Life Lately

Where did the first month of 2019 go? January is gone. That's for sure. I didn't blog (or at least make blog posts) for a month. It was weird, but it was good for me. Here's a little recap on life in case you're interested.

The Why:

I blog I find writing cathartic. I also blog because I like to share, and I hope that others will find what God is teaching me helpful in their own lives. But in December, Facebook blacklisted my blog for violating “community standards.” I tried to figure out what was wrong and fix it, to no avail. Facebook then proceeded to delete every blog post I had on My Arizona Adventure page. I debated starting a new blog to change my URL, but I'm not sure it's worth it. Facebook might red flag that URL, too, for all I know.

I decided to pray about my blog for the month of January and resume posting then. (So here I am.) I want people to be able to read, but ultimately I've had to realize that Facebook is not the most important part of writing. I guess people will have to follow my blog or subscribe or just check in to see what I write. Maybe Facebook will get fixed. Maybe it won't. I guess in the end, I just hope people read. That's ultimately up to the Lord, though.

Priorities:

David Allen says, “You can do anything, but not everything.” I'm realizing this in a big way. I want to do a lot of things, but I really only have emotional energy for a very few of them. To be honest, work takes a big portion of my energy, and I try to save the little bit of life I have is left for people I love. It's a balancing act, and one I have not mastered. I've found that when I push myself physically, I get sick, too. I'm trying to avoid that. So most days I exercise, eat, work, sleep, and review social media (my “downtime”). That's about it. I'm not necessarily proud the time I spend on social media, but it's an out, and it's working for me right now, so it is what it is.

Lessons:

Emotional: I feel a little more stable than I have for awhile. (Thank you, Lord!) I've realized, though, that I might be one of those “highly sensitive people.” My emotions come in waves. These waves or emotion are overwhelming and intense. If I acknowledge the feelings, experience them, and speak about them with people I love, I can recover fairly quickly. If I stuff the emotions, or discount them, I'm in trouble. Thankfully, I have people in my life who know and understand me and love me through the storms.

Spiritual: Fear is a good teacher. I wrote a whole post about this that I'll share later, but as waves of fear have struck me over and over again, I've realized that I'm learning from fear. Fear shows me what's important to me. I can let fear steal my joy, or let it signal the significance of what's just happened. Fear also forces me to go to the Lord with my feelings, and to restate my trust and my belief in His sovereignty. I'm not in control. He is. Fear reminds me.

National Wear Red Day 2/1/19

Mental: I don't want to wish my life away, but I do need things to celebrate. I've been reviewing the National Day Calendar and trying to engage in celebrating at least one holiday a week. Most of the holidays are silly, but I enjoy them, and I look forward to them. It's the little things sometimes.

Physical: I did the Self New Year's Challenge. It wasn't bad. It wasn't great. It made me practice focus and self discipline. I also discovered the circuit timer. I'm hoping to switch most of my exercise to race training, but my knee has been hurting somewhat, and I know I'll need time to focus on longer runs and nutrition if I want to run more, so we'll see.

Love:

Paleo slow-cooked Italian pot roast on peasant bread with a side of honey glazed carrots and green beans 

I got to cook for family and friends a few more times this month. Cooking is a form of creativity and self-care for me. It's also a source of new sensory stimuli. Besides cooking, I went to a wedding and on a quick trip to Las Vegas (to see people, not attractions, because let's be clear, I don't gamble, smoke, drink, or generally subscribe to any of the other components of Las Vegas culture). That's about it. I need to focus on planning some longer trips (cue need for brain power), because my vacation time at work is amassing quickly, and I don't want to lose it. Love is holistic: God, others, and me. All three areas need work.

New Disciplines:

I tried to go on a partial spending fast for the month of January. I also tried to prune my closet by forcing myself to wear different clothes every single day (at least a new shirt every day). I mostly succeeded. Perhaps I'll write more about these two experiences later.

That's a wrap.

That's January for now.

• Any thoughts, questions, or comments?
• For those of you who read my blog, is there a good way (other than Facebook) to notify you when I post?
• What kind of posts do you enjoy reading? What should I write about more?

Please reply via comment, or via direct contact (since most of you regular readers have my info).