Thankful Thursday - EventBright

 I will admit that I'm more than a bit tired right now, so writing my Thankful Thursday is a bit more difficult than I'd hoped it would be.  Because, of course I don't have any idea what I could write a lot of Thankfulness about.  But then I set upon EventBright and how much I've been getting out of them lately, and how I wish I'd found them even earlier.

For those who aren't familiar with it, EventBright is a events website.  Local events, online events, whatever you may want to get a bunch of people together for.  There are a lot of free online events that are offered through them, everything from webinars on tech topics to meditation to book clubs and everything in between.  I go through, looking for things that catch my attention every day or so, because I never know what might catch my attention.

Mainly, I'm using EventBright for two things - writing prompts and book clubs.  Both are things that I love to do and want to focus on more, so this gives me a chance.  Each time I start a new group - be it book club or writing event - I'm always nervous about talking too much.  It's what I do when I get nervous.  But so far, everyone I've dealt with has been incredibly kind and welcoming.  I'm so thankful that I have a chance to meet people and talk about things that I enjoy.

The journal I use for my writing - because it fits!

Trying to Find my Balance

 I'd really thought I was going to get back to blogging regularly back in February.  Then school happened and life happened and I didn't quite get back to it.  But now school is out for the year here in Nashville, I have my own computer and (hopefully) I'll have a bit more time to post on my journal.  After all, today is the first day of the month.  I might as well try to make some changes.  I even entered all the books I've read since February into GoodReads and posted my first review in about 8 years on Views from the Reader Side.  I've got my BuJo set up for the next month, I'm getting some things organized around the house and I'm actually feeling pretty good about it all.  I'm feeling good about a lot because a lot of things are seeming to be ok.

I've started joining a few events on Eventbright that is working toward both making me healthier and more creative.  I've got a couple regular journaling events, a couple of regular yoga events, and a few book clubs that I haven't had a chance to join in yet but I have signed up for.   I'm getting a head on the reading because even if something happens and I can't keep up with it, I'll still have read some awesome books.

Speaking of reading, I'm also participating in the Nashville Pubic Library Summer Reading Program.  I've already made the first goal of 600 minutes reading (though I haven't logged them all yet).  I'm hoping to put reviews up for all the books that I read on Goodreads, mirrored to Views from the Reader Side.  If any of my readers are also participating in a reading program, I'd love to hear what you are reading as well.  Either here or on VftRS.  Books are always good.

I also found an older... I don't like to use the word "game" because it's not really a game.  It's more a way to help bolster people anonymously.  It's called Kind Words and I check it out a couple times a day.  You can post your own 7 line thing that you want to talk about - good, bad, curious about the others that are in the world as well.  And then you can browse through letters others have left to give them kind words of support, encouragement, and just general goodness.  (And sometimes you may even have advice to give!)  The only problem I have with it is that there are times I get replies from people and I want to write back so badly and it's not set up for that.  It's still all pretty cool and it helps when I'm having a rough day.  

With that, I will close this post for now.  But, because I'm actually pretty proud of it, I'm going to share my June Layouts in my Bullet Journal.  I promise this will be in separate blog posts for those who have no interest in it later.  

My June in Review data page.  I fill this out at the end of the month to cover the numbers and give me a place to look at the month over all.

This gives me a place to write down the books I read, the TV shows and movies that I watch and the games that I play - whether they be board, computer or console.

This is my tracker for the month.  I haven't figured out a tracking system that I like yet, so I'm still messing with this.d

I'm trying to get back into FlyLady, so I put all my routines down in writing.  This way, hopefully I'll be able to keep on top of things a bit better.

This page breaks down my home by zones and what needs to be done in each of them monthly.  Like with the daily and weekly above, I'm hoping this will keep me on track.

Seasons in the Sun

"We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun."


The refrain plays through my mind as I drive south, remembering.  Remembering the good times, when love was new and I didn't want to be apart from you for a minute.  You were a part of me, a part that I hadn't known I was missing until you stepped into my life.

I can still feel your hand grasping mine that first time in the darkness of the theater.  My heart fluttered in my chest and all I could think was, "This isn't happening.  It can't be."  But it was and so I was yours and you were mine.

I know the times weren't all good.  We had our share of fights, of heartache and pain.  But we managed to get through it together.  Until one day, we just couldn't.

I still don't know what happened.  You became distant.  Or maybe I did.  All I know is that I woke up one day and something was different.  When I told you, "I love you," the words words felt foreign on my lips.  When you repeated them back, they held a note of insincerity.

Would we have worked it out?  Would we have been able to work past this?  Who's to say. Now it's too late to ever know.

But I like to think that somewhere, some other you and some other me did work it out.  Our other selves didn't allow the distance to remain but fought for what they once held.  The other me never had to be without the other you.

I slow as I come to the gates of the cemetery, but speed up again without turning in.  I've said all there is to say.