My first post…what to say…where to start…okay, got it. Hi. Have you seen “Julie and Julia” yet? It was so good, at least to me. It spoke to me on a personal level, because the young woman in the movie, Julie, doesn’t know what to do with herself, her life, and eventually comes to the decision to set a goal and write about it in a blog…which is exactly what I decided to do about 2 weeks before I saw the movie (honest!). I thought I was being very original and creative, but now I find that everyone and their dog has a blog these days. Oh well, so much for the original part…and I vacillate daily as to whether I have even a smidge of creativity somewhere down in my soul.

So here I am, with this huge goal that I have set for myself…for one year, I will do my best to grow spiritually, creatively/artistically, and healthily (I just couldn’t come up with a good word for that). The spiritual growth is a big part of the process, but I won’t be concentrating on that here, although I may mention it occasionally. The main two goals that I want to talk about are health and creativity. Maybe some of you are middle-aged or a little later, feeling like you’ve been spinning your wheels and wasting precious time that is slipping away. Well, that’s me in a nutshell.

I am a fifty-year-old woman, new grandmother, entering menopause all at the same time…this summer has been traumatic for me, not to be too dramatic about the whole thing. Plus, at the beginning of the summer my mother (80) entered an assisted living facility near me, so I have been getting used to thinking about and dealing with her on a daily basis (she lived with my sister in a different city for over 10 years). I needed to do something about my health, since I’ve had a few “episodes” in the last year (I’ll tell you all about my “brain fart” some other time). Because I am in the obese category, my blood pressure has been creeping up of late, and heart disease runs on both sides of my family. Hmmmmm, maybe I should do something to prevent a stroke or heart attack…just a thought. I’d really like to stay healthy enough to play with my grandson! So that brings me to part one of my goals for the next year. By September 1, 2010, I will endeavor to lose a total of 70 pounds (now I didn’t just pull that number out of my….hat…according to every chart I’ve looked at, taking into account my height, build/body type, and age, that’s how much I need to lose). I’ll just say it…I started at 211 pounds, the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life. I need to weigh between 140 and 150 to be healthy(er). I’ll just add that I’ve already been walking for 3 months, and eating a lot healthier for almost 3 months, but REALLY healthy for about a month. I have lost a solid 7 pounds and feel good about that (I try to be patient…). But I want to stick it out for the long haul, so I must stay FOCUSED! Not easy for the artist half of my brain, let me tell you.

The second part of my personal challenge for the next year is to grow artistically, and I have come up with two concrete goals that will be a real challenge for me, since I have been blocked as an artist and a writer for several years. (Deep breath) I plan to finish the novel that I have barely started AND to apply for entrance to “Art in the Park” here in Boise (next fall). I am painting a series of watercolors (more about theme at another time), and I would need enough to “fill” a booth. This is a juried event (chosen by a selection committee through the Boise Art Museum), and the deadline for submitting an application and six pieces is the beginning of March, so that’s the first part of the “art” goal…to have six paintings that I’m satisfied with by March. EEEEEK!

I know I’m biting off a huge mouthful, but I have a whole year to work on these things…and to share the whole process with you, you lucky lucky people. Oh well, for all I know, I may be the only person who ever reads this (well, I know my husband and kids will read it, cuz they love me dearly). So that’s most of the reason for this blog. And the fact that I love to write and I love to be on the computer, so I might as well try combining the two. I just have to keep the Serpent at bay (that’s the image I’ve given the critic in my head…a forked-tongue, mean-spirited serpent who whispers insulting things in my ear whenever I try to do any kind of art…not like Satan, more like Kaa from “Jungle Book”). I have to shut him up long enough to write and post! (another deep breath) Okay, I’m pressing the button now…