2021 intention: DO.

My 2021 intention is a simple one. Do. Do what? Well, anything, everything, something.

2020 was a hell of a year. I’ve never written as much in one year as I did in 2020.

But… I thought that was your job? Writing?

Well, it is actually. Problem is, I was never given the opportunity much. I do a lot of work in the back house. A lot of the techy stuff, production stuff, formatting stuff (copy edit), etc. I shoot a shit ton of photos (when there’s stuff to actually go to), and then it’s also on me to, for myself, and the other 3 in my department, to handle the photos (and photo sales).

And the never ending requests from all of our schools in 3 counties for yearbook photos.

So, yeah, I write an average of 3-4 pieces a year, and 2 columns. If I’m lucky.

My tally for 2020 was a staggering 63 pieces (sports only, another 11 for the news side), and five columns.

My hands hurt.

I typed a lot, but I also physically wrote a lot. The pandemic made life from April until August pretty interesting with a not-quite-in-school-yet aged kid.

Daycare shuttered for two months. We stopped using our parents the 2 days a week for care until the end of June.

Instead of toting around my laptop, I brought small, reporter notebooks with me. I’d sit in my beach chair, while my son ran around like a wild animal, playing, digging, enjoying this newfound freedom, and write whichever story project I was working on at the time.

I hated it, and loved it at the same time.

For once, I was in control of my stories. I have had lists, and lists, and lists of stories about people, and things, in our area that I’ve wanted to bring to readers, but never the opportunity. My stories were always assignments, and took priority.

My boss literally threw out the decades of the way he’s managed our department last year. And THAT part was amazing. The entire department mood lifted.

He’s even said that once everything settles and it’s safe to return to the office – we don’t have to. He’s good with us working from home. Admitting that even he, himself, is more productive there.

Twilight Zone episode No. 3944. For real.

I wrote more, felt like I was going to break my hands doing it, and wondered if I’d write myself out of writing – but I somehow didn’t. I’ve already got a draft list of all the things I want to get published in our pages this year. I’ve even made a list of BLOGGING things. That’s right. I’m getting back into this. I don’t feel like I’m just sitting and spinning anymore, feeling like I have absolutely nothing to bring to the table here (even recipes have been meh as of the past few years).

I’m not saying it’ll be weekly, but at least once a month (I even wrote it in my day planner, a scheduled day to blog). All the usual life, parenthood (my baby started KINDERGARTEN last year!), health, and food things.

Some gardening stuff too, I’m expanding my in-home plant addiction, and my gardens outside are growing to the point where my decks are covered in pots each growing season.

Oh, and the road to the weightlifting competition platform.

That’s right. I’ve “retired” from powerlifting. It was time to part with the sport that held my hand for over a decade, and move on to something else.

I missed my competition opportunity in 2020 (pandemic life), which was okay, because I was still green, just six months in when that competition would have fallen on the calendar, but 2021, I’m definitely ready. And it’s looking like my first go will be a virtual meet at the end of February, and a hopeful in person meet in late July. But we’ll see.

It’s good to be back here in this space. Hope there’s at least a few of you still around to read my brain dumps in 2021…