Raising a glass to 2022

(The EBC before my time!)

During the last few weeks of December, I felt the need for a break. Great timing! Of course, I fought my feelings. It was the holidays… you know, the time where you’re supposed to be happy and energetic getting all those last-minute holiday chores done. Is there a perfect emoji here? 

Instead, I was coming in just under the wire all through the month, Christmas decorations finally completed just before the kids arrived, presents wrapped at the last minute, my meal planning left out a few items. All the way around, I just didn’t seem up to the task. 

I understood myself, so at least there was that. But I still fought to allow my mood to be okay with the part of my psyche that thinks she’s a ring leader. Do this, get that done, must be in the right mood for the holidays, step it up! 

She can be seriously annoying, as most inner dialogue muses are. Maybe that’s our true goal in life, to rise high enough to mute our silly voices and instead replace them with acceptance and praise.

I was tired, mentally and physically. It was time to rest and take stock. I also had an extremely ill friend who weighed heavily on my heart. 

My friend Pat and I love the words on a small plaque in my kitchen. 

“Let me have a little place where I can just dream and know.” 

We often refer to it because it simply states what we all need from time to time. And that’s what I needed this holiday season.

I definitely needed a place where I could just dream and know

That it was okay to rest after achieving a life-long dream of publishing my book;

That this Christmas could be a bit low key;

That my friends who I never sent holiday wishes to would understand;

That my sweet friend would overcome her health hurdles and return home to her family;

That planning my next steps for the book could wait for 2022.

And I needed a place where I could just dream

About where, when, and how I would give my book wings in the coming year. 

As I settle back into writing my first 2022 blog post, I can sense that my rest has been productive. I am happy to be writing again. Even given my mood, our holidays did turn out to be lovely. My friend is finally on the mend. And I’m feeling rested, strong, and ready to start planning how to promote my book this new year. 

For starters, I will be the guest at one of my favorite book clubs, The EBC, Eclectic Book Club, on February 12 (see photo above.) These women are funny, intelligent, well-read, and opinionated. I know because for a brief time before I moved to the foothills, I was a part of their group, and I met with them monthly, talking about the books we had read.

I was so honored when they asked me to attend their February meeting, with Lessons of a Wayward Yogini being the featured book. 

But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I will be taking a deep yogi breath as I walk into that book club dinner, much like I had to do when I went into my KFOK interview. 

This book promoting gig requires, above all things, stepping out of my comfort zone. I’ve come to understand that a racing heart from time to time seems to be the cost of admission to get to where my dreams reside.

7 Comments

  1. You’ve got this. I know you will be brilliant at the book club dinner. 💖

    • Thanks, my friend!

  2. Glad I opened this today. I will send you some words of my own that are better left to a personal email, but sure sounds like we were in the same mindset during the 2021 holidays! You already know what happened, but I finally had to just let go of trying for force merry & bright feelings and just feel what I was feeling. Sounds like you did the same, and after what we both went through in July, it was best to make it a very low key holiday and decompress. Cheers!

  3. Best wishes to you Sue!

    • Thank you Paul! Also congrats on your 10-year anniversary blogging! That’s quite an accomplishment!

  4. Hi Sue
    I’m so looking forward to seeing you and Rick at February’s book club!! I can’t wait. I’m reading your book now and I love it. It’s like you are here talking to me. Please don’t waste any heart beats worrying. We want you to have fun😁
    Everyone is excited.
    😻Pat

    • Thanks, Pat! So glad you are enjoying the book. I look forward to seeing you soon!


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