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[vaneramos]

I feel better this morning. It helps that I got to bed on time last night, and the sun smiled gently, fleetingly at the window while I was eating breakfast here, then writing my morning pages.

The calendar needs some revision. Looking back at the list of priorities I wrote on Labour Day, here's what's working, and what's not:

1. Housecleaning: B+, I've made a lot of progress, but the office and living room still need work. It's amazing how two days of neglect make the kitchen look like I never touched it. Still need to concentrate on this.
2. The novel: B, working on it almost every day, just need to be more consistent.
3. Mirtazapine: A-, I've been taking it at 9:30 most nights, and my sleeping habits continue to improve.
4. Volunteering: A, my attitude remains good despite my shifts in mood; the Tuesday night shift at OOTS is still one of the highlights of my week.
5. Job search: D-, I've written my resume.
6. The gym: I've chosen to defer this to concentrate on #1.
7. Meditation and walking: C-, I've realized that writing morning pages is my meditation; what I need more is slack time. But walking will become essential for my mental health this fall, so I need to fit it in somehow.
8. Drawing: F, maybe I want too much, and setting unrealistic goals doesn't help. I might have to cut this one.
9. Country drives: A-, I've done two so far, but the second time I forgot the memory card at home.
10. Writers group: C-, I hadn't done anything about it until this morning, discussing the possibility of meeting regularly with machineplay to write. If that works out, it would fit the bill.
11. Balanced approach to LJ, correspondence and relationships: B, relatively good, although balance is difficult visualize, let alone grasp. The fact that I'm not stressing out about LJ is a good sign.
12. Reading before bed: B+, still missing it some nights, but much improved.
13. Self-care: Hard to assess, but I'll take a B for improvement.
14. Sending work for publication. This was not on the original list, but it's essential, just like the job search. I've been discussing with ghostsandrobots how she keeps her poetry organized for this purpose.

Things aren't as hopeless as I occasionally feel. It's helpful to review accomplishments so far. The most serious concern is the job search.

Danny will be on vacation next week and we're going away together. We plan to spend part of the week at the cottage, then head to Goderich to stay in a B&B, and visit with Mia and Corry. We haven't had a quiet vacation like this together before, and I'm much looking forward to it.

Sometimes between now and when I get home on October 2, I plan to revise my calendar to reflect shifting priorities and a few things I've learned from working with the first one.