Credit: Google Images

Almost Forgot…

Okay, I’m a little behind the eight ball this year…

I’ve had a rough few weeks, so my mind has been on other, more important (or less trivial) things. This is the time of year where I like to remind all of you writers to clean out your old files/projects/works, old stories that will never see the light of day and any other projects that have been at a standstill for at least a few years. Time to heave-ho. Put them in your “file 13” (trash can – digital or paper).

A Chance to Begin Again…

Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year, the Green Wood Dragon 2024. Gung Hay Fat Choi – which is Cantonese for “congratulations on prospering in money.” In Mandarin, it’s Gong xi fat cai. 

“It is a popular saying you’ll hear frequently during Chinese New Year. Unlike Americans, this Chinese congratulatory greeting is not based on something already achieved but instead is a wish or hope that you will achieve what you desire, hence the congratulations in the phrase. It’s a blessing of good fortune and prosperity (it’s not always money, as many Chinese believed that enough food to eat also represented abundance in one’s life).”   MB post, January 26, 2020

This is supposed to be a fortuitous year for many, so I’m crossing my fingers. Because my life has had some major up- and downswings lately, I figure I need all the help I can get. I added a Chinese Dragon as wallpaper to my Google. Added a smaller one to my phone for luck. Tonight I will eat some potstickers (can’t really find Chinese dumplings where I live, it’s a bit rural) for good luck. If you can find mandarin oranges (they’re in season here), buy a bunch (at least 5) and place them in a nice bowl on your kitchen table (another representation of prosperity = enough food to eat). Keep the bowl filled as much as possible through February.

Cleaning House, Again…

In 2021, I wrote about scraps of a writing life – yet I am still clinging (versus just holding on) to some of those unfinished projects and haven’t touched them in years. What am I waiting for? It dawned on me yesterday as I uninstalled a few unused apps on my phone: there was once a time when I lived my life fully and without any of this digital crap. Why am I hanging on to stuff I don’t use? Do I fear missing out on something? Why am I afraid to let go? What exactly do I fear? Why oh why am I saving website links? Why all the digital clutter?

Cleaning house, including computer files, is good for the spirit; it releases stuck energy and makes you feel like you accomplished something worthwhile. So what are you waiting for? Get off your butt and get busy cleaning out those old writing projects that no longer serve a purpose in your life. Let go. (This is the hardest part because we may feel that we failed instead of seeing the incomplete projects as works of exercise that stretched our minds but weren’t meant for public consumption.)

Refresh Your Memory

If you haven’t yet read it, please visit my post on organizing your writing area to empower you and your work. Check out how to clear out old work. Organize (or re-organize) your writing space. Learn how to lay your past projects to rest here. Re-read them if you will, refresh your memory. Let this new year begin with a new version of you, a better version of your work. After all, life is about progress, not perfection, right?

#writing #fengshui #chinesenewyear #greendragon #2024 #writersoninstragram #WritersDigest #WriterBeware #mestengobooks #prosperity #abundance

Credit: Google Images