Me & Will after the 5th grade poetry reading. Aren't my teeth straight? Isn't Will a goofball?
I feel like I haven't been a good steward of this blog lately, stewardship being a theme of this household right now, for reasons I may or may not go into today, but probably will later. Now, the fact is, everything has its season, and it simply may not be the season for blogging. I have taught quite a bit this spring, and maybe this is a teaching season, not a blogging season.
This blog is a repository for almost seven years of my domestic life, and I want to continue with it. The other day I was feeling sort of sad because I hadn't spent enough time documenting Jack and Will's lives, and then suddenly occurred to me: I had documented them here! I read over some entries from back in the day and discovered things I'd completely forgotten about, like the time Will asked what Travis was going to be when he grew up. I'm so glad I wrote that down.
I keep a journal, intensively at times, other times (like now) more sporadically, but unless one of the boys is in some sort of crisis, mostly the journal is about me and my feelings. I use the journal to vent and obsess and release anxiety. So it's here, on this blog, that I document. I'm not much of a photographer--I lack talent and don't have much desire to take pictures, which I realize is odd in this age of the phone camera--but writing here has forced me to take pictures for illustration purposes, and I'm glad for that. It's been lovely especially, to see how our backyard garden has developed and changed over the years.
Does this mean I'll be blogging more? I don't know. Maybe. Maybe later. I think if I remember that years from now I'll want to remember, I'll do a better job. We shall see.
***
A quilting friend of mine and I are currently holding each other accountable for tracking our calories and steps every day. We've been doing this for over a week, and I've lost three pounds (she's lost four, but she's taller, which I think matters somehow). We each have goals we share in our daily emails; yesterday, Kristin added she wanted to quilt for fifteen minutes a day, and I added that to my goal list, too. I'm going to add one more goal, which is spot clean for fifteen minutes a day. In a few weeks, we're having a big party for my 50th birthday, and every day I've focused on a very small area of the house to clean. It keeps me from feeling overwhelmed.
I find the psychology here interesting. If I fail to record what I eat, then not only do I let myself down, I sort of let Kristin down, too. I feel responsible for doing what I said I'll do, because I think it will help her do what she said she'll do.
Do you have an accountability pact with someone? What do you want to be held accountable for in your life?
6 comments:
I like hearing tales from your life Frances. Your thoughts, struggles and joys hearten me and help me to know that my oddball ways are not-so-odd to someone who just doesn't happen to be in my face-to-face life.
I need an accountability partner I think. For now it's just me and my CalorieKing tracker. But I like seeing my little graph head in a downward direction so I fill it in most days. Interestingly my boss has had us set some professional goals and select an accountability partner to help us achieve the goals we've set ourselves. We'll see how it goes. In the meantime I'm loving my new boss - he's so humble, gentle and accepting of people. It's just so easy to be around him. Nothing like my old boss.
Weight loss- my OH and I are mutually accountable on this one- but he is taller, and seems to lose it faster than me.
We are also accountable to each other for keeping on track in personal spirituality. Which is a helpful thing.
Blogging is easier than journalling. I was decluttering and found a journal I'd kept back in London in the early 1990s. One day I had written pages about my problems with another member of my church. Re-reading it brought back the frustrations and pain. I threw the journal away! Why keep that?
I DO rant on my blog occasionally about 'issues' , but find it more helpful to tell God when people really hurt me, then ask Him to help me let go.
This is sounding too super spiritual. I have just made a pact with my best friend that she is going to come and stay in the summer and help me SERIOUSLY declutter. It is important than when you are accountable to somebody, you know that they care for you, and your best interests - and will love you unconditionally on the days when you fail.
I love your blog. I like blogs written by humans not paragons.
Blessings xx
I want to be held accountable for encouraging growth.
Children plants, spiritual development, various skill sets increased through both learning and teaching...encouraging.
That last sentence of yours was a good question.
Love the photo of you and Will! Keep that one.
I've always enjoyed reading your blog. You keep things real, and that is refreshing. I hope you keep on with it, but I do understand the seasons of life. I've been rather ho-hum about my blog lately too.
Accountability....hmmmm. I just don't think about that so much. I'm mostly about doing the next thing and doing my best (although I don't always measure up).
My first thought was about the picture you posted and how flawless your skin is...and remembering you are a couple of years older than I am. Not fair. :)
I've lost 10 pounds the past few weeks and this is big for meb because it was without tracking. That is always what gets me. I start writing and tracking happily but at some point as time passes I begin to resent it.
It's all mind games, but accountability is encouraging and good.
the only thing I do with great diligence is Bible devotions each morning. accountability partner? no one since Dave died.
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