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A Facebook friend recently posted about thinking about mortality. She asked if others thought about it and how they dealt with those thoughts. The responses varied from those who didn't dwell on it to those who gave it a passing thought every now and again.  I lost a good friend on December 10th, who was only 54. Her death hit me really hard, and I'll admit I started thinking about the brevity of life. Regardless of how long someone lives, it seems like the time goes by so fast. And while I don't dwell on the future or life that will take place after I'm gone, I do have moments of "Wow. One day I'm not going to be here." I think everyone does, and Mark Tyrell, a psychotherapist, advises us to "not try to not think about it." In other words, don't try to put it out of your mind if the thought arises.
But you can't let what the future holds keep you from living, either. I'll admit that, as a Christian, it helps knowing where I'm going, but I still try to live each moment of each day to the fullest. I want to leave a legacy behind, to matter, in essence. Don't we all? It might be easier said than done, but I believe that dwelling on life instead of death can help us live a better life. Do you think about the end of your life? What helps you when the thoughts come?
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For Christmas, I received a book with 300 writing prompts. One of the questions was if television was a complete waste of time or is beneficial in some way by providing enrichment and relaxation. I do watch TV to relax and to be entertained, but I also watch it to be educated, especially historical programs, cooking shows, and design shows.  Watching TV allows my brain to stop focusing on the work that's still left to be done and any problems of the day. For however long I choose to watch, I can tune out the world. That kind of relaxation is important because you can't be "on" 24/7.
Keith Rhys, who works with health professionals to help them become online authorities, says that watching TV can help you change your perspective and inspire creativity. He has gotten blog post ideas from watching television as have I. Inspiration is essential for writers, especially when we might be going through a bit of a slump. Of course, moderation matters. If you're zoning out in front of the television for several hours a day, that might not be a good thing. LIfeadvancer.com says that, according to a 2015 study by JAMA Psychiatry, people who watched more than three hours of TV a day performed worse on cognitive tests than those who didn't watch as much. And we all know that sitting in front of the box for too long isn't good for you physically. So restricting how much you watch can also be a good thing. What's your take on watching television? I'm choosing topics from various blog challenges this year, and the first one that really spoke to me was: If you could rid the world of one thing, what would it be? I had so many answers for this one. Things like hate, greed, homelessness, and hunger. Any one of these would work as I agree that they all shouldn't be a part of our world. But I think the one thing I would love to get rid of in this world is partisanship in politics.  I know it's unrealistic because everyone likes to choose sides, but if we could ever get to the point where a side isn't trying to win, if there were no Democrats or Republicans, just Americans, this world...our world...might be a better place. I'm sure other countries could reap the same benefit if parties didn't represent the people.
I mean, think about it. If our political world was a mixed blend of people who disagree on issues and they weren't backed by a party, they would have no choice but to work together. If, instead of parties against one another, we had Americans working together for a common good, imagine what could be done for this country! There would be less name-calling like "libtards" and "repugnants" in our vocabulary. We'd have to make compromises on every issue. Maybe this is pie-in-the-sky and I'm not seeing things clearly. It's possible, but this is the one thing I'd choose to erase from the world.  Every year I set goals rather than resolutions. Goals give me something to work toward while resolutions can be a bit intimidating, especially if you vow to do something every day and end up missing a day. So I set small goals, medium-sized goals, and big goals. I usually try to get the small goals out of the way first and slowly work my way up to the big ones, depending on what they are.
Years ago, when I first started writing goals, I would set deadlines to have my books published. Well, we know that's not always in our control so I changed it to getting the book finished or sending the book to the publisher. Those were goals I could control. I encourage you to choose five REALLY BIG goals that will change your life like finish your first manuscript, enroll in college, or take the trip to Spain, if you can. Big goals should be big for a reason; they should make you have to push yourself to achieve them. And it really helps to use a planner to keep track of these as you can write each week what you've done to work toward that goal! Happy setting, and welcome to 2019! |
AuthorMy thoughts, experiences, challenges, and goals. Right here. At least once a week or so. Oh, and opinions, too. Those will definitely come in. Join me! Archives
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