Random Thoughts on a Saturday Night

So much of life, it seems to me, is determined by pure randomness.  ~Sidney Poitier

Maybe it's laziness or maybe it's just an inability to focus tonight, but  all my thoughts about what to post are flitting around in my mind like a hummingbird going from one flower to another in the garden. Not being able to come up with a coherent topic, I have decided to list some of my random thoughts.  Not exactly stream of consciousness, but pretty close.  Here goes:

• Wathching NFL playoff games on TV with my family is a very enjoyable way to spend a Saturday.
• Meals cooked in a crock pot taste delicious and are almost effortless.
• Waiting for an amaryllis to bloom is rather like waiting for a baby to be born.
• Yahtzee is a boring game requiring little skill.
• If you play Yahtzee with someone you love it can be a lot of fun.
• Why do so many retired people move far away from their families and then spend half of their time going to visit them?
• Wearing socks to bed in the winter helps me get to sleep faster.
• Having chocolate candy in the house is not a good idea when you are trying to eat more healthfully.
• Grandchildren are one of the joys of getting older.
• There will never be enough time to read all the books I want to read.
• There will never be enough time to knit and crochet all the things I want to knit and crochet.
• Knowing that there are still books I haven't read and things I haven't knit or crocheted makes waking up every morning a wonderful adventure!
  

Stick-to-it-ness

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.  ~Thomas Merton

I have been actively seeking serenity for some time now and have become convinced that by fostering balance and harmony in my life I can achieve it. Easier said than done, however. I tend to approach all my goals with great passion--one might even say obsession.  This life style is not conducive to serenity, but how does one change a long-established way of living one's life?  

Routines help.  Getting up in the morning and going to bed at night at the same time every day is useful in establishing some kind of order and rhythm in my life.  I can sustain this pattern for a while, but then something always disturbs it.  An extended trip away from home; a good book I just can't put down; an inability to get to sleep one night.  

Maintaining balance in my life requires tremendous self-discipline and dedication.  Passion provides the motivation, but so far I am lacking that perseverance I mentioned yesterday.  I need to develop the habit of stick-to-it-ness.  

This topic of forming habits is a recurring theme in my thoughts and posts this month.  Is it just the effect of the New Year on me?  It's January so I must make changes in my life?  I have been resisting making resolutions, but perhaps I need to make some commitments before I can see any progress toward my goals.

Is This Really My Return to Blogging?

It has been such a long time since I posted that I feel at a loss for words.  So why was I absent for so long and am I really going to return to at least occasional postings as my description states or am I just kidding myself?  I have been very busy in the intervening non-blogging days, but that is not why I stopped.  I have had to do some real soul-searching about putting myself and my musings out there in cyberspace.  Is a blog the platform I want to explore my feelings, thoughts, and ideas?  Or do I just want a place to record my needlework projects and my travels?  Or is a blog not the right thing for me at all?  I've decided to put my reflections on these topics into written form here and see if I can come to any conclusions.