Done for the Week: Keeping the Faith

Another week gone.  Another year behind us.  When this post is published, I will be on my way to our state capitol to protest our new governor's pre-inauguration moves, which have taken our state several giant steps back in the struggle to create badly needed jobs.  As I contemplate this macro level rejection of progress, my little list doesn't seem so earth-shattering.  But I suppose the trick is to think and act locally and globally, while still living our own important-to-us lives.

I cling to the notion that what I do matters.  Here's what I did last week.

Done for the Week:  Dec. 27-Jan. 2

1. Continued off-season race training; biked three times 
2. Succeeded in getting husband to gym with me once
3. Finished No Graves as Yet, by Anne Perry; Unattended Sorrow, by Stephen Levine
4. Resumed providing minimal volunteer support to transitioning nonprofit
5. Worked my two part-time jobs, with sporadic hours due to holiday week schedule
6. Published 5 blog posts
7. Wrote 7 Gratitude Journal entries
8. Wrote 6 Morning Pages
9. Meditated 2 times
10. Watched our two favorite basketball teams play 4 games, with son and husband
11. Foraged for food at the grocery store several times
12. Attended two yoga classes
13. Took my grandson to the museum, along with other family members
14. Negotiated safe and responsible New Year's Eve celebration with teenager, and stayed up for his return
15. Celebrated New Year's Eve at home with husband and other son
16. Spent New Year's Day in my pajamas, mostly reading
17. Walked my dog three times, including New Year's Day family trip to the dog park 
18. Attended press conference for transitional jobs program
19. Attended social justice meeting/social gathering
20. Did significant work on website I designed and maintain as volunteer
21. Attended "cafe" service at church

My focus goal last week was "to post five blogs, exercise four times, meditate six times, and make the time to resume writing the novel--before I forget what it's supposed to be about."  The extent to which I succeeded in, and fell short of meeting this goal can be seen in the items highlighted in green on the list above.  Five blog posts, check.  Exercise was edged out by eating and reveling more than it should have been.  Meditation continues to be pushed to the bottom of my agenda on too many days.  And once again, novel-writing did not happen.  

I am keeping the same "first things first" focus goal for next week, but with a couple of tweaks.  First of all, I am going to copy my focus goal onto a small piece of paper and clip it to my daily calendar/to do list.  Second, I am going to wear the Serenity bracelet I made a couple of years ago as a daily reminder of the importance of meditating.  Apparently, I'm an "out of sight, out of mind" kind of girl, so maybe the visuals will help.  I am assuming that the resumption this week of my normal, non holiday schedule and routines will be enough to prompt the resurrection of the novel-in-progress that I have been neglecting for a month.

Because so much of the week was spent running hither and yon--like so much of many of my weeks this last year--I regard spending New Year's Day in my pajamas, reading, (in red above) as the most important thing I did last week.  It taught me just how much I am in need of cooling my jets.  I am thinking of trying to spend one day a week not leaving my house in the service of others.  It remains to be seen whether I could actually pull that off.


And now, to bed, so that I can snatch enough zzzzs to arise early enough to--paraphrasing Eliza Doolittle's father--"get me to the [bus] on time."