There are ninety-eight days until the end of the year. What are you going to do with those days? Will you finally get around to the New Year’s resolutions you made and promptly forgot? Are you going to slack off, giving yourself permission to take a break from the breakneck speed of your life? Are you going to get going on that novel you wanted to start, continue, finish, or edit? Are you going to make inroads in the pile of books on your nightstand, or finally read some of those ebooks you downloaded? Are you going attempt the photography project you always wanted to do?
In yesterday’s blog about my twelve-year blog anniversary, I mentioned that several years ago I had made a commitment to post every day for the last 100 days of the year, and I suddenly felt as if I’d like to take up the challenge again. After all, I had already completed the first day! (Since I am getting a late start — the 100 last days began with September 23 — I will have to add the first day of the new year to make an even 100 days. Assuming I get that far. Assuming that decimal numbers are important.)
The first challenge helped me get back into writing, helped me get back into myself. Too often I am pulled in many directions, with no clear direction of what I want to do or be, so a challenge like this might be what I need to give me a bit of focus.
And challenge it will be. I have a hard time focusing my mind on any sort of writing right now. I am trying to put together a press release about my latest (and possibly my most important) book Grief: The Inside Story, but the words don’t seem to connect with me.
It’s possible this disconnect with words is due not so much to letting myself drift but falling once again into my old book-a-day reading habit. (After Jeff died, I couldn’t read because books either had a couple getting together, which made me cry, or had the couple not getting together, which made me cry, or had too many deaths, which made me cry. It was easier simply to stop reading. Compared to losing Jeff, giving up reading was easy, though it had always been a major part of my life.)
I recently read that reading and writing go hand in hand because reading is inhaling and writing is exhaling. (That’s how I always felt about reading, as if it were a type of breathing.) But now I suppose I need to try to exhale, though I’m not sure what I would be exhaling. I have little to say, no real inclination to say what I do have to say, and making a commitment goes against my current desire to drift, but what the heck. I never let a lack of wisdom stop me from blogging before.
All this is by way of warning for those of you who follow this blog. Yesterday, today, and the coming ninety-eight days are more for me, just for the discipline of writing. I don’t expect you to read or comment on my meanderings, (especially not this blog post), but if you desire to do so anyway, I will be glad of the company.
And maybe I will even be glad of a chance to stop the drift. Just drifting has been good for me, especially the past few months where I’ve been getting used to a new house, a new town, a new life, but it doesn’t really seem to accomplish much.
So, this is a start.
Perhaps.
***
Pat Bertram is the author of Grief: The Inside Story – A Guide to Surviving the Loss of a Loved One. “Grief: The Inside Story is perfect and that is not hyperbole! It is exactly what folk who are grieving need to read.” –Leesa Healy, RN, GDAS GDAT, Emotional/Mental Health Therapist & Educator.
Bertram's Blog 
September 26, 2019 at 12:54 am
Hmm. I’ve been reading you for years, but I don’t write, really (except for the long texts that I often offer to one sister who concerns me greatly). But I do want to join you in this commitment. Mine is to sew and quilt each day. I am quite the novice there (I’ve completed one quilt this year without any prior sewing or quilting experience), and I love it already, but I find myself waffling on furthering the commitment for various reasons. I have several projects I want to complete by Christmas time. Thanks for the push! Even if you didn’t know you did that :).
September 26, 2019 at 6:22 am
Yay! Both for reading my blog and for joining in my 100 day challenge. It’s always easier to keep to a plan if one has company. Best of luck finishing your projects.
September 26, 2019 at 6:35 am
A start for you is good. As for me, I’m just trying to keep it together with all the things in my life. Th most recent of which is the eyelid surgery. It is very slow in healing, which is frustrating at times. If you want to start writing again, how about getting tidbits of your travels around the country*including me) and work from there. If not that, what about a book about a mountain trek?
September 26, 2019 at 6:56 am
Good suggestions! What tidbit about my visit with you would you like me to include?
September 26, 2019 at 9:47 am
Wow, that’s jumping in with both feet for sure. I can’t imagine having the cleverness to add to my blog for 100 straight days. I only average about two of every three days and even that is a challenge. Good luck…I can’t wait to see what you write about.
September 26, 2019 at 11:23 am
Two of every three days is very impressive! You’re two thirds of the way there. Actually, it’s not cleverness so much as doggedness. Finding some small lesson (or sorrow or joy) in every day things. Actually, I also can’t wait to see what I write about!
September 26, 2019 at 1:29 pm
Good luck with the challenge, Pat. I believe in you!
I doubt I’ll try anything like blogging every day for the last hundred days of the year. However, I do have some plans. For example, to get my novel “Rose” a couple more reviews before the end of the year. I’m going to participate in National Novel Writing Month for the fist time since my second year of college, and also work on some short stories. And I’m working out again, so that’s hopefully going to have some good changes. I’m using ten minute ballet workouts on YouTube, which I have to say, are kinda intense but also kind of fun. I doubt I’ll ever get that ballerina body or ever dance on a stage, but it’s good for me and it’s kind of fun.
September 26, 2019 at 3:02 pm
I googled 10-minute ballet workouts, and I think I’ll try some when I need inspiration. For now, I’m doing what I learned in class.
September 26, 2019 at 3:04 pm
Nice. 👍
September 27, 2019 at 5:55 pm
I’m so glad you are still blogging! I used to blog under Art-Reviewed here and used to love reading your blog back then! Am so glad to have found you are still blogging now! Xxx
September 27, 2019 at 7:39 pm
I notice you have a new blog now. Congratulations!
September 29, 2019 at 1:25 am
Thank you! 😁 xxx
November 12, 2019 at 8:13 am
[…] here I am, halfway through that self-imposed 100-day blog challenge, and enjoying it immensely. I’d forgotten how good it feels to find something to write about each […]