Are you a good friend? Do you have any good or even great friends? Friendship depends a lot on the friend that you are to your friends. Recently I’ve realized that while I am so focused on writing books, I have not been the best of friends like I should be. So what are good friends all about? Do we need them?
“Friends, like all good things in this life, can be had by any one who wants them.
There is only one simple rule to follow; it is this: to have a friend, be one yourself.” – Unknown
Goal: Lose five more pounds. I am maintaining my weight but currently not losing much. However, from December 31 to October 31, I am down 3 pounds. So maybe I can do this after all.
Goal: Ancestry: Contact at least two cousins. I have reached out to 2 cousins but have not heard from them. I tried someone else. Most of these cousins are a lot younger than me, which may be why they are not responding since I’m old. A great excuse, isn’t it? No progress in the last five or six months.
Complete: Read 30 books. I have read 39 books. I read four books in October. This goal is complete, but I’m not stopping reading.
Goal: Get through at least my second and third drafts of the book I wrote in 2021 and finish the first draft of my second book. On June 11, I started a class to help me write my second book’s first draft. I have created an outline for that one and written about 10,000 words. I have completed my first book. My first letter to an agent was sent in October, but then I decided to make some significant changes before I sent it out to anyone else.
Almost finished: Visit three states that I have not visited before. We planned to go to New Mexico, Wyoming, and North Dakota this year. We traveled to New Mexico in April. In September, I changed the plan to go to North and South Carolina. All reservations have been made. In November’s update, this should be complete.
Almost finished: Complete two quilts. I plan to finish a quilt for my son-in-law and one for my daughter-in-law. I pushed it and worked on the quilts three days in a row, eight or more hours a day. It was exhausting. On August 30, I brought them to the quilter to be quilted. I picked them up in October and have machine sewn on the bindings. I have started the hand sewing of the binding. That is the most time-consuming step. At this point, this should be easy to complete this goal.
Goal: Walk 1000 miles. I have attempted this for four years and never reached it. So far this year, I have walked only 532.5 miles. I’m getting further behind each month, which isn’t good. I walk more often, but I think I will end up, if I’m lucky, getting to 700. Once again, I will have to put this on my list for next year.
October was good for my writing and travel goals. But that is it. I admit I have given up on reaching 1000 miles, but I still want to strive for as many as possible.
How are you doing on your goals? Let me know below. Keep working toward your goals. We can do this.
I’ve been the creator of the “Retired? Now What?” list of things to do in retirement for years. It started with 50 and is now over 125. But are you looking for something more seasonal? Even if you aren’t retired, this list can come in handy. Every one of these items requires you to step outside. Hopefully, you will enjoy the weather out there. Here is a list of things that can be done away from your home for a change in scenery. Here is the official list of 45 things to do outside your home this fall/winter.
I’ve been the creator of the “Retired? Now What?” list of things to do in retirement for years. It started with 50 and is now over 125. But are you looking for something more seasonal? Even if you aren’t retired, this list can come in handy. And what if you aren’t stepping outside much anymore? Here is a list of 43 things to do inside your home this fall/winter. They are grouped together in categories. You might decide that you will start out with the Organize/Declutter section. You could devote a week, or at least a few days to just that category. Not every category will work that way, but feel free to pull items from different categories and make a day of them.
