an educator and writer of MG and YA, adventure, fantasy, and Christian
Last week’s photo showed one of my favourite places: this week’s is another. Kings Beach has a outdoor community swimming pool, built next to natural rock pools my cherubs love to explore.
This was Miss10 and Master9 the other week:
And check out the crowd on the beach behind them! It was a sweltering day – that photo was taken around 10am.
Have a great week, dear Reader š
– KRidwyn
I’ve decided, instead of New Year’s resolutions for 2019, to try implementing two pieces of advice I’ve been given in the past several years.
The first was from a nurse helping me through depression following the birth of child number 2. Her piece of advice (among many others, most of which I use regularly) was to have realistic expectations – for myself, as well as for others. That’s a tricky one for me – but one I’m going to try to remember in 2019.
The second was a few years ago, from New York literary agent extraordinaire, Janet Reid. She wrote a blogpost responding to a question I’d sent her; the gist of her answer was for me ‘to focus’. Again, something which is going to require more than a little training, for those of you who know me IRL… but something that’s worthwhile, I think.
So in 2019 I plan to ‘focus’ on my writing. The novel-in-progress, that is, not my blog. Hence the plan to post photos each week. Starting with this:
The view from one of my early-morning writing spots. Peaceful. Quiet.
Amazing, hey!
Anyway, here’s wishing you a wonderful week, dear Reader š
– KRidwyn
The year of the photo. Because Iām pretty bad at them, and I figure if Iām taking one each week for this blog, Iāll have incentive to improve?
And to start, on this final afternoon of 2018 while Iām waiting for Hubby to return from helping our neighbour so we can keep watching Season 5 of āThe 100ā… Iām posting a photo of my front garden as it currently looks. Itās the part of the property Iāve been working on these last few months. Itās getting there, if I do say so myself. You should have seen it before I started! Although you couldnāt have, because I didnāt take a photo of it… and here we are, back at the main topic again. Cool, huh?
So hereās the photo:
And have a great week, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
I need a new phone. This 6S Iām currently typing on works well… as long as thereās a charging cord and a power source handy. And I donāt let the gbattery drop less than 80%. And the charging cord is the specific one I bought just two weeks ago.
I love having a working phone. Itās the conditions on its ability to remain working that are getting to be more of a nuisance than Iām prepared to deal with. Two battery changes and two new charging cords in the past three months? And that constant feeling of anxiety because heaven forbid I not be contactable…
Nope. Iām done.Ā Meaning a new phone for me… hence the dilemma.Ā Which one?
I was really happy with my 6S, bought two years ago. Up until one drop too many and the battery problems started. And I was also happy with the 4S I owned before that. So should I āAppleā again? Or try Android? Iām going to have to think about this for a bit.
What would you suggest?
And have a fantastic day, dear Reader! (ādayā because Iām blogging again tomorrow. Seeing as itās December 25, tomorrow marks the commencement of #blog12daysXmas. So Iāll see you then!)
– KRidwyn
Update: Ummm… yes, well. That ‘joining in with #blog12daysxmas’ didn’t seem to work too well. Oh well. Oops!
Hubby and I were talking about weight the other day. Heād been bemoaning his weight increase since having to cut back his gym sessions a few months back, on account of his arthritic hip diagnosis. But when I mentioned that I, too, had a little extra on my waistline I wouldnāt mind losing, he said, āWell, donāt eat so much chocolate then.ā
Oh, to be felled by a simple phrase! Less chocolate? The world would cease to spin!
Once the initial shock passed though, and the world recommenced turning, the truth became clear. How can I honestly expect my gym sessions to assist my waistline reduction plan, when I supplement my diet with sugary treats every time Iām offered them?
And, at this time of year, itās easier than ever to consume that sugary goodness. Every second Christmas gift from students or colleagues is chocolate. Or cupcakes. Or rocky road. Not to mention the Christmassy food that other staff open, and share with everyone. Great for exercising willpower… not!
But that, I guess, is what it all comes down to. Willpower means effort. Means intentional decision-making, not just reacting to the situation without a pre-planned āif this, then thatā course of action.
If offered chocolate, say, āThanks, but no.ā
If given chocolate as a gift, thank the gift-giver, then open AND SHARE.
Limit sugary intake.
Maintain exercise routines as much as possible.
And most importantly: rethink waistline expectations. Perhaps that waistline measurement goal is more realistic for end-of-January, not end-of-December.
And seeing as todayās the 17th of December, perhaps releasing myself from my too-hard-not-going-to-make-it goal would be best for my own mental health…
Would you agree, dear Reader?
KRidwyn
Holidays! A time of refreshing and renewal. A break from routine (and yeh, I needed *that* one like a kick in the head) and a needed period of not-regular-activity so that time with family and friends can happen.
Some routines should never be broken though. Eating and sleeping, hygiene, etc, these must all be maintained at some kind of a minimal standard. I think pretty much everyone would agree with me there. Sure, the work – school routines can go ‘out the window’ for holidays, but I wonder what other ‘important stuff’ we let slip without meaning to, or even realising.
I remember when I was a girl, reading ‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcott. The four daughters decided to take a break from their routines for a week, and see what would happen. Laziness, slothfulness, uncleanliness, and arguments resulted. By the end of the week, all four were keen to get back into their normal routine.
But the lesson wasn’t over. Day 1 of routine again, and the discovery was made that their pet bird had died. No food or water for a week had killed it. Tragedy had resulted because some things had been let go, which should never have been.
Relationships fall into this category. Does that mean that relationships are just routines? Like the apostle Paul I rush to say, “Perish the thought!” But that doesn’t mean that we can’t, out of necessity and convenience, consider them routines for the sake of this example. Because when these get neglected, tragedy strikes. They die.
So. These holidays, I have resolved to relax the ‘work’ standards and improve the ‘relationship’ ones. Let’s see how well I do…
And have a great week, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
I caught a tweet yesterday morning:
And although I laughed at it, appreciating Stephen’s wit in revealing truth, there was definitely an element of wistful longing in there, too. That I can’t join in the NaNo fun; that November is always just so gosh-darn-ludicrous that even finding 15 minutes to write per day is tricky, and happens far less often than I’m happy with.
So, via Twitter (on the rare occasions I get to scroll through my feed during November) I watch my writer friends all participate, and I sigh and think, “If only…”
But I wonder if I *would*, if I actually were given the time and the headspace to do it.
NaNoWriMo, or NaNo for short, is a month-long writing challenge, to write a novel – 50,000 words – in the month of November. 30 days. 1,666 (ish) words per day.
Can’t do that in 15 minutes. The title stands for ‘National Novel Writing Month’ because it was started by some San Francisco Bay writers in July of 1999, who set out to each write a 50,000 word novel by August 1st. They did it, then decided to invite others to join them. 19 years later, and it’s now an international event – which I can’t join.
Not yet, at least. Not with my current level of organisational ability.
I wonder if next year, it would be an impossibility too? Because that’d be cool: to join them in their 20th year of NaNo-ing!
Should I, do you think? Would you? Something to ponder, anyway…
Have a great week, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
So I posted last Monday about how happy I was to get back into by morning routine. I was determined to follow it, to regain the momentum I had lost. And the routine went well – for three days.
By the fourth day, I had allowed doubts to creep in. Not about my routine as a whole – I still fully believed it worthwhile – but the reason behind it.
You see, the main reason I get up so early and head to the gym is because it’s something I do for ME. It’s quiet, no-one’s around (meaning no questions or expectations) and in the stillness I can focus on God, read His word, and pray for my loved ones uninterrupted. And get 15 minutes to write! Then home by 6am, pumped and ready to face whatever the day will bring.
But the thought that my relationship with God is just another item I ‘tick off my list’ on a daily basis rattled me. Is that really all my relationship with God had come to? “That’s not a relationship! That’s just routine!” The accusation flummoxed me, and – as I so often do – I tried to counter it in my own strength.
“Of course it’s a relationship, not just an item in my routine,” I thought – and to prove myself right, I let the routine slip and tried to maintain the relationship without the structure, in amidst the myriad of ‘things’ which accost my day on a minute-by-minute basis.
I failed. My relationship with my Creator faded – and I tried still harder, because now it seemed as though the Enemy was correct and really, the routine *was* the only thing holding my relationship with God together… and I failed still more. My week ended up pretty much a write-off.
And yet, the minutes and hours passed and another week has just begun. God is still there. I am also, still here. And I can start over.
With His help, this time! Taking my questions to God, and hearing His perspective on the matter.
– Jesus, after all, got up early to spend time with God.
– *Something* has to be put first every day. Why should it *not* be God?
– It’s not bad to have God as the first person I interact with each day. It might be ‘routine’ but it’s a helpful one!
And that’s the way God designed life to be, anyway. Skills are hard won initially, but eventually become automatic. I’d love it if I automatically turned to God for everything, not just the first moments of my day! Maybe this is a first step, though.
So. Just some thoughts this Monday morning. Here’s praying you may have a wonderful week, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
Morning routine, we meet again!
Itās been a while, but determination beats… well, quite a lot of things, actually. And Iām determined!
How about you, dear Reader? What routines do you miss when theyāre not there?
And have a wonderful week!
– KRidwyn
How many shades of blue can you see here?
And here’s wishing you a colourful week, dear Reader!
— KRidwyn