My "one word" for 2021 is FOCUS. To be honest, it's not working all that well. My thoughts are like Yahtzee dice - spilling out from my mind, scattering everywhere. But hey, we're only in the third month of the year. That's still plenty of time to work my word!
WRITING
I recently redid my Writer's Manifesto. I love that it reminds me HOW I want to write, HOW I want my writing life to feel, to look. This time around, I emphasized having more fun and trusting the creative process.
READING
Two books I ended up liking more than I thought I would – Shiver by Allie Reynolds and The Woman Outside My Door by Rachel Ryan. I was pleasantly surprised to get so caught up in them!
WATCHING
Movies – "Come Play" was my kind of creepy and "Freaky" was the kind of campy horror movie that reminded me of "Scream."
WALKING
Seen on a walk:
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| Photo by Madeline Mora-Summonte, 2021 |
Okay, I actually see this every day . . . because it's in front of our house! We had this bougainvillea planted soon after we moved in because we wanted a spot of color, one I'll hopefully be able to see from my office window soon. But we never realized how many people would enjoy our little tree, too. One lady even told my husband that she looks forward to riding her bike by it every day. (Fingers crossed my husband and I won't ruin it with our not-so-green thumbs . . . .)
Miles walked as of 2/25/21 = 51/500. We passed the first official milestone! (Click here if you're wondering what this craziness is all about.)
Do you have "one word" for 2021? If so, how's it working for you? Do you have a Writer's Manifesto or going to give one a try? Have you read or watched something that surprised you with how much you liked it? Is there anything on your route that brightens your walks or drives?
Your bougainvillea is stunning. What are the bushes in front of it?
ReplyDeleteI think we might've lost some of our more tender plants after that brutal 10 days of freezing weather. I'll have to wait and see what comes back to life.
Thank you! The bushes are ixora. They do have flowers but they're not blooming right now.
DeleteFingers crossed your plants come back healthy and strong! :)
That is one very bright bush.
ReplyDeleteI see hawks and black squirrels on my walk every morning.
It's definitely eye-catching. :)
DeleteWe see lots of birds, too. My favorites are the sandhill cranes and the cormorants.
Love the emphasis on having fun and trusting the creative process. I don't have a writer's manifesto, but I wonder if I should give it a try.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on reaching your first mileage milestone!
I saw a baby sandhill crane the other day when I was out, walking around with its parents. Too cute!
Give it a try, MJ. If you follow the links, it'll take you to the main article, to where I first came across it.
DeleteThank you! Slowly but surely.... :)
Oh, I love seeing the baby cranes! Don't they look like little fuzzy ducklings when they're so small?
Having fun while writing is important. I'm focusing more and am trying to write or revise most days.
ReplyDeleteIt really is, and the older I get, the longer I do this, the more often I forget that. But I do sometimes worry that people think I mean "fun" as in "whoo-hoo, writing is easy, it's like a party every time I sit down to write, etc." If only. :)
DeleteTotally understandable! Maybe you should pick a new word, like RECOVERY or HEALING or HEALTH?
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely plant... erm, tree? I'm not very green-fingered - my friend is always pointing out plants to me by name and she's slowly learning I can only respond to 'the pink/yellow/orange one' :-)
ReplyDeleteFocus is a great word. I should probably steal that from you because at the moment I'm flitting around and not achieving much.
Congrats on your walking milestone. Here's to the rest!
It's a tree, but bougainvillea can be seen as a shrub or climbing a trellis, so you're close. :)
DeleteWhen I remind myself to focus, I find it really does work. It's like head down, blinders on, get to it. The trick is remembering to remind myself. :)
Thank you!
I love bougainvillea but don't think it would care much for Colorado. I didn't even get to see my new crabapple trees bloom last spring because a late hard freeze took out the flower buds. My word for 2021 is HEALTH -- I got both of my COVID shots and am now going to work to correct the bad eating habits and do more walking (now that the weather is improving, that will be easier).
ReplyDeleteBougainvillea are pretty hardy, but I don't think they're Colorado weather-hardy. :)
DeleteThat's a great word! I like it because it can encompass so many aspects of our lives - physical, mental, emotional, etc. Good luck with the eating and the walking!
I love bouginvillea and yours is very pretty :)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if I should make "chocolate" my word of the year?
Thanks, Ellen!
DeleteHa! Does that mean you get to eat more of it? If so, I'm changing my word. :)
I don't think I have a word. Maybe I do? But if I do, I can't think of it. And I don't have a manifesto either. Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the TV Series Why Women Kill. It left me mulling over the potential outcomes until the end. They'll have to get a brand new cast and storyline if they do another season, but the first one was well done and left me thinking about it afterward.
Good job at passing your first walking milestone!
If you want a word or a manifesto, it's not too late. It's only March!
DeleteI've never heard of that TV show, Loni. Sounds intriguing!
Thank you!
Focus is a great word for the year! There is so much you can do with it. I have a phrase - New Beginnings. My recent status as a widow has made me rethink and reevaluate pretty much everything about my life. I want to embrace the idea that it's okay to start over, to do things a bit differently, or just try something new.
ReplyDeleteI use "focus" in small ways, like when my mind wanders from the task at hand, but also in large ways, like checking in with myself before I start a project to see if it's really what I want to be doing, how I want to be spending my time.
DeleteI think "new beginnings" is an excellent phrase because, like you said with "focus", there's so much you can do with it. And I know you'll do a lot with it. And then some. :)
Because my mind shouts "squirrel" every time I pick "one" thing, I have a few words this year, but the main one is "Invited" because I feel invited to give thanks, to heal, to sing, to choose, to create, and to adventure (all the other words), and I want to invite others to come along, too. :) I would say the main word just kind of is about my attitude, and the others are actually stuff I'm doing...sort of. It's a work in progress.
ReplyDeleteLove the bougainville - bougainvillea - whew, I don't think we have those here, and I don't know how to spell or say that word. It's a beautiful tree. :)
Happy walking and writing and congrats on meeting your goal miles!!!
Maybe your word should be "squirrel"? That way it gives your mind permission to skitter everywhere. :)
DeleteI still always have to check on how to spell bougainvillea.
Thanks, Tyrean!
Focus is my middle name. Being a Sagittarian leaves me no choice. It can be blinding chasing after my goal and frustrating because I can only manage one at a time. Let's hope when you get there, you have an easier time of it. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
I used to be way more focused, but the older I get the more scattered I seem to be. Sigh. I really have to work for it now.
DeleteTwo words for 2021. Carry on. I love your bougainvillea too!
ReplyDeleteYou can do it, Liza.
DeleteI'm glad! :)
Fifty-one miles is awesome, Madeline! 👏 Your bougainvillea is gorgeous! I do double takes for bougainvillea every time! Happy writing in March!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteI do double takes, too, whenever I see gorgeous plantings. Some people have such green thumbs - I'm jealous! :)
I have so much on my plate right now, I don't think there is one word to describe it. Maybe 'family' because they make me smile when the mess gets me down.
ReplyDeleteWhatever makes you smile is a good thing, Susan. :)
DeleteI never thought of choosing a special "one word" for the year, but your choice of focus is a good one. Lots of possibilities cross my mind, but I think maybe "perspective" kinda covers a lot of them. Being able to see the big picture and to appreciate what has been and what is yet to come is empowering. Lee Lowery's pick of "new beginnings" is spot on. Being widowed changes everything, but reinventing ourselves enables us to keep going.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on making it to 51 miles! (Well, I'm sure it's a lot more by now...) You shouldn't have any trouble at all making it to the full 500. :)
Your bougainvillea is absolutely gorgeous!
Take care, sweet lady, and Happy Easter!
Thank you for the reminder. Apparently, I need to focus on remembering my "one word" for the year. Sigh.
DeleteThank you! We should get to 100 miles soon. Fingers crossed!
Happy Easter to you, too! :)