Overcoming inertia

Well, it’s a new year, and it seems like people everywhere are looking to a new start to things. Being terribly predictable, I am trying yet again to lose some weight. Also predictably, everyone else seems to be trying to get into shape as well. Getting a stationary bike at the gym is a hit or miss proposition every January, and don’t get me started on the traffic or the parking. I’m constantly caught between wanting to get the workout in and cringing at the thought of the crowds. This has resulted in rather more walks at local parks, which feed my soul in a way a gym never could anyway. The weather has been mostly cooperative and I’m proud to say I can actually jog a bit now, something I never could do before my foot surgeries, and I hope I can increase the duration of my little awkward jogs over the next few weeks.

(photos: winter harvest and balance?, something I saw on a walk)

I’m motivated to get my body moving at the moment, but getting my mind going on new lesson plans and blog topics has been a bit more challenging. It’s not writers block precisely, but rather a certain inertia, a reluctance to put anything down on paper… and maybe a small lack of inspiration.  Deadlines are calling in the form of promises made and I need to deliver, so I am hoping I can shake the dust off my writing muscles here and get the brain as well as the body into gear.  It’s one thing to sit around pushing the kids to do things, but it’s harder to find time to do things for myself and do them well.

Still, pushing the kids can be exhausting (I know, know, a true homeschool guru would only be giving gentle nudges and the kids would do the rest. Right? I'm not that good.) You ever have a lesson that goes like this?

I have days like that with my "smart one". Sometimes I can’t believe the vacant looks I get. Patience is the buzzword on those days.

 Other days look more like this:

Happy, learning people. Days like that you can pat your own back and take credit for your children’s happiness and brilliance. It’s all because you rock and homeschooling rocks and… well, you know.

The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. 

Take it easy this January. Hopefully I'll get myself in gear here soon. In the meantime, breathe through the bad days and hum through the good. Savor the small blessings. It will all work out in the end.