Almost the New Year…

Resolutions, solutions and evolution.

A new year is very often the catalyst to make changes in our lives and I am no different.

But long gone are the days of starting a new habit as of January 1 or attempting to do something that really isn’t “me” just because I think I should…

2019 is going to be about being more of me, with no apologies and moving on to other things.

Yes, the time has come for me to move on…

No, I’m not leaving WordPress but I will soon convert this blog space into more of a “writer’s platform”.

I’ll still post content here from time to time but I’ll be focusing most of my time on just writing and my newsletter (which I have neglected since last summer).

My newsletter is where I’ll be sharing:

• excerpts from upcoming stories;
• general personal updates; and
• musings about life in general

So, if you’ve enjoyed my fiction and/or writing over the past few years, feel free to subscribe to my newsletter. And if you don’t subscribe, no worries and no hard feelings. Not everyone is interested in reading fiction.

If you are more interested in my creative non-fiction and musings related to being a woman and/or 40+, and/or a woman of color in this day and age, fell free to check out my other blog, Spilling Lemonade, where I plan to post when the spirit strikes me.

Have a wonderful New Year’s Eve, stay safe, take care of yourself and see you in 2019!

Bisous,

M

The title says it all, right?

Here is link to a bunch of videos in Youtube if you type in “self care routines“.

The videos are just to provide a little inspiration, nothing more. Remember, some Youtubers promote certain products (etc.) because they may be financially benefiting from said promotion.  You don’t have to follow exactly what others are doing.

I’m still developing my own routine/rituals but I know that the Miracle Morning will be a big part of it and keeping Sundays as my zen day for re-energizing.

What will some of your self-care routines be?

Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.

We all know the bad habits of smoking, eating too much sugar, driving too fast, not drinking enough water, checking your cell too often…

In this post, I’m talking about replacing certain habits with better ones by being a little more mindful…

I’ve found success recently with a number of small habit changes like…

…picking up the phone instead of emailing ir texting. Result = less time online.

…thinking it through before accepting or refusing something second hand. Result = avoiding having to dispose of the item at a later time when I realize I really didn’t need it.

…scheduling my coffee maker the night before. Result = fresh coffee as soon as I get up and no buying it on my wy to work.

What one habit could you replace with a better one today? 

Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.

Since having my own space, gardening and home improvements have been my hobbies for a number of years.

For me, a hobby is an activity that you look forward to doing and that when you are doing it, you don’t see the time fly by.

I found my way back to fiction writing almost 4 years ago but I’d like to resuscitate the hobby of baking and cooking I had in my teen years, inspired by the Saturday PBS cooking shows I loved to watch in the 1980s before the Food Network was a “thing”.  Jacques Pepin, The Frugal Gourmet, Julia…

A few Chrismas’ ago, someone bought me a 365 day recipe book but I have yet to dive in.

If you have a hobby that you haven’t pursued in a while, resuscitate it. And if you don’t have one, have fun trying out different things – take a painting or photography class, jewelry-making, start a blog, volunteer for an organization…anything that you think you may enjoy and that will keep you and your mind engaged.

What hobby have you been neglecting?

Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.

I’m sure that I’m not the only one who bends their boundaries depending on the circumstances.

Yes, being flexible is important but bending too many boundaries one too many times can be detrimental.

Like offering to be available for work emergencies when you are officially on vacation or allowing the neighbors to leave their kids with you for the umpteenth time (under the guise of a play date) while they are off doing who knows what…

I’m sure that a number of ways that you bend your own boundaries comes to mind.

I’ve started jotting down the problems that occur or how I feel whenever I don’t stick to my boundaries and just the act of writing my boundaries down is serving as a great reminder of why I need to stick to them.

Do you always stick to the boundaries you have set?

Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.

If you are a “reader, you have a preference for the types of things you read.

Maybe it’s fiction, autobiographies, comic books…

Contemporary fiction has always been my go-to but I’ve realized that by increasing my reading of memoirs, autobiographies and other non-fiction, it is  giving me not only knowledge about things, people and places that I never would have had before bu also story ideas.

I’m wondering if I can challenge myself to one each month…only time will tell.

How does this fit in with self-care? For me, it’s a matter of opening up my mind to learn more.

Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.

If it’s one thing I have learned, trusting my gut has never led me in the wrong direction…until I follow my “brain” by doing things I think I “should” do.

That’s when things can go haywire.

Your soul knows what’s not good for you and developing a better habit to listening to those cues can only be a good thing.

What about you? Do you always trust your gut?

Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.