In case you hadn’t realized, I don’t keep a very regular schedule.

A lot of the international news comes out early in the morning (or very late at night, depending on how you look at it). That and I’m a night-owl naturally. (That and the insomnia. Good times.)

A few weeks ago, I took a midnight walk on the beach and saw a Loggerhead turtle coming back from laying her eggs. It was such an incredible experience to be only a few feet from that majestic creature. Last night, I took the new dog on a walk to the beach, to show her the water. I’d never seen so much excitement. She chased the waves, dove into the water and rolled in the sand. The moon was so bright I could see her playing like nothing else mattered and it touched me.

This might not seem very significant but each of them gave me pause. I’m trying to find balance and productivity in my life. Its easy to get caught up in those things. I often lament that I live right next to the ocean and yet almost never visit it. Seems a shame. Of course, when I do go, I feel guilty. But then something like last night happens and for a minute everything seems right in the world.

I read about an exercise recently in journaling. That it was more important to work on gratitude in your writing than anything else. To keep a list, physically or mentally of things you can be thankful for and then look back on your day through that lens.

Obviously, I want this blog to chronicle my successes and failures as I move on to writing full time. But I want to keep that gratitude comment in mind. Its so important to find balance and happiness, then share about it. How do you find balance and keep a positive perspective? (Its okay if you aren’t always good at it, neither am I.)

Updates:

EXCITING NEWS: I got paid to write! Twice last week!

Choose Your Stance:

Beyond the Moon: Government funded inspiration (about NASA and the Curiosity project)