DAY 30: 30 DAYS OF BLOGGING

When I started this venture 30 days ago, I was not really sure what would happen. On multiple levels, I have been surprised. I didn’t really expect anyone to actually read what I wrote, well anyone besides my mom. I have been tickled pink to connect with both friends and family that have enjoyed my writing, as well as, to be of service to a few complete strangers. It is an honor to have each of you here in my little section of the world. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your interest and participation.

One of the surprises is that I didn’t expect that it would actually be both challenging and easy at the same time. Having my readers here and knowing that you are expecting my next piece has helped keep me honest, but so has the satisfaction of sitting down and sharing my thoughts. The challenging part, unsurprisingly, is that writing for 30 minutes every day does require that one’s day is structured. It also requires that one has time set-aside to be undisturbed. Or at the least, prepared to take advantage of moments in the day when it is plausible to write. Today I happen to be writing from a Cinema while we wait for the movie to start (yay! for reserved seating). I am in the lobby with a Starbucks to go…as we wait for Fast & Furious 8 to start. This is a date with my step-daughter who also lives in Toulouse. We couldn’t very well spend a weekend here with spending some time with her.

Yesterday, I made the choice not to write. I felt a mild twang of disappointment that it would mean I’d miss out on 2 or 3 days in total during the month, but that disappointment was worth the extra time spent with my husband and of course taking a nap. I did get in my 300 squats for the day. I don’t recall if I mentioned that in my original post, but my April goals included both writing for 30 minutes per day and 300 squats per day.

The squats, outside of my birthday, I did every day. Those results have also been surprising. By the end of the first week of squats, I could feel the difference in my running strength and speed. I am more stable when I run and I feel more powerful. I also realized that one reason almost every personal training program that you come across includes squats, is because they not only work a slew of leg and but muscles, but they also work your core (abs and back).

Ultimately, my month of writing 30 minutes per day and 300 squats per day has been exceptionally satisfying. On the writing front, I have been able to be both a bit vulnerable and connect with you, my readers, while also sharing some of my personal musings about the world and how things work. For the most part, my writing has also been improving as I am learning to focus more on the structure of my writing as a write. On the physical front, I feel both stronger and motivated to keep setting goals.

This, of course, leads me to consider my next set of goals. As I wrote in my birthday posts, I would like to become a faster and more efficient runner this year. Squats is the first step towards that goal, but more importantly, developing a consistent running schedule is also important. For this month I am going to set 7 goals in the realm of writing and fitness.

Physical Fitness Goals:

  1. This month I would like to get in runs on Monday, Thursday and Saturday morning.
  2. I will do 300 squats per day 3 times per week.
  3. 3 days per week I will do 200 squats plus my Core Envy work-out from Allison Westfahl, a trainer I have worked with over the years in Denver.
  4. I will continue to do yoga in my yard 3 days per week.
  5. My running goal is to be able to run 3k faster than 6 kph by the end of the month and to maintain a minimum of 6 kph for 5k.

Writing Goals:

  1. I am going to read about writing for 30 minutes per day. I have ordered a few grammar books. I am going to start with Eats, Shoots & Leaves and then move on to Strunk & White and a book of English grammar exercises that I bought, but which has yet to arrive.
  2. I am going to start 3 of my work days with 30 minutes of writing and so on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday you can expect to hear from my yet again. And on Wednesdays, I am going to spend 60 minutes going back and reading and revising my April blog posts.

And to end, once again I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to everyone who has found their way to my blog for this first month of my 40th year. I love you.