I know everyone posts melancholy "what I'm thankful for" posts today.
But...well, you know me. *LOL*
Actually I am pretty darn tootin' thankful overall. This was a suck year in many ways (we lost two of our dogs, my health issues, full roof replacement) but honestly? I'm not going to kvetch over that. We have a house we are not in danger of losing, I have a job I love, my hubby has a job he enjoys (and comes with health bennies), and there are a lot of people out there a lot worse off than I am.
I'm thankful for the world's best hubby, my son, and great friends and family. I've made new friends who have become as close (or closer) than family. I'm thankful for my readers who buy my scribbles. I'm thankful I have the ability to do what I love for a living.
I've also learned the valuable lesson of stepping back, slowing down, and taking stock. (Only took me the better part of forty years to learn that. *LOL*)
No, I don't do Black Friday shopping. That's...the bad kind of crazy. *LOL* I prefer to take it easy and give gift cards. Call me lazy, but I'd rather give people something I know they can and will use how they best need it rather than giving them clutter they might or might not like. And in today's age, sometimes the people don't want to admit they'd rather have the cash equivalent gift card than a present they don't need (or want or like).
And really, isn't this time of year supposed to be about family and friends and not about how we can push retailers over the hump out of the red and into the black? Not to sound anti-consumerism or anything, but frankly, the stress of trying to shop for the "perfect" gift for someone (which usually isn't) isn't worth the drain on my energy with my fibro. It's far better for me to give a gift card and spend TIME with that person.
So before you go nuts over specials and risk getting trampled in long lines, take a moment to think about what's really important to you. If Black Friday is a sporting event to you that you enjoy, fine. If you don't really enjoy it but think you "have" to do it, no, you don't.
Have a safe, happy, and sane holiday. Keep it sober, and keep it salmonella-free. :)
*
"Auralingus With Tymber Dalton" tonight 10pm EST - guest author Kris Cook
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Join me tonight (Thursday, 11/18) at 10pm EST on my BlogTalkRadio.com show "Auralingus With Tymber Dalton." Tonight's guest is erotic romance author Kris Cook! It's going to be a fun chat, so stop by for a listen. If you can't make it, remember you can always come back later for the archived version to listen to at your leisure. But send me your questions for Kris at tymberdalton@gmail.com and I'll pick a winner of a $5 gift certificate.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tymberdalton/2010/11/19/auralingus-with-tymber-dalton-11182010
My main channel url is:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tymberdalton
Also, I've been told "Cardinal's Rule" will be available in print soon! So those of you who've been wanting it won't have too much longer to wait.
http://captivapress.com
And don't forget about my Amira Press releases as Lesli Richardson:
http://www.amirapress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=73
And of course all my listings at Siren-BookStrand under my various pen names:
http://www.bookstrand.com/tymber-dalton
Thanks!
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tymberdalton/2010/11/19/auralingus-with-tymber-dalton-11182010
My main channel url is:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tymberdalton
Also, I've been told "Cardinal's Rule" will be available in print soon! So those of you who've been wanting it won't have too much longer to wait.
http://captivapress.com
And don't forget about my Amira Press releases as Lesli Richardson:
http://www.amirapress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=73
And of course all my listings at Siren-BookStrand under my various pen names:
http://www.bookstrand.com/tymber-dalton
Thanks!
Slowing and steady (although chomping at the bit).
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
So I've done something that I think has even startled the heck out of my hubby: slowed down. Being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, being put on Cymbalta, what really is some serious medication for it (when you're taking a medicine they strongly recommend you don't quit cold turkey, you know it's serious), and doing a lot (a lot...a LOT) of reading and research on this condition, has forced me to readjust not just my thinking but my way of life.
It's forced me to admit something I have not wanted to admit: I have a chronic illness.
I am not a person used to saying, "I can't do that." I hate that I have to now obsessively make lists because I risk totally forgetting stuff. I hate having to pace myself. I'm the kind of person used to pushing myself, literally, until I drop into bed, ready to start all over again as soon as my feet hit the floor the next morning, pain or not.
In the plus column, it's also forcing me to dedicate myself to staying on the Flylady.net system, because I can see it's working. I use my calendar organizer on my iPad, because it has a built-in task list. I can check stuff off every day as I do it. I can schedule stuff to repeat every week or month or whatever time I specify instead of daily. That takes having to think first thing in the morning when I'm struggling to get started off the table. And that's a relief. Especially on cold mornings like we've had for the last few days.
I'm also learning to just do things in small chunks. Where before I would have ripped my living room apart and got it all painted in a weekend (and spent two weeks cleaning up the resulting mess), now I literally do just fifteen minutes, or small manageable chunks of time where I know not only can I do the job, but clean up behind myself when I'm finished. And that's been a huge step forward for me too. It means my home improvement isn't progressing nearly as fast as I'd like, but it's finally progressing at least.
I'm trying to learn not to beat myself up for what I can't do. That's damn hard. I'm used to mental self-flagellation as a way to keep myself going.
I can't do that anymore. My body can't keep up. Changing that is...well, it's been frustrating. I feel in some ways like I'm babying myself and there's still part of me that's like, "You puss. Why are you wimping out like this? There are people out there far worse off than you who are doing more. What the hell is wrong with you?" And some days, it really is a struggle not to push harder despite knowing the result will be at least the next day in bed trying to recover.
So one thing I'm doing, which has been like a detox program in and of itself *LOL* is I'm shutting down my laptop in the early evening instead of right before bedtime. I'm writing this blog post in bed on my iPad. I know, in a way I'm still "working" but at least I'm taking things easy and I'm resting. It forces me to not focus on hard-core work and take some time off. I'm also going to bed earlier than I used to.
I feel frakking guilty as hell, too. I'm self-employed. Yes, I'm a writer, but if I'm not "working" I'm not earning.
Hubby has been fantastically supportive and in some ways a little hard-assed, but in a good way. He's getting on me when I try to do too much. I've compromised by telling him I promise to ask for help if I need it so he can stop worrying about me so much. *LOL*
I did pick up a recipe book for people with fibro, and I'm going to try some of the dishes this week. Some yummy looking things. At least I'm slowly starting to lose a little weight since my appetite is reduced because of the medication (yay, for ONCE something goes in my favor *LOL*), and my doctor recommended some herbal supplements for me to take to help boost my metabolism. Yes, I'm DAMN lucky to have a good doctor who not only is the one who told me he thought I had fibro when I wasn't even sure what the hell it was, but he doesn't hesitate to recommend supplementing "medicine" with herbals. And so far, knock on wood, it's helping. I know losing weight (ideally I need to drop about 30 pounds to get to a healthy weight for my frame) will help my symptoms improve too. That extra weight is like a bag of friggin dog food I'm carting around on my hips and thighs. LOL
It's forced me to admit something I have not wanted to admit: I have a chronic illness.
I am not a person used to saying, "I can't do that." I hate that I have to now obsessively make lists because I risk totally forgetting stuff. I hate having to pace myself. I'm the kind of person used to pushing myself, literally, until I drop into bed, ready to start all over again as soon as my feet hit the floor the next morning, pain or not.
In the plus column, it's also forcing me to dedicate myself to staying on the Flylady.net system, because I can see it's working. I use my calendar organizer on my iPad, because it has a built-in task list. I can check stuff off every day as I do it. I can schedule stuff to repeat every week or month or whatever time I specify instead of daily. That takes having to think first thing in the morning when I'm struggling to get started off the table. And that's a relief. Especially on cold mornings like we've had for the last few days.
I'm also learning to just do things in small chunks. Where before I would have ripped my living room apart and got it all painted in a weekend (and spent two weeks cleaning up the resulting mess), now I literally do just fifteen minutes, or small manageable chunks of time where I know not only can I do the job, but clean up behind myself when I'm finished. And that's been a huge step forward for me too. It means my home improvement isn't progressing nearly as fast as I'd like, but it's finally progressing at least.
I'm trying to learn not to beat myself up for what I can't do. That's damn hard. I'm used to mental self-flagellation as a way to keep myself going.
I can't do that anymore. My body can't keep up. Changing that is...well, it's been frustrating. I feel in some ways like I'm babying myself and there's still part of me that's like, "You puss. Why are you wimping out like this? There are people out there far worse off than you who are doing more. What the hell is wrong with you?" And some days, it really is a struggle not to push harder despite knowing the result will be at least the next day in bed trying to recover.
So one thing I'm doing, which has been like a detox program in and of itself *LOL* is I'm shutting down my laptop in the early evening instead of right before bedtime. I'm writing this blog post in bed on my iPad. I know, in a way I'm still "working" but at least I'm taking things easy and I'm resting. It forces me to not focus on hard-core work and take some time off. I'm also going to bed earlier than I used to.
I feel frakking guilty as hell, too. I'm self-employed. Yes, I'm a writer, but if I'm not "working" I'm not earning.
Hubby has been fantastically supportive and in some ways a little hard-assed, but in a good way. He's getting on me when I try to do too much. I've compromised by telling him I promise to ask for help if I need it so he can stop worrying about me so much. *LOL*
I did pick up a recipe book for people with fibro, and I'm going to try some of the dishes this week. Some yummy looking things. At least I'm slowly starting to lose a little weight since my appetite is reduced because of the medication (yay, for ONCE something goes in my favor *LOL*), and my doctor recommended some herbal supplements for me to take to help boost my metabolism. Yes, I'm DAMN lucky to have a good doctor who not only is the one who told me he thought I had fibro when I wasn't even sure what the hell it was, but he doesn't hesitate to recommend supplementing "medicine" with herbals. And so far, knock on wood, it's helping. I know losing weight (ideally I need to drop about 30 pounds to get to a healthy weight for my frame) will help my symptoms improve too. That extra weight is like a bag of friggin dog food I'm carting around on my hips and thighs. LOL
BlogTalkRadio.com chat Thursday, 11/4
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Tomorrow (Thursday, 11/4) at 12 noon EST, I'll be stopping by to visit fellow Captiva Press author AC Katt on her BlogTalkRadio.com show.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ackatt
If you can't join us then, you can come in later and listen to the show or download it to your iPod/mp3 player/computer for a listen at your leisure.
And I'm also venturing into the world of internet radio:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tymberdalton
My premier show, Auralingus with Tymber Dalton, will go live at 10pm EST on Sunday, November 7th. Email me questions, and I just might answer it live on the show. I'm going to ramble on about everything from writing to life with dogs, fibromyalgia, Dancing With the Stars, and more. No telling what I'll rant about. LOL One lucky listener who emails me a question, even if I don't use it, will win a prize. :) There's also a live chat feature on the website I'll be hooked into, so you can chat with me that way.
Finally, one of my publishers, Captiva Press, will be giving away a Sony e-reader to a lucky person. Make sure to join their Yahoo email loop for details at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/captivapress_readers/
Thanks!
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ackatt
If you can't join us then, you can come in later and listen to the show or download it to your iPod/mp3 player/computer for a listen at your leisure.
And I'm also venturing into the world of internet radio:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tymberdalton
My premier show, Auralingus with Tymber Dalton, will go live at 10pm EST on Sunday, November 7th. Email me questions, and I just might answer it live on the show. I'm going to ramble on about everything from writing to life with dogs, fibromyalgia, Dancing With the Stars, and more. No telling what I'll rant about. LOL One lucky listener who emails me a question, even if I don't use it, will win a prize. :) There's also a live chat feature on the website I'll be hooked into, so you can chat with me that way.
Finally, one of my publishers, Captiva Press, will be giving away a Sony e-reader to a lucky person. Make sure to join their Yahoo email loop for details at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/captivapress_readers/
Thanks!
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