1 for 1: Book Challenge

                                                One for One in '11



 I've stumbled upon the blog "52 Books in 52 Weeks" before and was overwhelmed at the very thought, not to mention the execution, especially for me.  It took me at least 3 months to get through some Jane Austen books. How could anyone who does more than read by the fading light of the afternoon eating bon-bons while reclining on a fainting couch possibly have time to read a book a WEEK? A MAGAZINE a week would be a challenge!

But "52 Books" gives bonus points/grace to those who tackle more than Oprah's Book Club selections. You're allowed to read a classic a month for instance. I might be able to do that with a prod.

I really liked the category options, especially the Well-Educated Mind list. Since homeschooling MeiWei using Charlotte Mason and Ambleside Online, I feel the push personally to become better-read. (Can't have the child out-educate me!) So the challenge of 3 selections each from 4 of the five categories. Here's the page from "52 Weeks" WEM list.

But first I have to finish Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford.


What are you reading--just for YOU?

One for One

Well, as you can tell from the previous post, I've either been incredibly busy, so much so, that 1) I can't post or 2) am uninspired or 3) stymied by guilt from not writing and that guilt breeds more putting off,  and on and on it goes.

So now I'm excited to write something and here it is.
                                                          1 for 1.


That doesn't sound like much, does it? But wait. It might get better.

I was thinking at the end of December 2010 how much I'll miss a year whose date had so much pizazz to it. C'mon, how much fun did everyone have saying "twenty-ten"?! And thinking about how the two numbers have a fractional relationship (my made-up math term).
 And it had real eye appeal. 2010. People don't have another year to look forward to for coolness until 2020. Unless you count 2012 when the world ends. But that's another topic.

It was an even number, divisible many ways. (Though not evenly by 7, but even then the answer is a way-cool repeating decimal value. Try it.) It was also the start of a new decade unless you're one of those killjoys who insists that a decade---or Millenium, remember that ruckus around 2000?--doesn't truly begin until the end of this year. 

2010. It had everything going for it. A rock-star among dates.

Now it's 2011. Not divisible by anything that I can find except the old definition of Prime (divisible only by one and itself, which is not impressive even in that way when the number is already rife with 1's.) It doesn't hold its own visually or audibly. No balance, no sexiness, no ring like 2010.

So what can I say about 2011? Is there any hope? Can this sad, unbalanced, odd, prime number inspire?


I say, Yes! The answer lies in those double 1's.  Here is the germ for a great year for me to make resolutions. Don't snort. These will be resolutions that I can live with: short, sweet, manageable, forgivable.


The resolutions --or maybe just -tion!---will be just 1 thing for 1 period of time, whatever I choose at that time. See? 1 for 1. Easy!

For instance: blogging every day for one week. Now that wasn't so bad, was it? (Not saying that's the first thing I'll do, mind.) 
Or walking 1 mile a day for one month (and dropping one size?)
Going for one whole day without using a curse word. (Major challenge.) 
Thinking one kind thought about a loved one every day for a week.  And posting it. Thinking one kind thought about ME and posting it.
Praying for one minute a day for a year. Probably should start with that.


I can do more than one at a time too, but I don't want to overload and blow it all. I am cursed with an All-Or-Nothing-At-All mentality. Explains why I haven't posted in almost a year. That curse of needing a perfect post and waiting until I had time to make one. Which never comes.
So I will start this week with 1 (or 2) things.

The first will to be to post once a day for one week. First Day, done!

One for One in '11

What, Me Journal?

I like the idea of blogging without guilt which I read about somewhere on another blog. It's the one thing that bouyed my faith in myself through this very long gap of posts from last spring. So rather than feel like a failure or that I have to start over or delete this blog,or worse MAKE EXCUSES, I am going to just pick up right here.

Something I've been doing since last summer is journaling. I bought a day planner from Simply Charlotte Mason , the old fashioned kind with a week-view and inspirational quotes by Charlotte herself on "willfullness" and how to combat it, and made a pledge to myself that I would write in it everyday. Since August when I purchased it, I've been pretty consistent. The part I like is that the limited writing space frees me and constrains me at the same time. I'm constrained, rather like Twitter, to keep my reflections few, and I'm freed from feeling my entry has to be voluminous and therefore  spend much time on it.  I intend to keep up with this. I can see the use, if nothing else, of making a note of something now that I would like to refer to later, like Christmas plans that failed. (not too many :-) )

I plan to make that another "1 for 1" pledge. Maybe "once or (or twice) a week for one year". It'll be a first (no pun intended).