Resolutions

It’s that time of year again. Looking back at 2020. Maybe not the best year, but it had some good moments, too. It’s been tough going. No restaurants for us except take-out. And I MISS going out. We hardly go anyplace anymore. We even do most of our grocery shopping with our store’s click-it list and just pick up what we ordered. We’re becoming hermits, might not be able to socialize again.

Besides Covid restrictions, my sister died late May, and HH and I spent a lot of time helping my second sister empty her house. Mary did all of the sorting through things, because she and Patty were close, and Mary didn’t want to throw away anything that was important to her. We were just heavy labor and back-up, but that still took a lot of time. Mary hates to cook, so I’ve tried to send her enough leftovers to keep her from eating a deli sandwich at every meal. Between helping and cooking, we got to see a lot more of her and my cousin (who lives with her) than usual. When crying jags hit, I freed time to listen to her and be there. It made us closer. Nice during Covid.

Another nice thing? I hosted my writers’ club at my house once we were allowed to have meetings again. That way, we could catch up with each other and support each other. But we had to skip our Christmas carry-in when Covid numbers rose again. Sigh. I’m hoping we can get together sooner rather than later next year.

Near the end of the year, our grandson got out of the marines, and we got to see him once before he and his brother caught Covid from going out together to catch up. They’re young. A good thing. And they’ll be healthy again in time. Then we plan to have our Christmas get together in early January. Better late than never, right?

And January leads us into 2021. And maybe vaccines. The sooner, the better. And maybe we can see more people again. And go places. And do things. And that brings me to my resolutions for the new year.

1. I want to find more balance in my life. I love writing, but I’ve done a lot of it lately. There are other things I want to work into my regular routine, as well. I bought an exercise mat–and I use it when I don’t sit down at my computer and get hooked on writing first. So for 2021, I need to exercise FIRST, then write. I want to take the dog for walks at the end of my writing time each day (when there’s no ice or snow drifts), and I want to be outside more. I’ve been especially bad this year. I don’t stop what I’m working on so I can sneak in more pages. I need more pages, but I need sunlight, too. So, in 2021, I stop writing and start walking. And I want to NOT write or work on my computer on weekends. You can see a common thread here. Less time on the computer, and more time OUTSIDE of my office.
2. I want to start a new mystery series with a new protagonist, and I want to make her pricklier than usual. She’s been calling to me since early summer, to the point that I made character wheels for most of the main characters and did plot points and even wrote a few chapters to see if I liked them. I did. I know some writers can balance lots of different series, but I’m not sure I can. I’m not a fast writer. I just write a lot. I’ll have some tough decisions to make if I really like Karnie and her story lines.
3. I want to have more fun this year. Maybe a few short trips instead of one longer one. Maybe weekend trips where we just spend one night somewhere. (I know. After Covid). I want to spend more time in my flower beds, walking in the wonderful parks we have around town. Seeing friends. Just…MORE.

And you know what? Once I finish this book and start the next one, and once everything gets busy again like it usually does, if I don’t accomplish these goals…that’s all right. Because I have a pretty great life, as is, and I know it. So whether you make resolutions this year or not, I’m still wishing you a great 2021. Stay healthy and good luck! And happy writing!