Keeping Track
20 days without wine.
I have not had any booze for 20 days. They say it takes 21 days for a habit to form. I'm almost there. And it feels like it, too. This is getting easier, feeling good and I remember this nice transition when I began my Year Without Wine, too. I went for dinner last night with Husband. We sat outside at a little table for two. He had pasta. I had a cheeseburger. He had wine. I had water. We came home and watched Scandal. We went to bed early. It was a really good night. Not once did I want, or missing having, a glass of wine.
7 days of early morning writing.
For 7 days, I have woken up at 4:30am to work on my novel. This seems kind of nutty to me, rising at this insane time, but it has worked. My mind, it turns out, is flexible at this uncluttered hour. A little (or a lot of) coffee and I'm good to go. It's hard to get out of bed, but getting easier. Even this morning, after waking up several times with my nightmare-prone daughter, I was able to do it because I knew what the reward would be: words. Written and felt. My story has come together more in the last week than it has in the last year. Much of my writing has felt clunky and clumsy, but I have made connections, connected important dots, and I'm more in love with my characters than ever. (Real and imagined. Go figure.)
Accountability Is Everything. (To Me.)
Well, not everything. Certainly not everything. But something very important, or important to me. There are things in life that are downright vast and muddled - like overhauling one's lifestyle by giving up a habit, like setting out to write a novel - and it is too easy to get lost or give up. Keeping track can make all the difference. That's why I wrote this post announcing that I'm pursuing a dry life for the time being. Because by doing so I'm holding myself accountable to all of you, and much more importantly, to me. That's why I'm posting little morning updates on Instagram and Facebook about my early morning words. Because by doing so I'm holding myself accountable to all of you, and much more importantly, to me.
Inspiring or Annoying?
Are my wine and word updates inspiring or annoying? I've been asking this question and will continue to do so. I'm perfectly aware that they are probably both, that I am inspiring some and bugging others. Truth be told, at any given moment, I am inspiring or bugging myself. Aren't we all? Anyway, this keeping track, this recording of my efforts and my progress, is working. And so I will keep it up. Because I am getting somewhere - in my real life and in my fictional one - and that somewhere, though still a bit hazy, is good.
Partners in Crime.
I've always heard, and known, that it is easier to stick to a plan, or reach a goal, if you have buddies in the process, people there doing what you're doing, or simply supporting what you're doing. I'm appreciating this more than ever. I think one of the reasons I've not only been able to keep up with my wine and word plans, but have been excited about them, is that I have been hearing from some of you. Some of you are also not drinking for one reason or another. Some of you are also up at the wee hours creating. And if you are not doing these particular things, then you are there on FB or Instagram or here, playing the role of cheerleader. There is something immensely motivating about all of this.
Wait... I'm Not Supposed to Be Blogging.
Clearly, I'm not A+ at sticking with my ADR Summer Sabbatical. But here's the truth: I've learned so much by taking some time away to think about what I want this place to be. And it will be a different place going forward. I doubt that I will come here every day. I know that I will never put up a post just to put up a post. I will come here when I am inspired, when I think I have something important to say. This, right here, is one of those posts. One I had to write. Because this is what I'm thinking, realizing, celebrating at this very good moment in time and I want to, yup, keep track.
Oh & What's with the Mustache Madness?
Little Girl is obsessed with mustaches. She sleeps with her mustache pacifier. She loves her doggie mustache sweatshirt (yes, I'm an enabler). She's in love with the mustachioed guard at her future preschool. But I'm noticing that she might not be alone. There seem to be mustaches everywhere. Just this morning, after sending Big Girl off to her last day of camp, the littles and I popped by Crumbs. They begged for a cupcake and I was in a mellow mommy mode, so I said yes. Their pick? A Mustache Madness cupcake. See above for evidence. The funny thing? They didn't love it and barely ate any of it. Works for me.
Do you believe in keeping track? Does it help you to keep track of your progress in a tangible way or to have buddies/partners in your processes? Do you understand the current mustache fascination? Any fellow Scandalites?