1. Settling. I don’t mean “I’m thinking of settling”. I mean, I’m thinking about this concept. It’s something we say a lot. “She’s settling”. “I won’t settle for less”. It’s turning into that word I say so many times it doesn’t sound real anymore.  Settle, settle, settle. I’m thinking a lot about what is right and wrong to settle for these days. For example: my job. Dallas. There are so many things about them I don’t like, right? I mean – I don’t dislike my job. In fact, there is a lot of it I find incredibly rewarding. I meet so many nice people. It’s a nice industry to be in, most of the time. I work alone, and can make my own hours a lot of the time. Right now it’s less fun, since we’re in the last two months of crunch time, sure. There is a lot of pressure. Some days I feel like I’m not getting enough done. Some days I don’t want to do it. Some days I want to quit.  But hell, isn’t that the same with MOST jobs? When we talk about “settling”, are we saying the  alternative is for everything to be perfect? Because I’m sure that’s never the case. Even the jobs I admire most – I KNOW they have their shitty days too. So what are the right and wrong things to settle for? Don’t we all settle for some things every day?

2. Fear. I recently had a conversation with a friend (and if she reads this, she knows who she is) about guns. She feels that by not having a gun in the home to protect yourself, you are a part of the firearms cycle anyway, but by putting yourself in the role of a victim-in-waiting.  Which I definitely don’t agree with, as if I have to say – I don’t think by not owning a gun you are somehow resigned to being a victim of someone who HAS one. But it made me think of my mom and sister, who have irrational fears of something happening to them. And I just can’t help but think – WHERE does this fear COME from? I’ll be honest – I just don’t have it. I don’t think it is likely someone is going to break into my home and kill me. I think it is statistically improbable I am going to be carjacked (and I don’t say that lightly – it happened to a good friend of David’s). I just do not live in fear of terrible things happening to me, though I act with due diligence constantly. The fearful politics and news cycle HAS TO STOP. This is not a way for people to live.  And we’ve got to change it from childhood. Devery pointed me to Free Range Kids, and I clicked through to this article, and it illustrates how we are DOING EVERYTHING WRONG.

3. Motivation. I’ve lost my motivation for anything personal. It’s like work sucks it all up. Someone help. Where do I find it? I have knitting projects, cooking projects, cleaning, running, parties, a gym schedule – everything laid out. And yet, I’m just being a big old lazy sod.  Why am I so demotivated to do things I enjoy and will make me a better and happier person?

4. Bugs. Why are there so many of them? Why do they bite me, or want to come in my house? You make me itchy, vile creatures!