The Appetizer

Earlier this year, I too hastily committed to blogging so that friends and family could keep pace with the epiphanies that were certain to arise from life-altering events…  leaving my job and looking at cancer in the eyeballs for example.  Following six months of procrastination (cancer hasn’t changed that), and with 2014 coming to a close, I’m getting around to it.

As any skilled procrastinator will tell you, there is no sense in dealing with one’s to-do list unless there will be consequences. Real consequences, not like the consequences of, “You can have a piece of cake if you tick off Item 1 on your list.”

For me, the real consequences are leaving my good friends in the dark about my health and what has become of me lately. Barbara, Marion, Randy, Rick, Paul, Jen, Don R.  – don’t make me go on.  So thanks for lighting a fire under me. PS, I am happy and symptom free.

Because I am new to blogging and depending on images as well as words to communicate, I am here inserting an image to go along with “lighting a fire.” It’s a very cool campfire log that was burned at the Venture Outdoors Leadership Training that I took in September. I recommend the training.        
https://www.ventureoutdoors.org

Any good nonprofit diagnostician will tell you that starting a new project requires fulfilling a need (no, people, it’s not a need for funding), like my need to inform the people who care about me, but it also requires recognizing self-interest (yes, could be funding).  So let me come clean on my self-interest.

Following a summer/fall of going where the wind blew me, I think blogging might introduce a little discipline in my life, and allow me to get more done (Rick). This after someone (Lisa) asked me what I did last week and either I couldn’t remember, or I was embarrassed to say something like … “Uh, I listed this AWESOME pair of leather socks on eBay.”  (If you are in the market for leather socks, please visit my eBay store.)

All my life I have been known to say, “I think I could be a good writer.” I’ve recently come to understand that one needs to actually write if one wishes to be a writer. (Gale)

Here I am getting into the what-I-had-for-lunch realm, but I wonder if in the course of writing I will find out more about the person I can be. Can I identify strengths to build on? And with apologies to the Nonprofit Facilitator community and the Cancer Caring People who frown upon looking at the half of the glass that is empty, can I address weaknesses? Procrastination, for example. Maybe sarcasm. Failure to use Facebook or Twitter.

To my New England upbringing, which frowns upon putting oneself at the center of attention, I say Tough Gazobies.  So here I go with my blog. I hope I'll stick to the good stuff, and not what I had for lunch.

Alida