Hitting refresh

life

6 Dec

Do you ever feel like you want to restart? Just hit the refresh key and reload? That's me at the moment.For much of this year we've had family dramas, of which if you're a regular reader, you'll understand I can't go into. Things finally came to a head, which has caused a major change of which will take time to adjust to. Right now, the change is affecting everyone. Emotions are high, tempers short, nerves frayed. We can only hope time will heal wounds, and repair the situation. Time has to be our friend.I've never been one to dwell. Which is neither good nor bad. I move on quickly, but that doesn't mean that my scars don't run deep. In fact, they never quite heal. I'm just good at covering them up.So transmission will resume as normal around here. I'm pushing the refresh button, and although the page won't refresh exactly how I'd like, my outlook is hopeful, and positive.I thought it fitting to do a little catch up, or taking stock, to end this post. I love reading all those gorgeous Taking Stock posts that some other bloggers do, but I'm not a big fan of them myself as I tend to ramble on. I'll try to keep it short.NaNoWriMo: I won! Yes, I reached the magical 50,000 words of my rewrite a few days before the November 30 deadline. I went hard over the first fortnight and it paid off. And it's a good thing I did. The last week of November I wrote close to nothing!Writing: During NaNo, I decided I love working to a deadline. I find it motivating and it appeals to my gold-star-seeking nature. So, I've set myself another deadline; by the 24th of December I'm aiming to have the rewrite complete. I'm then planning to set it aside for the month of January and then tackle the edit, before sending it out to beta readers. (If you're interested in being a beta reader, shoot me a message!)Ideas: Despite everything occupying space in my mind, surprisingly I've found myself bursting with ideas. Blog post ideas, writing ideas, blog/business ideas. I've been frantically jotting them all down before they disappear, but let's just say, I'm excited for 2017.Believe: My word for this year. It's been at the back of my mind in everything I do this year. And honestly, I can say I've followed through. It's been that little motivator sitting on the edge of my ear saying, 'You can do it.' Just like I did with my 2015 word, Fearless, I'm taking Believe with my into 2017. Now to decide on my focus word for 2017! I feel like I'm building up my own cheer-army of words!Christmas: If I'm overwhelmed or stress, I find my urge to simplify strong. With Christmas almost upon us, it's made me reflect on much of the useless spending and waste that happens at this time of year. The mindless consumerism treadmill that we are on, only seems to be speeding up. So this year, I've really focused hard on gifting the children things that are useful, purposeful and meaningful. I want them to know that it's more than 'the thought' that counts. It's taking into account respectful and mindful purchases. It's thinking about experiences over 'stuff'. It's thinking about Christmas as a time to make memories with family, to soak in those precious moments. I know they won't 'get' all of this in their young years, but it's planting a seed. And despite everything, Christmas is going to be a fun time, spent with family, good food, and craziness (good craziness).Holidays: I'm really looking forward to having a good break over Christmas and January. I'll be taking the pressure off from writing, blogging, and concentrating on enjoying the time. It's been a hectic year, and I think we're all looking forward to our relax by the beach between Christmas and New Year, and then our week in Adelaide in January. I can't wait!