I have been neglecting this blog in favor of my personal website over here. I will be figuring out how (and if) I’m combining these two sites later on in 2024. For now, since it’s been a very long time since I’ve updated this blog, I thought I’d add an update to January 2021’s “Life Well Lived List”, which is the most recent post I’d made before now. A lot has changed in the last 2 years.
- October 2013 and items 1-46
- January 2015 and items 47-62
- March 2017 and items 63 – 88
- January 2021 items 89-112
113. I finished my dissertation. (I’ll be defending it next week, and earning my Ph.D. in Mythological Studies and Depth Psychology – expect fanfare!)
114. I’ve had more stories published. I’ve now got work in four anthologies – a fifth is coming out in February. (I keep a running list here) This also means I have “author pages” on both Amazon and Goodreads!
115. I bought a 4runner, sold the house in Atlanta, and moved to New Mexico in about 3 months in 2021. I didn’t buy my house here until December, but that was a whirlwind period of my life! Major changes, and the New Mexico climate is fantastic for my arthritis. I did have to live in a hotel for 2 months in this transition, and I’m not sure whether that qualifies as “life well lived” or not…
116. I went back to Greece – by myself – to present at a conference in Athens. My presentation was on Trickster Stories and their role in healing trauma. I got to do very nerdy day trips and site visits to my mythological heart’s content.
117. In the Spring of 2023, I went on another European trip! This was to Paris, Normandy, driving to Mont St. Michel, then spending a week in Brussels, Belgium with day trips to Bruges and Amsterdam. Stopped by NYC on the return trip (briefly).
118. Closer to home, NM meanderings include the Very Large Array, Los Alamos, a ghost town near “bald woman caves”, the Trinity Site, Taos Pueblo, and of course, Meow Wolf in Santa Fe.
119. Discovered that I have a great-aunt who lives 3 hours away. Mom and I have visited with her twice now.
120. Visited with friends in Tucson, AZ, and discovered that I have a cousin who lives there!
121. I moved my old “Lazy, Cheap, and Tacky” email mailing list over to mailchimp. This is because as I grow my author “platform”, the actual list of email subscribers is an important metric. Also, giving these subscribers a means to officially opt-in, and opt-out is also vital, marketing-wise.
122. I deleted Twitter! This was huge for my mental health. I’m experimenting with other platforms. Do you have one that works well for you?
123. I got to sit in the front row at my friend’s book launch party, and travel with her to see her book in the wild at a local indie bookshop.
124. One of my favorite parts of my new house is I had a local carpenter add a fully dedicated library space.
125. Last Christmas, I got out my chainsaw, and chopped down my own tree from my property. It was a Charlie Brown number, but I loved it! (Also, it needed to come down for fire safety, I just waited til December to do it.)
126. I’ve done a lot more firewood chopping and heating my home with the fireplace than I ever envisioned.
127. Took a huge leap of faith this past fall and quit my full-time job. Not sure where that’s going to land me come the new year, but we’ll find out! I’m documenting this as it progresses on my YouTube Channel.
I’m sure there will be exciting things to add to this list in the coming year. What will you add to your own “life well-lived” list?
Onward and Upward!!! ?? ________________________________