The Ranch Librarian Happiness Project: Aiming High in November

I, like my bestie Ayme, am completely FLOORED at the fact that October has come and gone! every week for this semester's Master's Class. 

October was maybe the busiest month of the year for me, with Accreditation at work, chaperoning 8th graders to Teton Science School, Hubster out hunting, and writing a paper

Yikes. But  have to say, my goal to be more mindful in October worked out okay. That's not to say that I was some paragon of peace and calm, but I was so much more aware throughout the month of making sure that I did the small things throughout the month. I played my violin (not a lot), I worked on Italian (in short bits and pieces), and I spent quite a bit of time outside connecting with nature. But again, I think for October, the real lesson for me was just being mindful. Being aware of taking time to just sit or go for a walk or take a break from the incessant calls on my attention to do something for me.

Now November has arrived, and this month's focus is Aim Higher.

So I only have one goal this month: Participate in and win NaNoWriMo.

What is NaNoWriMo, you ask?

November is National Novel Writing Month, and the awesome people at the Office of Letters and Light in San Fran put on NaNoWriMo every November.

The goal: a 50,000 word novel in November.

I have been participating in NaNoWriMo for five years now, and I have never won. Meaning, I have never gotten to 50,000 words before. I've gotten as many as 35,000, and then gone on to later finish the novel, but I've never verified a win on the 30th of November.

That all changes this year.

My only goal for the month of November, in between life and papers for my Master's class and turkey on Thanksgiving, is to finish the novel I've started.

And so far, I'm on track! To finish a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, you have to write 1,666 words a day, and I'm keeping pace pretty well.

The novel I am writing is called My Summer with Gatsby, and it's FUN. I am loving getting it all out on the page, and enjoying every minute of it. Chances are, I will post parts of it here as I work on it this month.

And on a final note:

Ayme's post about her October Happiness Project got me to thinking. She says in her post

"Now is just not the time for lofty goals AND great hair.  It's the time to raise little boys and do what I can.  And I'm happy with that."

Her wisdom really encouraged me. "Now is not the time" has been part of my mantra the past two years, as Hubster and I have struggled to conceive. When I was planning this year-long Happiness Project in September, I had several goals written down for November, my month of writing. I was going to blog on a regular schedule, do a NaNoWriMo novel, AND create several Shutterfly memory books.

Then, as I began November and my NaNoWriMo novel, and thought about October, and realized that I still have to sleep and eat and go to work...suddenly Ayme's words really took hold of me. Now is not the time to do ALL those things. Now is the time to do some of those things, just the same way as now is clearly not the time for Hubster and I have to have a baby.

And let me be real here for a moment: I don't like the fact that now is not the time to have a baby. I don't particularly care for the fact that now is not the time to be writing full time, publishing books, or teaching college. But nevertheless, it's not the time, so I have find a way to make peace with it.

So while I am writing my NaNoWriMo novel this November, I am also going to be thinking about the ways in which now is the time to tackle this one project.

And there will be a time, later, for those other things.

But one thing, one step, one day at a time.

Happy November!