Pausing to Reflect
November 7th, 2019
I just remembered, today is my birthday. As you can probably deduce from that statement, we don’t tend to make a big deal out of birthdays around here. We’ll go out to dinner tonight to celebrate, but for me, it’s the everyday stuff that really matters in life.
That said, I am fifty-nine years old today–one year shy of sixty, a number that looms as a significant milestone to me. In the normal course of a career, I should be carefully calculating for retirement. Instead, I’m still in the hunt for my breakout book. Maybe the next one?
I’ve got a general idea of what the next book will be about. I’ve accumulated lots of notes as I’ve tried to develop the idea. And while I’ve always outlined new projects, this time I’m going to try to do a lot more pre-planning than I’ve managed in the past. Hopefully that will help the actual writing go faster and make it more enjoyable — but by the time the next book is out, I will be sixty. Or sixty-one?
The numbers have become more meaningful to me because I don’t feel as strong and active as I did even a few months ago.
I’ve been blessed with good health for most of my life and as recently as February I was still running three miles on the treadmill, lifting weights at the gym whenever possible, and doing a lot of physically demanding yard work. Since then, lack of time, along with joint issues, have led me to cut way back on physical activity. I need to change that trend and get back into both running and weight-lifting! This avatar is the only one I’ve got. I need to keep it in good shape — or I’m never going to write that breakout book. 😉
Posted on: Thursday, November 7th, 2019 at 8:15 am
Categories: General.
November 7th, 2019 at 9:30 am
I’m 63, I plan on writing for many decades to come. Writing is the one profession where no one can force you to retire. HA!
Start Yoga. Not the weird standing on your head Yoga, but long muscle stretching and control. At the very least do the stretching exercises that you do every time you go for a run. Do the stretching every day, whether you run or not, and do that whenever you feel stiff with low energy.
28 Days to Yoga, by Richard Hittleman
I boiled the book down to a ten minute routine just to loosen up once a day, and when I’m feeling fatigued/sleepy. It always turns out that my neck has tightened up and the fatigue poisons are shutting me down.
November 8th, 2019 at 5:42 am
Happy Birthday Linda!
AFAIC You’re already published many ‘breakout’ books btw 😉
November 8th, 2019 at 11:04 am
Thank you, Alex! I thought some of the books might break out – The Red, The Last Good Man – but breakout is a marketing term meaning you’ve sold a lot of copies. So I’m still waiting for that to happen! 🙂
Allyn, several times in the past I’ve resolved to give yoga a try. One of these days…
November 8th, 2019 at 1:07 pm
Get the book. It’s a mass market paperback that is full of pictures showing the positions. I’ve been giving away copies to people for decades.
https://www.amazon.com/Richard-Hittlemans-Yoga-Exercise-Plan/dp/0553277480
It literally is about doing a few minutes each day for 28 days until you build up three simple routines. I don’t do the weird postures like standing on my head, so I’ve been able to boil it down to ten minutes of stretching. That’s all you need.
I will find myself feeling wiped so I do ten minutes, and it never fails that I’ve let my back and neck stiffen up. I do that at least once a day, sometimes more, when I catch myself working too long, or even reading a long book.
You don’t have to run to be in motion and stay comfortable. If you are not in motion each day you will stiffen up and waste energy from the stiffness.
November 9th, 2019 at 4:02 am
Belated happy birthday! I was traveling and just got around to seeing this email. Here’s to the next amazing book you publish! “Breakout†or not, you’re an awesome writer and your fans appreciate all the effort that you put into your published works. Can’t wait to read SILVER!
November 10th, 2019 at 9:26 am
Thanks so much, Rick, and it’s coming soon! 🙂