In Regards to My Mediocre Blogging Habit

I've been a terrible blogger of late.

I have lots of things that I would love to write about, swarms of things that I would love to share.

But I also like to sleep sometimes and those little things add up to fill the waking hours, things like the looming deadline for my final annotated bibliography and a wonderful family visit over Easter and time with people dear to me and the 50 hours out of every week that are dedicated to my job and the need to occasionally go to the grocery store or do my laundry.

So blogging has been tricky. This isn't a dramatic exit, just a warning that blog posts may be sparse for the next couple of weeks until life settles down a bit. 

How do you prioritize when schedules get full and time gets thin?

Friday Linkage

I hope that your weekend is filled with good conversation and memories made, with the morning sunshine of spring, warm coffee, and the laughter of those you love.

A guest post on Donald Miller's blog reflects on the importance of reading in meaningful life.

Desiring God had a thought-stirring article on the statistical connection between race and the frequency of abortion.

An interesting collection of quotes marking the novelist Milan Kundera's birthday will inspire any writer.

Michael Hyatt wrote a convicting article for Christians and leaders about the importance of keeping one's word.

A slideshow of an enormous lodge in Park City, Utah, provided some fun eye-candy....this might be my dream kitchen.

April's Goals

March flew by and April is here in full force. It's hard to believe. In the spirit of Balance and Blueberries' lovely goal-marker posts, here are some of my goals for April:

• Try three new recipes.
• Blog 15 posts
• Finish The War of Art, Sandition, and What's so Amazing About Grace?.
• It's almost the end of the semester....the end of April and the completion of the annotated bibliography for my current course should coincide if I ever hope to finish grad school.
• Clock five hours of piano practice. This sounds minimal, but simply reenacting a regular practice routine is going to be an enormous step in the right direction.
• Be grateful. Write 10 thank-you notes and list 100 gifts in my journal.

What are your goals for April?

Friday Linkage

It's not Friday. Not even remotely. I hope as you prepare yourself for the week ahead, though, these links provide you with encouragement and inspiration.

This article from The Atlantic provides  fascinating look at the psychological effects good intentions have on our physical senses.

Creative Commons License: Coffee Club by anthony_p_c on Flickr

Watch the High Calling's brief video (or read the transcript) on why your work matters to God.

World Magazine's commentary about the redemption stories buried beneath March Madness was inspiring, even in light of the demise of my bracket.

After a week filled with random and petty but frustrating mishaps, Jeff Goins' words were a comforting reminder that art must happen not in spite of, but in the midst of, the real sweaty business of life.

In the face of a constant barrage of stories, ads, and curiosity about online dating, the Wall Street Journal provides a sometimes overlooked side to the fascinating new trend.

Lessons from One Goal

I was looking over my list of January resolutions and was pleasantly surprised. Per usual, there are goals that have been pushed to the back-burner and goals that I'm proceeding towards more slowly than expected. But one goal stood out, 

At the beginning of January, I determined to read for 15 minutes every morning. Every. Morning.

 Creative Commons License: Sunrise in San Diego by Timm Williams on Flickr

This meant that I had to make some changes:

• I had to get up early enough to allow 15 minutes of extra time in my morning schedule. This wasn't hugely difficult since I normally get up fairly early, but for last-minute risers this might present a hurdle.
• I had to go to bed early enough to make rising 15 minutes earlier a viable possibility.
• I had to put a stop to my habit of checking my Facebook and e-mail accounts right away in the morning. This was a good change that needed to happen, but a difficult habit to stop at first. 

Some mornings, it's romantic. I hop energetically out of bed, grab my book, and read for 15 blissful minutes as I leisurely sip my coffee. Most mornings, though, I frantically fight to keep my eyelids open, mournfully wondering what possessed me to try this sick experiment.

Commitment to this goal taught me a few things:

1. Everyone has 15 minutes in their day, somewhere, that they can recapture. Maybe your 15 minutes is during lunch break or in the late afternoon or late at night. But that block of time is hiding somewhere, just waiting to be used. 

2. 15 minutes may not seem like much time, but committing to doing something every day for 15 minutes was much harder than I thought it would be. Distractions and hurdles will appear en masse. The universe will conspire against that 15 minutes.

3. 15 minutes every day produces real results. I finally read John Piper's Desiring God, a book that has been on my to-read list for ages. Tomorrow I am finishing Chesteron's Orthodoxy. Instead of staring at my "to-read" pile, I am finally seeing results.

What could you do in 15 minutes a day? Practice an instrument? Read through a book list? Learn to cook? 

Giveaway: TrimGoTrix Winner Announced

Thank you to all of you who entered the giveaway!

I'm pleased to announce that Rachel from Balance and Blueberries won the drawing!

Thanks again, Monica, for generously giving away a necklace from TrimGoTrix, as well!

Let the Madness Begin

I don't normally consider myself a sports fanatic. I can certainly appreciate the occasional football or basketball game during the year. But I just haven't attained the attention span required to follow a team or sport for an extended period of time. The period in early winter when basketball and football are both occurring is still confusing to me.

Also, I attended a tiny liberal arts school. Although my school had a lot of great qualities, our athletics department was weak at best. So I didn't catch the sports bug that many catch during college years while attending a bigger state school.

But for the last couple of years, during a few weeks in March, this all changes. Something about the intensity, the fast pace, the limited time-period, the viewer participation, and the fact that I can finally pretend to know what I'm talking about during sports-related conversations at parties....I'm hooked.

My bracket's triumph in my office last year sealed the deal. Who correctly put Butler in the Final Four? This girl. 

During March Madness I become a different person. Normally I don't even watch television. During March Madness, I yell at mine and sometimes throw things. Normally, I work in blissful ignorance at the office while the guys discuss recent games. During March Madness, my morning greeting consists of questions like "Who saw the VCU/Wichita game last night??" and "Can you believe that call?!" 

So, the normal Emily will return on April 3. Until then.....let the madness reign.