Fun? Are We Having It Yet? ( #AtoZChallenge )

 

       Fun is what A to Z is about.  If you aren't having it then you might be doing something wrong.  I can relate to some stress, but only in a minor sense.  Come on folks!  This Challenge is writing, reading, writing, and reading some more.  It's up to you to decide how much work you put into it.   Just don't decide that it ain't fun!

        Sure, you want to finish the alphabet and end up with some reasonable blogging content on your site.  So just do it!  Keep it simple if you like.  Or do research and put great care into what you write.  That's good too.  It's all good.  It just depends on what your own personal goals are and how you intend to achieve them.

         Look at it this way:  April Challenge month is like any other month except maybe in hyper mode.  More writing than usual.  More posting.  More visiting.  Same but bigger than usual.  Next month you can slow down if you like and go back to blogging as normal.

         Are you having fun with your normal blogging?  Then have a good time with blogging during A to Z April.  Make new friends.  Learn new facts.  Enjoy new fictions.  Enjoy yourself.  The first week is behind us now and the rest should go as easy if not easier.

         Are you ready to have fun?  Fine!  Fantastic!  Fabulous!  Far out!

         It's all about fun so don't get overly stressed.  It's not like you're going to get fired from your blog.  You are free to have fun.  The A to Z Team is giving you permission.  To have fun.   Let's keep going!

E is for Energy

People who are especially enthusiastic and dedicated to what they do (whether it is work, a hobby, a cause) tend to overlook the fact that your energy is a finite resource. Some of these things sound self-explanatory, but they are worth repeating:

1. Just because you technically have the TIME to take on another task, doesn't mean you have the ENERGY to do more.

2. The best way to be prepared for unexpected situations life throws at us is to have RESERVES we can use to problem-solve. That means, even if you can't prepare for everything (I know, my anxiety hates this too), you'll be prepared to have the ENERGY to deal with stuff.

3. This also means that REPLENISHING your ENERGY is not laziness. Rest, recharging, and self-care are vital.

4. Sadly, replenishing energy takes more time than you think. And since many of us work in situations where taking days off is not easy or even always possible, this makes ENERGY an even more precious resource. To have, and to spend.

What does all this have to do with resilience? The better you learn to spend your ENERGY, the more resilient you become in the face of unexpected challenges. And also, knowing what you are willing to spend it on makes you better at drawing boundaries, and valuing yourself. And that is very important.

Which is why it is especially awesome that you decided to spend so much energy this month on participating in the Challenge! Posting and visiting. Don't stress about numbers. You're doing great. Just have fun :)

D is for Durability

I was working with synonyms for resilience (since that's our theme this year) and I realized that durability was one. Saying that something is resilient means that, when it's folded, spindled, mutilated, and otherwise abused, it comes back as good as new. That's pretty much the same as durable, except, when something's durable, it might not come back as good as new, but it'll come back just as useful as it was before.

Think of luggage: when you take it on a trip, the chances are good that it'll be roughed up pretty badly by everyone who handles it. The test of a good suitcase is whether it can endure all that punishment and still be used again. Not exactly resilient, because it'll accumulate scratches and dents and maybe even have a hole or two knocked into it, but you won't have to find time during your trip to replace it. It'll work just fine, it just won't look as good as it did when you bought it.

There are times that we're resilient and bounce back good as new from physical or emotional injury, but more frequently injuries prove our durability. We're still left with broken hearts and scars and bones that have repaired themselves, and maybe with challenges that we didn't have before, but we find our way through them, around them, under or over them, and manage to survive, even thrive. That's durability!