Days 18 & 19

Some days you do, some days you don't

Day 18 was a don’t, or didn’t. I didn’t do a damn thing that rejuvenated me or sparked my inspiration or had me take a moment to reflect or breathe. I was on Go Mode all day. At one point I thought I might have 15 minutes to grab some ice cream, but a long line at the preceding store quashed that idea.

Ice cream is always an uplifter.

So, Day 19 dawns. I made sure I would have a moment to myself to just sit. So, after a mile walk through the woods with my pup …

I sat at the winery where I work weekends and enjoyed a seasonal brew. And I reflected on how awesome it is to work somewhere on a casual basis where you can enjoy yourself when you’re not actually working. How many of us can say that?

I also made sure I would make up for yesterday. I have a peanut butter cup sundae in the freezer waiting for me after I post this.

The October Project So Far

Fourteen or 15 chapters so far. Seven to go. That might change, however, because I added a chapter today—or, more accurately made one topic into two—pushing my goal back by one day. And every now and then I think, oh hey, I forgot about such-and-such, and I didn’t even mention you-know-who and that time that XYZ happened.

I have widened my expectations for what I will produce. That’s a good thing. It’s no longer a memoir-cookbook, and not even a cookbook-memoir. At this point, as a dear friend confirmed, it’s a food memoir where the food is just there as a touchstone for an event or a period in time.

The Miracle Whip sandwiches. The rarity of spaghetti and sauce. The meal of a hot dog in lieu of eating - I’ll just say it - my pet duck. Proust had his madeleines, and I have my apple cider donuts.

What are your touchstones? And how are you nurturing your own lifetime goals?