“Take a deep breath. Get present in the moment and ask yourself what is important this very second.” Greg McKeown
When I chose presence as my word for 2023, I thought it would be a challenge. But I underestimated that challenge.
I have always functioned well in the early morning.
I like to get up early and coffee is the first thought out of a sleep-dulled brain. One of the joys of retirement is the free time to sit, sip, and speculate. Newspapers are no longer delivered and that is unfortunate. A friend shares her paper–which comes in the mail–so yes, the news has already been aired the night before and that morning. The crossword is still enjoyable. For years I felt that I needed to finish that before starting any other projects. Without that paper arriving early, that habit went right out the window.
So, I usually turn to Wordle and glance through some email… Already I’m not living in a state of “present”, but veering off in different directions like a cat chasing a toy. Then it occurs to me that I haven’t had breakfast yet! I don’t have as many obligations these days, but I function better with some scheduling. Since stopping some of my volunteer work, this has been a struggle. A day when I have an appointment–even a dental one–gives me form and focus to the day. I will finish chores quickly because I need to be ready to leave. But when I come home, I feel like I’ve done something worthwhile already, and I don’t really want to start any big jobs. If I haven’t assigned myself to query an agent with my book or some other specific task, I will be bouncing again between Instagram and the notes on my desk.
It seems like it’s time to rework my identity again.
I have become a great grandmother! A little boy named Henry
Has enriched my life immeasurably. He arrived several weeks early,
which kept the whole family in hopeful prayer for weeks.
He is home, thriving and of course–adorable.
And in other areas: Big News for this GGMa.
My other news is about my new author hat. I will wear it proudly after toying with a story for several years, starting and stopping, finding and losing a couple of illustrators, and finally seeing my book in print. The image above is from Amazon where you can purchase this children’s book. It is based on a true story of my former neighbor, Gloria, a young girl, and two cats.
So happy to join you all here on my blog again. For those few who actually like rhymes:
Willow, Willow, where art thou Willow? (My cat, remember?)
Are you hiding under the bed? Or perched on a kitchen chair?
There's no doubt you're here still,
For your hair is everywhere.
You play mean tricks on me,
In the middle of the night.
From tangling in the venetian blinds-
To turning on the light.
The light is a touch lamp on the dresser,
So it's easy for Willow to manage,
And I was sound asleep,
Which worked to her advantage.
As I jerked awake and swung my arms about,
She seemed to find this funny,
So she jumped on my neck and pinned me down,
My mood was far from sunny!
I can't stay mad though because,
With her wide-eyed stare, she's adorable.
She is so pretty and amusing,
Though I find her behavior deplorable.
Connie's Comments and Verse 