Tuesday, January 1, 2008

The Start Of A New Year, A Day Like Any Other

My day was filled with typical things: fixing meals for and playing with my girls, chores around the house, and a fabulous massage from Wentworth Miller. Well... the last may have been a mere figment of my imagination. (Ahh, Wentworth...) But as this new year began I was bustling around, doing my usual routine. Kind of a boring way to ring in 2008. 'Tis okay with me, though. Having accomplished a lot today makes me feel good about the year ahead.

And yet, there's still so much more to do on this, the first day of 2008. I've four (okay, five) loads of laundry to fold. I want to finish a little work on the WIP tonight. A hot bath beckons to me, as well as a book, a couple magazines, and a bottle of sparkling grape juice I never got to last night. And isn't there bound to be a rerun of CSI or Law & Order: SVU on tonight? Hmm, what to do? (Hubby's gone on a ski trip, the girls are in bed early, and I just can't choose what to do with the time to myself!)

High on my list of goals for '08 is keeping my priorities straight. I've posted before about finding balance in life, with my writing, my family/our home, and my own needs. I feel like I've gotten a good handle on it, and I hope I can keep it up. My days go so much better when I put equal amounts of time into each of these things; I feel so hopeless and lazy if I don't do a lick of housework or writing, but if I can somehow squeeze both in I feel like the Queen of the World. (Or at least Queen of the Lake.) And I'm bound to be more patient and have more energy for the things my family and household require if I've sneaked (come on, you know that's proper usage of the word) a few minutes to myself. (I'm only locking myself in the Peace and Quiet closet for half an hour a day, really...) Balance - when found - is the best thing for a mom. Or woman. Or moman.
Of course, I want to freelance at a higher level than I have before. And I'll be dadgum if I don't finish my WIP through the course of the year (hopefully sooner rather than later). I plan to seek representation, too.
Should be a fantastic year! I can't wait to see what it brings. May you all be successful and prosperous.

6 comments:

Michele said...

Hmmm... You should read this article by Rebecca Laffar-Smith. Maybe her tips will help you this year.

Speaking of this year: I hope yours is successful and fantabulous--with lots of publishing credits and lots of progress for your WIP. :-)

Oh, and I gave you a little link love on my blog today!

Happy New Year!

Smiles,
Michele

Janna Leadbetter said...

Ooh, thanks!

Janna Leadbetter said...

P.S. What a great article! It's a huge help to see others know exactly where I'm coming from. Thanks again, Michelle. :)

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Happy New Year! Everyone's so motivated this year it's making me think perhaps I SHOULD come up with some writerly goals.

Janna Leadbetter said...

Yeah, get on that wouldja? ;)

Susan Johnston Taylor said...

Hi Janna,
Happy new year! I too am trying to find greater balance this year and not forget the things that really matter: family, friends, regular showers. (I'm joking about that last part, by the way.) I appreciate that you've set one large goal, rather than lots of smaller ones. Here's to much writing success in 2008!
Susan