Last week, I blogged about reducing my time on social media. And guess what? I did. I was able to do just what I needed to do and focus some of my time on studying my lesson for the class I’m teaching and also take some down time to just chill. I even took time to get fitness into my days.

Following is how it’s working out:

What I’m Doing Now

Last Saturday, I caught up with and knocked out as many social media tasks as I possibly could. This included posting and announcing a book review, sharing about my last blog post, and building the story slides for my “Countdown to 60” on Instagram. It felt good to have a plan, follow it, and get most everything done. Sure, there’s still so much to do but, I believe, everything else will get fitted in as it necessitates. For now, I think I might have a doable social media schedule for the next few weeks.

On Sunday, I started studying my lesson. This was great as it involved a lot of reading, not just the teacher’s manual, but also the student’s manual to get a good idea of how much time it would take to get through given there will also be time for introductions, opening and closing prayers, and discussions. I continued on Monday evening by reviewing just the teacher’s manual which follows along and supports the student manual. And on Tuesday evening, I looked at and read over the sections I really wanted to be sure we covered and prayed on it.

Mid-week Class

The class begins at five-fifteen on Wednesdays, so at five o’clock I head right over to my classroom. In contrast to my first eighth grade class at St. Brigid eighteen years ago where I had about 36 students, I had just two arrive on Wednesday. The pace was so different. There was no running interference as school mates chatted away oblivious of the reason they were in class. Instead, there was peace and quite and interaction as we read through the lesson and discussed topics about our mission as Christians, how the Holy Spirit is here to support and encourage us, and how prayer is our communication with Jesus and God.

By studying and taking those much-needed hours away from my usual social media and regular reading time, I was able to prepare for a lesson that flowed and went well despite learning only two hours earlier that my class was only one hour long, not one hour and fifteen minutes. I was tired at the end, but my heart was happy. It felt good to share my faith in God with these two students, both with so much to offer their families, friends, the world, God, and themselves.

Thursdays Are to Chill

After a fast and furious week, I decided that Thursday evenings are my rest day. My days at work are hectic. There are definitely some quiet moments where I can really focus and get some extra tasks done. But a lot of the time, it is a constant busy. So, when I got home from work yesterday, I just couldn’t focus on anything computer-related, personal or not. I decided I needed to just rest. I couldn’t even get in the thirty minutes of steps I had been doing morning and evening last Friday through Sunday and evenings Monday through Wednesday.

Friday: Errands’ Day & More

Fridays, today in fact, are for errands and blogging – oh, and manicures. That’s right. It was time. Five weeks is the longest I can let my fingers grow. Actually, four weeks is better, and two or three even better. This week at work, and at home for that matter, I spent way too much time hitting the wrong keys and having to backtrack to make more than the usual corrections. So, it feels good to be typing now with normal length nails.

While I was in-between errands and my manicure, I went to the local fashion shop in town and bought a dress and some tops for my photo shoot next Saturday. I tried getting a local photographer to do my author headshot and my upcoming 60th milestone. But either I didn’t get a response or the dates I asked for were unavailable. So, in organizing my weekends with things freeing up here and there and other things getting added, I asked hubs – who can take the most amazing photos – to do my photo shoot. And we scheduled on my only free Saturday, which also happens to be one month before I really turn sixty (shhhh, don’t tell anyone, lol).

I would have taken a nap today, especially since we got our flu shots this morning. But with my manicure appointment booked so tightly, I opted for shopping. I’m so excited! I know the photos will turn out great, but it doesn’t hurt to have some new clothes for the occasion. Plus, next Friday, I’ll get my next pedicure done – the one that will carry me through the winter as I do not wear sandals during the cold months (brrrr!). We may live in South Texas, but trust me the cold days of winter are still cold.

This Weekend

And so, what am I doing tomorrow? Hopefully, announcing this blog on my IG feed, publishing my book review of “waiting for the light bulb” by Dr. Lisa Peña (I gave it a 5-Star rating, so you may want to check it out), updating our checkbook and paying bills, and building my IG story slides for my “Countdown to 60” all while doing laundry. And after all of that, maybe a nap if I need one; if not, then maybe and hopefully, a movie. Also, will pull my October to-do from my Monthly To-do Project box. And I will start reading a new book which I aim to get read within the month of October.

I love reading and reading really gives my brain a break from computer-life and helps me sleep better. Next on my TBR pile is “Meghan: A Hollywood Princess” by Andrew Morton which I bought from the used bookstore, Bee is for Books, in Beeville, a neighboring and larger town. Now, I have to tell you I’m not sure if I’ll be able to read this book or not. A few years ago, I had to DNF this author’s previous book, “Diana: Her True Story,” as I found it to be much too slow of a read. But who knows, maybe “Meghan…” one will be more interesting, thereby encouraging me to finish “Diana…” I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

And That’s A Wrap

And, finally, on Sunday, I will prep salads for the week and start studying my next lesson.

Lord willing, everything will go well. My goal is to stick pretty close to the schedule I did this past week. I’ll still keep things as simple as possible. I’ll still try to post my morning and evening sunrise and sunset photos to my stories’ apps. I’ll continue to do my daily “Countdown to 60” slides to my Instagram stories. And I’ll still work on getting my fitness in as well as eating well and going to bed at a decent hour.

Do I feel overwhelmed? Sure, from time to time. But you know what? I have found that I spend less time feeling overwhelmed when I set limits to certain things (like social media), don’t overthink stuff, and plan ahead better. So, things are actually going well right now. And when the unexpected happens?

It’s much easier to handle those times when I’m rested, have taken time to pause and consider my goals for the day, and leave room for flexibility. I used to be so rigid! Now, not so much. Life is too short to not leave room for the unexpected. And if the unexpected doesn’t happen, well, then there’s extra time for something fun.

So, let me leave you with this one slide of my fun day today. (Can you take a guess at what my toe color will be?) And until next time, keep laughin’, keep smilin’, and keep on lovin’….

Love & hugs, Virg