Hey Blog! Long time, no see!

I went through the stats of my blog, and I’ve written a grand total of three times since the beginning of November and not once this December. Sometimes, these stats are fun to look at, but they were telling to me.

#tellingyouwhatyoumightask

  1. I. Am. Tired. My kids are out of the house (kind of) but I feel like I’ve been busier than ever before. True, basketball season just ended, but even with that, it seems like I’ve gotten less sleep worrying about stuff going on at home and at school. I love my job, but sometimes I wonder what my job is doing to me. I need to do something to deal with the stress, which leads me to Number 2.
  2. I know I’m tired, but I need to find an exercise routine. Three years out from a cancer operation and very mild stroke, I don’t feel healthy. My weight is up, my energy is down, and I know things need to change. But, the “gym” in the nearest town is $70 a month for the two of us, which is a lot of cash in our strained budget. The more inexpensive route takes us 10 miles out of the way, and if we work out together, we are getting home at 6:30 PM two nights a week.
  3. I read a blog titled, #AMonthofFavs This Is How I Blogged in 2019, by Akilah. In it, she talks about missing the weekly check-ins, which I’ve missed as well. Two Writing Teachers does a great job of getting their weekly Slice of Life out there, and I’ve just not made the time. I miss those connections and have to find that time to write.
  4. I need to write. It’s evident in the last couple of months that writing is good for me, for my mental health, and for my overall state of mind. I’m not sure how many people around my area even know I do this, but there are some, so I can’t tell some of the stories I’d want, but just letting go of some of the emotions needs to happen.
  5. You have stories when you have friends to create stories within the community. We’ve been outsiders looking in for many years, and it may lead to some personal changes in our own lives as to where we call home. A former student, Kara (author of the blog, For All the F Words), writes about things she’s NOT envious of at the end of her current blog: “Oh, and living in a place where I don’t have an army of friends willing to move mountains for me “.  I am extremely envious of her having found this as it shows in the stories she can tell. My stories of friendship and craziness are limited to say the least.
  6. I am average. I’m an average teacher on a good day, an average parent, average husband. I’ve got my good days and my not so good days, and I know self-reflection is a b*tch, but I look in the mirror and don’t see exceptional. Josiah Samual Harry (author of the blog, Skylarity) rattles off some startling statistics in his most recent writing about being average. Things like the average American watches 33 hours of TV a week, spends two hours a day on social media, and has less than $1,000 in savings (check out his blog here).

Good grief, dude, you got all that from looking at your statistics about your blog?? No, not exactly, but the lack of writing leads to reflecting on WHY you aren’t writing. The “whys” in life are sometimes tough to swallow, as self-reflection often is. Seeing a half dozen unfinished blogs in my draft folder tells me that I’m not getting things done. It makes me wonder what else I’m not getting done. I started strong with my “Mr. J’s Don’t Forget Stuff” notebook. I need to find that notebook and pull it out again. Writing not only means purging and storytelling, it means asking yourself, “what’s next,” and getting it on paper so you follow through.

So, what do I do now? Relax. As Christmas Break has started, my resting heart rate is down. I know I have to start exercising, so I’m finding free options online, and I’m writing. Yes, it’s 2:20 AM, but I found myself tossing and turning, so I’m using this bit of insomnia to my advantage. Things don’t change overnight, and I hate change. But, for my own well being, things need to, and that’s what I plan on doing.

And if I don’t “see” you, have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, or Happy Festivus. I hope you are finding peace, and keep that peace with you in 2020.

I know I will try to do the same! 🙂