So basically I let life get in the way recently and haven’t posted.

It’s not that I haven’t been writing. It just that I have written so much, and then something else happens, and then I am unsure what to actually post.

It started with Saturday, June 11th.

• I wrote a piece about what it’s like to grow up female. I wanted to explain how hard it can be sometimes for men to understand the little and pervasive ways that women deal with society’s expectations every single day.

Sunday, June 12th

• Then I woke up Sunday morning to the horrific and devastating news about the Orlando shooting. I didn’t want to post the piece about growing up female after that because it paled in comparison to what others were dealing with and the shared pain that we all were feeling.
• Again, I sat down and wrote out my feelings about the terror in Orlando and how hard it can be to even express these feelings after something like that.

Monday, June 13th

• But before I could even get that post published, a shitstorm of politics rained down about gun control, and Donald Trump just generally being an asshole.
• At which point I AGAIN wrote out my views on the current shitshow of our gun laws and the presumptive Republican nominee.

The Rest Of That Week

• And for the third time, before I could publish anything, something got in the way. This time, I got so fed up with everyone being hateful to each other on Facebook that I just took myself off the social media channel and took a break from the internet.

Just in case you were wondering where I have been these past few weeks, there you go. Plus a visit from my baby sister was thrown in there, so obviously I was showing her around my new city instead of sitting inside and writing.

Luckily (or unluckily) for you, I am back at it!

I may still post my writings from the past few weeks in the upcoming one, but we shall see.

The important thing is that I am writing again, and that is what I need to be doing.

Not to mention – THE CHALLENGES!

 

(1) MEDITATION

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I am currently reading Secular Meditation: 32 Practices for Cultivating Inner Peace, Compassion, and Joy by Rick Heller.

(And by currently reading, I mean I started it last night)

However, I am already highlighting away and learning a lot about the overall practice of meditation, as well as how to use it for myself.

I will definitely be sharing what I’ve learned and how my practice is going in the upcoming posts.

 

(2) GETTING UP EARLIER

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In an effort to follow this challenge (Get up earlier and use that time to focus on something you love – DBQ) I have been getting up a half an hour earlier.

I have been using that time to read my magazines and just luxuriate in being awake before the rest of the world. It has also meant that I have been getting to work before everyone else, which has been really nice as well. I can use that time to get my brain sorted, go through emails, and get on top of any writing I need to do, before the world comes crashing in.

I will definitely be continuing this throughout the challenge year.

 

(3) WRITING TO SOMEONE, ANYONE

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The challenge was this: Send a card to someone (as many different someones) every day. – MA

And last year, I had asked for a bunch of #Skimmbassador’s addresses to write them Holiday cards. Sadly, I didn’t get through all of them, and I wanted to make it write.

Which is where this comes in! I am pulling that list back out and writing each of them a postcard or letter to share the love. I plan on sending at least 7 a week, and hopefully many more.

 

(4) READING IS MY SPORT

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But seriously. If it was an Olympic sport, I would get gold. One of the challenges was: Read all of the books I own – Me

In an effort to do that, read The General’s Mistress by Jo Graham over the weekend.

My assessment?

• Loved the historical aspect of early in Napoleon’s military campaigns and reign
• Loved that she took ownership of her life
• Felt meh about some of the “romance” aspect. Sometimes I felt like the author threw it in there just to have it
• Great beach read, wouldn’t read it if you want something intellectual
• Overall, I would give it a 3.5 out of 5

I plan on doing this with all the books I’m reading, so feel free to check them out (literally! #librarypun)

 

There you go, folks! Where I’ve been and where I’m going – at least for now.

Catch ya on the flip side!

Always,

Amanda