One advantage of not sleeping

I always write this on Saturday night before I go to bed so that I don’t have to stare at a blank screen on Sunday morning trying to get this together. As it is, as soon as I post this, I’m taking off for another craft show for our nonprofit. The forecast is for sun all day and highs in the 90s. Unseasonably warm for our neck of the woods. I hope that doesn’t keep the tourists away. This craft show is being held in conjunction with a car show downtown, so I hope I get lots of new people checking out our stuff.

Anyway, I didn’t think I had worked on my goals all week. It was a massively stressful week for me. I only slept a few nights and when I did sleep, I had crazy dreams and nightmares. Would wake up at two a.m. thinking it would be better not to sleep at all. Argh.

So, with all of that, it was at least good to see lots of green and yellow here. I guess the night I spent on the computer from 11:00 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. was good for something.

Here’s my list of goals for April, May, and June. Green highlight is goal accomplished (for the week at least), yellow highlight is goal at least worked on, red lettering is goal not even attempted. A Smiley face marks a goal completely done for the Round. 

A. WRITING

J 1. Finish a final edit of my novel, “The Truth Beyond the River.”  Done, on April 5.  

2. Continue tweaking my book proposal / query, as needed for each literary agent I intend to contact next. Tweaked that query and first chapter and emailed it to the third agent on my list on May 16.    

3. Write eight chapters on my next novel, which I am giving the working title of “New Old Spies.” I’m up to 1424 words and just started the second chapter. So, slowly pounding it out.

J 4. Write a piece to submit to the Guidepost Magazine Writers Contest (deadline June 10). Well, I wrote it, now just need to edit it some more (but still am giving it the smiley face).  

5. Write three posts per week for my other blog, “The Dino Chronicles”. Done.   

 

B. REACHING

1. Continue sending that proposal / query to each next agent on my list. As mentioned above, I emailed another query to another agent on May 16. (Current agent tally - submitted to 3, rejected by 2.) 

2. Submit the polished piece to Guidepost’s Contest. Totally rewrote it actually from last week, but it’s done, just needs editing.    

J 3. Submit a poem I wrote a while back to the next issue of Voices on the Wind Poetry Journal (deadline April 20). Submitted, accepted and published!      

3. Promote myself or a piece of my writing (whether it be promoting one of my books, submitting a piece somewhere, saying something brilliant about my writing on my social media, etc.) once a week. I started sending a private message about my writing to each new contact on my LinkedIn account. It’s time-consuming and I don’t think it really helps much, but it’s at least something.   

C. READING

1. Read the daily assignment in “Today’s Light” Study Bible. A couple weeks ago I got way behind but have been trying to catch up. Just checked and I am only two days behind!    

2. Read the daily devotion in “Jesus Calling”.  Still don’t have my Kindle, on which I had been reading this. Trying to read the other devotional I found, but it’s just not working as well for me. Which makes me feel like such a schmuck. Here’s the problem. My Kindle has the light on it so I can read it in bed in the dark and also I can make the font as big as I need to for my nearly blind eyes. In an effort to power through this set-back, I am reading this other devotional with two pairs of glasses on – I kid you not! It’s that kind of stuff – that tiny sacrifice which, well, I don’t know. If Jesus is calling me, I shouldn’t complain and instead should do my best.    

3. Finish reading three other books. Read two books while on the trip to Kenya and still haven’t started another one.  

D. REMAINING

1. Physical

a. Increase my water intake. Hmm? Not so much. Though some days are better than others.

b. Cut way back on my sweets intake. Hmm? Definitely not so much.

c. Do whatever my specialist says to do that is going to heal my heel.  I’ve been trying, am wearing my expensive pair of shoes and expensive pair of orthotics, but only at work. Have to behave more around the house.   

2. Home fires

a. Clean out my mom’s papers. Well, still working on that.  I still have not found that rather important paper which I lost, but I did go through all her papers yet another time. If I haven’t found it by Friday I will just have to get another one signed.

b. Do a major cleaning of one of my closets. Not yet.

c. Plant my garden. I planted my flowers, and am still waiting for someone to till my vegetable garden. Oh, I did turn over a small section of the garden, so I could get my peas planted.      

3. Tumaini Volunteers

a. Write the Policy and Procedure manual. Not started.

J b. Host two merchandise sales. Had two of them in April. And have another today, as you know.    

J c. Return to Kenya this Spring! As you already know! If you follow my other blog or follow me on Facebook, you may be reading more about it.  

Have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend.  

My artsy little pot with red, white and blue flowers in it.