Day 18: TAKE DOWN THE OUTDOOR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS Yes, it is January 28. Yes, our Christmas lights are still hanging in our front yard. Yes, my husband was supposed to take them down before he left. Yes, the lights look tacky. So yes, today I will unwind them from the trees, neatly stash them in […] Read more…
Operation: Appreciation
Day 17: MAKE A LIST OF ALL THE THINGS I’M THANKFUL FOR When your husband is gone, your house is in disarray for reasons beyond your control, your kids are cranky, you just can’t shake that cough, and you haven’t been to the gym in 4 days, it’s difficult to feel appreciative. So that’s exactly […] Read more…
Operation: Meditation
Day 16: SET A TIMER FOR EVERY HOUR AND TAKE 3 DEEP BREATHS I am a worrier. I hold stress in my upper back and shoulders. And I rarely allow myself to relax because there is always something that needs to be done. Sometimes it isn’t until the end of the day when I crash […] Read more…
Operation: Edification
Day 15: ATTEND AN ORGANIZED WRITERS’ GROUP A million years ago I wrote a children’s book. After a year of rejection letters from publishers, I gave up, partly out of frustration, partly because we were moving to Japan, a location not very conducive to meeting up with other writers. I have decided it’s time to […] Read more…
Operation: Delegation
Day 14: DELEGATE CHORES TO THE KIDS INSTEAD OF DOING EVERYTHING MYSELF I’m not feeling well today. My head feels like it’s about to explode, I have a nasty cough, and my skin is crawling. (Great, just in time for single parenting to commence.) I was planning to do this challenge today anyway, but what […] Read more…
Operation:Capitulation
Day 13: WATCH “DAS BOOT” My husband and I love putting the kids to bed and watching a good movie. For 10 years, he has been trying to convince me to watch the movie “Das Boot.” And for 10 years, I have declined. I think I’ve attempted to watch it twice, but it’s about a […] Read more…
