You know what made my day yesterday? I found my colored pencils and my  bulletin board.

Sounds like a strange thing to make my day huh?

Well let me tell you about it.

My bulletin board hangs over the side of my desk. I tack up things that inspire me. Pictures that people send me go there. Little mementos of events that I have been to. Stuff that reminds me of my kids and family and friends. Its always been in sight of my desk when I write. I have really missed it. OK so it is not on the wall yet, but it is propped up where I can see it again.

My colored pencils. How I have missed these guys. Now yes I know I am 40 something and colored pencils shouldn’t mean that much, but these are special colored pencils you see. I have these for my journal. Yes I keep a real live journal, not just this electronic blog.  It is the typical diary. I draw, I put in pictures, I scribble down story ideas. I use a lot of stickers and scrapbook stuff. My journal came with, but some how the pencils ended up in a box with the packers. But it is nice to be able to make my journal and ideas techinicolor again.

Since moving I have been so “all over the place”. I know my writing has suffered horribly. I have let a few things fall through the cracks. As a matter of fact I have a deadline coming up and am no where near finishing the project. I work well under pressure, but this is a bit ridiculous.

My thoughts have been as unorganized as my writing. These two simple things help to ground me when it comes to my thoughts and writing. They may seem very insignificant, but in reality and to me, they play a major roll. I guess I didn’t really know until this move how big of a part they play in my creative process.

Do you have something that helps you get through your day? Some little thing that help you stay focused and organized? Would love to hear about it.

I just had to share with everyone what I just got in my email! Just too funny. I needed the laugh and it hit the spot! Enjoy! feel free to share it with someone who needs a laugh!

No Sex Tonight!!!!

I never quite figured out why the sexual urges of men and women differ so much. And I have never figured out why men think with their heads, while women with their hearts.

For example: One evening last week, my wife and I were getting into bed. Well, the passion starts to heat up, and eventually she says ” I just don’t feel like it, I want you to just hold me.”

I said “WHAT??!! What was that?!”

So she says the words every man on the planet dreads to hear… “You’re just not in touch with my emotional needs as a woman enough for me to satisfy your physical needs as a man.” She responded to my puzzled look by saying, “Can’t you just love me for who I am and not what I do for you in the bedroom?”

Realizing that nothing was going to happen that night, I went to sleep.

The very next day I decided to take the day off from work to spend time with her. We went out to a nice lunch and then went shopping at her favorite department store. I walked around with her while she tried on several different expensive outfits. She couldn’t decide on which one to take, so I told her we should just buy them all. She wanted new shoes to compliment her new clothes, so I said we’d get a pair for each outfit. Then we went to the jewelry department where she picked out a pair of diamond earrings. Let me tell you she was so excited. I started to think she was testing me because next she asked for a tennis bracelet when she doesn’t even know how to play tennis. I threw her for a loop when I said “Honey, that’s fine.” I believe she was almost near sexual satisfaction from all the excitement. Smiling with anticipation she finally said, “I think this is all dear, let’s go to the cashier.”

I could hardly contain myself when I blurted out, “No honey, I just don’t feel like it.”

Her face went completely blank as her jaw dropped with a baffled “WHAT??”

I then said “honey! I just want you to HOLD this stuff for a while. You’re just not in touch with my financial needs as a man enough for me to satisfy your shopping needs as a woman.” And just when she had that look like she was going to kill me, I added, “Why can’t you love me for who I am and not for the things I buy you?”

Apparently I’m not having sex tonight either.

I blogged last week about goals and the importance of writing them down. Well today I want to muse about something similar, but maybe not so much.

Some of us have more patience than others. Some of us (this would include me) have no patiences what so ever. I want what I want and I want it now. Looking at my list of goals it seems there are a lot of things on there that are so very far away. I mean years! How ever will I make it that far? I want that life right now!

It would be easy to see that and get discouraged. To forget working toward that goal because it seems so far off and so unattainable. I have seen this happen to a lot of people.

That is why it is important to take those long range goals and break them down. For example let’s go back to me and my book. I want to have a book published in the next 2 years. Don’t know about you, but that seems like a life time away.

Easy to get discouraged and procrastinate. But if I wait for 18 months and then say wow I am almost to my 2 year mark to have my book published, my chance of meeting my goal are not very good.

Breaking down that goal into smaller goals is what will get you to the finish line.

I will have my book written in rough draft in the next 12 months. OK that seems still like an eternity away doesn’t it?

I will spend one hour every day writing my book.

That is a smaller daily goal. With that goal I can see daily progress on my goal. It may be hard to get done, but it is doable. With that I should be able to reach my goal to have it written in 12 months.

There are several things that are important about goals.

Make them realistic. Goals that you can and will accomplish.

Write them down. This makes them more real for you.

Break them down into smaller goals so you can see yourself progress towards your bigger goal.

I know you will accomplish your goals! Stick to it and reach for the stars!