On Wanderwood Lane
The fictitious setting of a very REAL life.
Edge of Thirty-Seven
Depending on when you are reading this, I am either on the edge of 37 or, in fact, 37 years old.
Blogs aren’t the place for writing books so I can’t fully describe here, all that 36 was filled with, however, I can tell you that everything it brought me put me in a very reflective headspace earlier in the week and has led to what you are about to read.
I typically leave brainstorming and goal setting in the pages of long forgotten (or possibly even tossed) journals BUT in 2018 I wrote down a few things that come the end of the year, did in one form or another become things that happened. It was mind blowing.
So, when I found myself in that same state, I went with it. What it ended up looking like is 5 BIG goals for year 37, then the same with daily/weekly/monthly ideas and I am going to share them with you!!
The BIG 5
- See LOVE in ALL it’s forms and ALL it’s magic~ If you’ve been following along, this year I opened myself up to romantic love (after a 10 year hiatus) and while I am still very open to it and very HOPEFUL, I have realized that post such a long hiatus, I get singular focus…which isn’t a good thing. In it, I stop listening to the people that already love, accept and champion me and I try to prove my worth to a stranger. Everyday, I am surrounded with love…a wonderful family, amazing friends, the best clientele I could ask for, and nature (a love letter itself). When I feel alone, love isn’t far away, if I am paying attention and leaning in to ALL aspects of it, it will show off in ways I can’t even imagine. THAT’s what I want in year 37…525,600min of measuring my life in LOVE ❤ ❤ ❤
- Submitting my writing, Fiction or Non Fiction to a publisher~ I have been writing for years. For most of my adulthood, I have kept journals and participated in writing projects, and as of the past 6 years, I have been blogging a good bit. When I am not doing that, I am writing letters to pen pals, and in this past year and a half, I’ve even written some slam poetry. NOTHING but the blogs has ever been made available for public consumption and it’s time for that statement to be false. For 3 years I have had access to the local writing community and in it are some of the best resources I could have at my side and they are very eager to help me get where I want to be. I guess I just had to be sure that I wanted to be there. I DO want to be there, in one form or the other. I have started a book that is meant to be part of a 4 book series but if I am honest, I haven’t touched it in months. I have, however written about a dozen poems. It isn’t enough for a book yet but it feels like something that might happen faster than the book series. We WILL see!! The best news is that I finally have more characters and stories running around in my head than the original one, SO, hopefully, there will be plenty to work on in year 37!
- Developing my photography craft and building a portfolio~ FACT, I have gone to school for photography and have the student debt to prove it. I was excited about it at first and then, though I couldn’t recognize it at the time, crippling anxiety had me all but hanging up my camera. It’s taken most of the decade since school to be comfortable with the feel of it in my hand again and to like what I see on the computer afterward. It’s still got a long way to go to look like what I want it to BUT I am excited about it again and that is HUGE! I am ready to do what I need to do to get it where I want it to be AND I am ready to start sharing it HERE! In year 37, MORE original work will fill this space!
- Thrifting OR making my own clothing ONLY~At first read, this might seem like a difficult task BUT thanks to thriftastic friends, I have been able to unintentionally thrift for the past 6 months and though it takes some digging some days, I do find pieces that work for me. It’s a good feeling to be more mindful even with something as simple as shopping for clothes. Sewing has interested since my grandmother bought me a Kennmore machine when I was 13…but like SO many other things in my teenage years, I didn’t practice, didn’t cultivate it and am honestly still a newbie at it. Making my own clothes could be a massive undertaking but the sewing machine in my closet floor is BEGGING me to brush the dust off it or set it free…I am not quite ready to set it free, so, it looks like, for better or worse, year 37 will have me finally putting something in the Handcrafted room of this lovely little space 🙂
- Reaching Onederland and maintain it~ I may not have made a post about it here but the progress with my health this year has been documented on my Instagram (@onwanderwoodlane) since I finally took control of it. After what feels like a lifetime, I found something that worked for me at a time when I am the kindest to myself and it has made all the difference. I have shed almost 40lbs in year 36 and have reached a place where I feel as good about the external progress as I do the internal progress (because it will forever be progress, never a completion). I still have some major goals for year 37, because even though I am completely capable of doing whatever I want to do, I WANT to do it from the healthiest place I can. I am not obsessing on a number, mind you, I am just giving myself a SUPER FUN place to throw a major victory party when it happens…and it WILL happen THIS year!
On the Daily
- Gratitude~ Feeling and appreciating what is working in your life will change the way you greet the day and I want that feeling, everyday.
- Pray/Meditate~ Reaching out to The Creator from a quieter mind allows you to FEEL the request leave and makes it way to where it’s going and I want that feeling, everyday.
- Dance~ For me, there is nothing like moving to music, nothing and I want that feeling, everyday.
- Smile/Make Someone Smile~ This is a new observation that I have been practicing, mostly because I have “resting bitch face” and I really like the way my face feels when it’s smiling…like I don’t have to hide anymore…like I don’t want to hide anymore and I want that feeling, everyday.
- Say ‘I Love You’ ~ This typically isn’t hard for me but I want to make myself even MORE capable of expressing my feelings because I will NOT be afraid/nor hide them anymore. When you love from a healthy place, there is no cap to it and it can fill you up beyond your comprehension and I want that feeling everyday!
Sometime this Week
- Hike~ I have a kinship with nature and nothing makes me feel more ALIVE than being on the trail. I will be chasing that in year 37!
- Practice Reiki~ Energy healing has been calling me for years. I leaned into it fully as of a few months ago and am ready to share it!
- An Act of Self Love~ Like SO many others, I am very bad at giving my time, to myself and for myself. That’s changing too! 37 is all about honoring ME!
- Write a piece on Mental Health~ To date, my piece on World Suicide Prevention Day has been the most viewed post I have ever written. I have SO much to say about that topic and if that many people are listening, I MUST talk about it MORE!
- Talk to Family/Friends~ I was warned that the older you get, the faster time goes by and for the longest time, I didn’t believe it…I do now…before we all realize it, another month has gone by. I am SO guilty of preferring to see people in person BUT that isn’t always something that works and communication, though not always perfect, has never been easier. If I want to feel connected, I need to connect…it’s that simple!
Monthly
- Try Something New~ It’s no secret here that I enjoy what I learn anytime I am required to stretch/grow. However, I would prefer that it didn’t always come after a hard lesson. I want to challenge myself in new and creative ways each month to continue that trend in a gentler way.
- Read a book~ Folks!!!! One of the rooms on Wanderwood Lane IS FOR BOOKS and I have read a grand total of 4 this year…SAD…especially considering ALL the books in the TBR. I am committing to this even if it means giving up binging a show!
- Write Letters~ I have always enjoyed pen to paper but I get more than a few pages in to a letter these day and my hand starts to ache. I want to work those aches out and continue to improve my penmanship, because, it’s a gift!
- Get a new plant~ Over the past 6 months, I have aquired 5 plants and they make such a big difference to the energy in my home, I want to include more as each month passes and see just what kind of magic can live here!
- Help Someone Else~ If I took a microscope to my adulthood, it would show someone, somewhere by my side, holding me up. Where I am now is direct reflection of the people who have helped me along the way. I want to pay that forward in as many ways as I can, big or small!
When I started this post, I had NO idea it would take almost 2,000 words BUT I couldn’t be more thankful that it has. Writing needs to become second nature if I want to be published, as do 2,000 word nights!
It’s been SO much fun to share this with you all and I thank you from the bottom of my heart of caring about this little space enough to keep coming back to it! You all matter VERY much to me and I am so grateful for my readers ❤
NOW, 37…
On Wanderwood Lane 
You inspire me!!! You are so talented. Your words are poetry and so heart felt. Please keep writing and sharing. I can’t wait to read your book! 💕
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Thank you for your support and encouragement!
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