I probably haven't written anything all that amazing or wise, but what I have done is I have built a habit. I don't feel like I've had a full day if I've been forced to skip.
That's a good thing. I don't feel guilty for missing, I just feel that the day wasn't complete. I think this is an important distinction because if writing the blog made me feel guilty, I'd be more inclined to stay away from it as I'd think of it as painful, which is kind of a backward way of looking at things. But still the bottom line is I find fulfillment in completing these daily words.
Today was also my first official "unemployed" day. I didn't have to get up and go to work this morning. Today, that was okay, but I'm not sure how that will play out over time.
I was pretty darn proud of myself for not sleeping the morning away. I was ready for the day before 8 and getting some stuff done. Not everything I wanted, but I've a list of things I'm working on and it feels good to cross stuff off as complete. However, I find that in doing some of the items on my list inevitably creates more items to add to the list. That will keep me busy too.
I purchased some locking tubs yesterday. One is going to be filled with items members of the family may want, the other is going to be filled with items I am donating to charity. The weeding and paring, and purging is taking longer than I thought, but I do see forward progress. Now, I'll have even more time to focus.
My daughter has mentioned several times about a book titled, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing." It takes a similar approach, but adds the element of "joy" to the decluttering. Does this thing make you happy or joyful? It's an interesting approach to weeding and it has helped with some of my decision making.
The current plan is to take care of the critical stuff first thing in the morning (bills, phone calls, appointments) and then have a scheduled plan for the remainder of the day. Taking a morning walk and an afternoon walk will be my "break" times. I'll spend some time reading, some working out, some working on business school, and some working on business. There will also be some time for yard work (not my fave, but it has to be done), housework, and chores.
I already cooked my first meal and had dinner at a decent time. Roasted chicken, rice and zucchini were on the menu tonight. Supposedly, it is going to snow day after tomorrow and I see some of the leftovers making either a chicken and dumplings, or a good soup.
On the list for this week - hopefully tomorrow is making a menu and doing some grocery shopping. We pretty much cleaned out the fridge before we left on our trip. This will take some planning because I've new eating habits and don't want to fall into old shopping patterns.
I'm guessing the next few weeks are going to be about creating and adjusting to a schedule, planning ahead, and sticking to the schedule as realistically as possible. I've always been rather free-spirited when it comes to having a schedule at home because I worked so intently with a schedule teaching. Now it is time to apply those old, rusty skills to my new situation.
Why today, I actually wrote notes, packaged packages AND got them mailed. Same day. Imagine that. The mail didn't languish on my desk for a week or two before I got it sent.
And that is real forward progress for Day 100.
Wow. Day 100. Dangerous Living is paying off.