Happy 2020!

So it’s a New Year (in the Gregorian calendar) and aside from all the jokes about having terrific vision this year (2020 eyesight and all that), it is, like all New Year celebrations, another NEW beginning; I wrote about new beginnings this past October.

So what makes THIS new beginning different from all other New Year events? Well for one this New Year is based on the Gregorian calendar and seems to be more universal, most times even people who observe religious and ethnic based festivities also celebrate the coming of January 1. The Gregorian calendar is accepted as the most widely used calendar as it most closely represents the Earth’s spin around the Sun.

Most of us will probably, as in many years past, need a while to get used to writing the “2020” in our checkbooks and other correspondence. Luckily for those of us who make use of EFT (electronic fund transfers) through our online banking apps will send our check payments out with the correct date thanks to the computerized systems. But snail-mailed greeting cards and letters, for those few still doing that, will provide enough challenge, lol.

Here’s some fun facts about the year 2020: It’s a leap year since it is divisible by four (4), which means that there are 366 days instead of the usual 365 — this allows for the approximately one-quarter extra day per year that the Earth moves around the Sun, or exactly 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 46 seconds. This year February 29 is a thing! By the way did you know that the turn-of-the-century years, even though still divisible by four, are NOT leap years? This is because years that are equally divisible by 100 are excluded… I have no idea why.

October 2020 will make the 438^th anniversary of the Gregorian calendar, its predecessor was the Julian calendar (named for Julius Caesar). The Gregorian calendar was named for its creator, Pope Gregory XIII (with the assistance of undisclosed and uncelebrated astronomers). It seems that the approximately 11 minutes per year that the Julian calendar did not take into account threw the observance dates of certain Christian holidays askew. The new Gregorian calendar specifically allows for 365-days per year with an extra day every year divisible by four (February 29), and centuries divisible by 400 (otherwise years divisible by 100 are excluded).

Whew, I am glad I didn’t have to do the math!

Most people still make resolutions, ideas of things to better themselves, every New Year. And then most people break those well-meaning resolutions after only a few weeks (if they are that lucky to last that long). The new concept recommended by therapists and life-guides is to set goals WITH plans of how to reach those goals so that we each have a “road-map” to guide us. Part of reaching January is to let go of the past year — that doesn’t mean forgetting! Build on what happened last year, it taught you lessons, maybe you met new people, maybe you lost someone dear, but it was a definite part of making YOU. Let go of the disappointments, know that you have a chance to re-do most of what you didn’t manage in the year before.

Perhaps that fact that this year is 2020 and allows for all the jokes about vision is a sign… It’s a new year, and a new time to evaluate ourselves and work towards doing better. It’s a time for us to treasure our friendships especially those that have traveled the many years with us. Be sure to celebrate the person you’ve become, you reached this day, this year and this new opportunity.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A Time for Resolutions — #MondayBlogs

The first week of a new year and of course everyone is doing it, making their resolutions OR declaring that they aren’t making resolutions. Some people are discouraged that they dropped last year’s resolutions long before any made a difference in their lives; sometimes that’s a repeated pattern year-after-year until the person simply decides to give up and doesn’t even try.

Alleged experts say that “independent surveys” have shown that only about 40-percent of resolutions are still being “kept” after three months. So why is this failure (for lack of a better word) rate so high? I would imagine that most people want some kind of improvement in their lives and making a decision that could positively affect them sounds like a good idea.

I’m making a few resolutions, but I am not stopping there. Make your list of resolutions; these should be things that YOU would like to see come to be in your life, if you don’t care you won’t make the effort. Now let’s say you have five to ten items on your list, do it like an outline with each resolution being numbered. Under each resolution list the things you have to do in order for that resolution to happen. Under each “project” set a timeline and/or a date it should be done by. Steps and timelines make up your goals and are tangible things you can actually achieve. Remember to keep these resolutions and dates realistic.

For instance, one of my resolutions this year (as in previous years) is to make more money, so that would be number one. What steps am I going to take to make this resolution happen? If I put (under sub-topic A) win the lottery, that is an unrealistic step because while it COULD happen (hey, I have hopes), it is not something I have control over. Yes, I can say play the lottery regularly to perhaps increase my chances, you have to be in it to win it after all, but again that is NOT a step to take to fulfill making more money. Something I do have control over is seeking out more paying clients and writing more. Realistically I can set “dates” by knowing my capabilities as a writer (aka word count) and the time I can devote to writing to know how much work I can take on in any given time period.

What are some of my other resolutions? I want to get more organized. I want to learn new things and keep my mind active. My next resolution is a common for lots of people, I want to improve my health. I plan to see family and friends more often and if distance makes that difficult, stay in touch with them. I want to read more. And I want to find time to simply “meditate”. For each of these resolutions (desires/wants) I will list achievable steps towards that result. It’s like drawing a roadmap to your destination instead of floundering around knowing what you want to happen but having no idea how to make it happen. Making the same resolutions you made and didn’t keep last year will probably fail again without a gameplan.

If you stray from your self-assigned tasks, you can go back to it, don’t just give up. Sometimes even when you think you have full control over a situation, things can happen unexpectedly so just adjust and stay on track. You may have estimated your time based on current performance and abilities, but emergencies and illnesses can change that in an instant. Or you might find that you underestimated yourself. Every (not less than) two to (not more than) six months reevaluate your resolution list with tasks and timelines and fine-tune wherever you see the need. If you make a plan you will have a better chance of satisfying yourself and look forward to making new resolutions next year. Keep making plans until you find one that works.

Happy 2016!

Plan your way there

Year End Back-look ~ #MondayBlogs

One of my New Year’s resolutions will be to stop procrastinating and putting things off to the last minute — I guess that’s the reason I’m not waiting to the last week of the year to write this.

I look back and wonder what I’ve accomplished this year. I haven’t written nearly as much FICTION as I wanted to, but I have increased my NON-fiction business and, almost sadly, I make more money at that so… Since it’s fiction that I want to write, am I selling myself out? Or like many others who can’t survive on their books alone, am I just working towards paying bills and just lucky that my “daytime job” is also writing. It’s a hard decision to decide priorities when one is your dream and the other is your mortgage.

Hubby and I want to get our house in order as we are nearing retirement years and want the opportunity to actually consider the proverbial downsizing. Somehow my closets seem to have some kind of fertilizer though and every time I THINK I’ve pared one down, it just seems to still overflow! And after 35-years in this house and my impossible sentimentality, it is just plain hard to go through draws and files deciding what to actually keep and toss. Besides this is a house that raised a family so the memories have a way of grasping and nearly paralyzing my physical being, …so hard to get things done.

Time! Every day seems shorter and shorter, and I am not just talking about the approach (actually today) of the winter solstice. It’s so difficult to believe that each day has the same 24-hours it always has (give or take the actual few minutes). I remember a time when I actually had time to do things like my work, my dishes, and most importantly stay in touch with people I care about. I feel as if I’m busy, busy, busy and yet a look back and it doesn’t seem that I’ve gotten much accomplished at all. Sometimes I worry that life is rushing by and I am missing out.

A couple of years ago I began an exercise program, but thanks to real health issues (yes, yes, confirm it with my doctor!) I’ve slacked off somewhat and can’t seem to literally get back on track. Mentally I feel about half my age which was a time I had ENERGY, lol. Somehow the energy has retired before I’ve reached that age myself. Our bodies change as we get older, everyone tells me that, so shouldn’t it stand to reason that it feels fresh and renewed once in a while? Instead I wake up with the same, and a few more, problems I had when I went to sleep.

I do look back at the past year and I’ve had a lot of precious moments and I am busy trying to save mementoes in the most compact manner possible in keeping with the downsizing desire. I’ve spent time with family but it’s never as much time as I want. And I have made a habit of saying nightly prayers and most importantly being thankful for my many blessings; that’s something that does make me feel good.

I think after all the looking back I tend to do at this time of year I can make a one word resolution for 2016 —

TIME

·       2016 is the year I will work on time management

·       2016 is the year I will make time for family and friends

·       2016 is the year I will remember all of the good times

·       2016 will be the year I make time to think before speaking

·       2016 will be the year I make MORE time to write my fiction

·       2016 is the year I will look forward in time and not dwell on the past

·       2016 is the year I will make time to take care of myself so that I can be here to give time to my family

·       2016 will be the year that I won’t take anything for granted and I will take the time to say Thank You to everyone in my life

A Look Forward

Every year authors end with a look back with resolutions and wishes for bright new year; I'm no different.

2014 was a year of highs and lows in my personal life. I lost a very dear cousin this year, younger than me and a wonderful friend and confidant, and like the rest of the family I miss her.

2014 was also the year that our son, our youngest, took a bride. The wedding was magnificent (the kids did it themselves), our new daughter-in-law is beautiful, and both of them are very happy with each other. Our oldest child, a daughter, was married in 2007. As parents it is a blessing to look at your precious children and know that they have partners who will love them, care for them and stand by their side.

So 2014 is also the year that my husband and I — with 39 years of marriage under our belts — are now back to being "just a couple"... although honestly once you are parents you never stop.

Mark and I are now in a position to look seriously at our future, we're not as young as we were the last time we were "just a couple". We're looking at our home, it's a beautiful home and one where we raised our family, and we are talking about downsizing and living in a home that will allow us to grow old (in 30 or 40 years...) comfortably. It's a fascinating study to examine your own life and see how your priorities change through the years.

Looking forward to 2015 I plan to do a lot more writing. I had a holiday themed short story published in 2014 but most of my published writing was in the non-fiction journalistic world instead of the novels I so love penning. I'm good at the articles though, please forgive my ego, and I would love to hear if you come across any of my articles the next time you thumb through your local paper. Since I often write for a company that sells supplements to various North American publications, you might actually get to read my non-fiction work now and then, and I would love to hear about it; I write under the my name as Chelle Cordero.

The 17th Annual Preditors and Editors Readers' Poll is open for voting through January 14 and I'd like to ask for your support and votes for me and my fellow Vanilla Heart Publishing authors - I would love to see a strong VHP showing this year. Please take a look at my recommended list here.

Another important goal belongs to my family. My brother-in-law, Del, needs a kidney and we've been reaching out for potential living donors; a living donor is really the best chance for a recipient. As my sister explains, "Many years ago Del was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) a genetic disorder characterized by the growth of numerous cysts in the kidneys. In 1968 Del lost a kidney to PKD and has been managing for the past 46 years with his remaining kidney."  If you know of someone, or yourself, who would consider donating a kidney (the average person has 2 but you only need 1), please consider getting tested: please contact Robert Wood Johnson Transplant Center, New Brunswick, NJ at (732) 253-3699 or 1-877-NUKIDNEY and follow the prompts for the living donor program. Tell them you are calling on behalf of Del Du-Bois.. Even if you are not a compatible match, there are "Paired Donations", you can give a kidney to a stranger and in turn save a loved one's life. Please help spread the word about our need — hang a note on your church/synagogue/temple bulletin board, notify folks at work, talk it up at your social club — we appreciate anything you can do to help us. For more info about Paired Donations http://www.paireddonation.org/index.htm

My wish for all of you in the coming year is peace, happiness, good health, the love and warmth of family and friends, shelter and security, success in your endeavors, and as many good things that can possibly come your way. I hope your celebration is fun, memorably pleasant and safe.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your life.

~Chelle