five years. Good change.

And then my attitude toward my writing is going to change. I haven’t had a book out for seven freaking years, even though I’ve written thousands of words. I’m going to stop doubting myself and stop worrying about writing at my age and just write. If people think I’ve gone downhill, they can just stop buying the books. I may just start setting all my books in the 90s. Then it doesn’t matter that I’m out of the loop: they’re historicals. The big change is, I’m just gonna write. The hell with everybody else (except you guys, of course, and Jen). [Actually, I have had this epiphany before.]

So “Change” is my byword for 2018. Because sometimes you have to go through the bad times to understand that things need to change, and as for, 2017, Lord, it wasn’t good . But nowit’s 2018, and it’s time for some change. Nothing but good times ahead, Argh People.

So what’s your word for 2018?

SaveSave

The post 2018 and Change appeared first on Argh Ink.