Chicory Blue: January 2013

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Focus

Last year I stumbled upon a new kind of New Years Resolution. One Word. I was intrigued. And then I forgot about it. Someone I know raved about a book called My One Word. I put it on request at the library and forgot about it.
Then, again at New Years, I stumbled on a website which was a part of this One Word movement. Ironically, the library book I requested came in just after New Years. And I was hooked.

Every year I set New Years resolutions for myself. Every year my list was some variation of this: Grow my nails long, lose weight, exercise more, get organized, take better pictures, learn to use my camera, scrapbook all those pictures, better work paperwork, have a systematic approach to my speech therapy, have a kid, check into fertility treatments, adopt a kid, get financially sound, etc. etc. etc. Do you know how many of those resolutions I just listed I actually achieved? not very many-and never the first year on my list. Life happened.

Focus

That is my word for the year. THAT is what this new concept is about. Don't make a list of resolutions.

BE the resolution.

Pick a word. One word.

A word that represents the change you want in your life. Live that word all year.

Focus

My life feels scattered and unorganized. I struggle with doing things. I get distracted. I leave things unfinished. I flit from one thing to another, rarely finishing one before starting another, or 3.

Focus

This is something I need desperately in my life. The ability to focus on one thing. Not to be playing words with friends, reading blogs, on facebook, talking to my husband and watching TV all at the same time-which just described my normal night. My days and nights blur. Weekends go by with nothing accomplished on my to-do list, yet nothing stands out as having stood in the way most days-no fun, no outings, no crisis. nothing. FOCUS is clearly needed here.

At work, I have at least 17 projects started. And paperwork. Only those with a deadline get finished. I procrastinate, I talk to teachers (about work stuff, but still-we have the same conversation about the same kids doing the same thing and what should we do and if only.......every.single.day.) I need to FOCUS on work. Not scatter myself around it.

I need to Live in THIS moment. Work on ONE thing and FINISH it. Be present and not scattered everywhere.

My word for the year is FOCUS. At the end of the year, my hope is to feel less scattered and much more focused--and that other things-things that would typically be "on my list" for New Year's Resolutions-will move along-or not...but that THIS year I will FOCUS on living my life and loving what happens because of it.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

I read almost 70 books this year-I wish there was a way to tally all the blogs I read, too. That would account for 100 books total-I am sure! I seem to spend more time on the computer "reading" than actually reading books. This upcoming year I do have a solution, though! My sweet husband gave me a Kindle Fire! So books are always at my fingertips! I am sure I will top 100 books this way!
So on to the list:
Favorite book of the year: Ready, Player One by Earnest Cline
Favorite Classic: Pride and Prejudice
Favorite new (to me) series: The Fever Series, by Karen Marie Moning, Actually, the audiobooks are awesome! So listen to them if you can.
Favorite Book Club book: In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote
Other recommended reads The girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, Steig Larsen Little Women, Louisa May Alcott Graceling, Kristin Cashore Life of Pi, Yann Martel (This was a very good audiobook) His Majesty's Dragon (listen on audiobook!) Pillars of the Earth
Receommended for SLP's: Carly's Voice: Breaking through Autism, Aurthur Fleischmann (makes me look at my students with autism and go hmmm...)

****The interesting thing about my entire list is every book-All of my favorites-except Graceling, In Cold Blood and Carly's Voice-were "read" in audiobook format. I can say that this format greatly enhances books as I tried to read Little Women and Life of Pi in the past and they didn't appeal to me...but as audiobooks they were wonderful.

Here are all of my reads for 2012: