Fixin' to Think About Getting Started ~ Jacquolyn McMurray

Photo by Juan Rumimpunu on Unsplash

At our house we often say we're fixin' to think about getting ready to start something. It's incredibly easy to put off things we’re not quite prepared to tackle—cleaning a closet, organizing photos, or starting that new book.

Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash

I'm full of excuses. No sense cleaning a closet when all the 
local thrift stores are closed due to COVID. Where would I put all those clothes I plan to give away? They might as well stay where they are.

Photo by Alexander Andrews on Unsplash

And don't get me started on all the reasons I can't organize the photos, not to mention umpteen carousels of slides from the 70s.

First of all, the photos are in several places--physical photographs in boxes and albums, digital images stored in at least three different clouds, some stored on my hard drive, and others stored on memory sticks. There are simply too many choices on where to store them.  

And really, who wants someone else's photos? Most of them are only meaningful to hubby and me. My focus at this point is to gather photos I think our kids and grandkids will enjoy. 

Photo by Magnet.me on Unsplash

And then there's the plethora of reasons I can't get chapter one started in my newest book--do I really know my protagonist well enough to start penning her journey? And what about her hubby? Don't I need to know his unique backstory and his goals and motivations? 

I'm reminded of one of my favorite episodes of The Bob Newhart Show. Does anyone else remember that TV series? It aired between 1972 and 1978 and Suzanne Pleshette played Newhart's wife. Bob played a psychologist who had some issues of his own, including needing everything in place before he started a task. 

Photo from wikipedia

One weekend, he and his wife decided to trade chores.  I'm not sure I remember all the particulars, but the gist is that Emily left the apartment to go do things like get the oil changed in the car and pick up some items at the hardware store while Bob stayed home to complete the chores on his list. His first task was to write checks to pay their bills. 

A couple of hours later, Emily completed everything on her list and returned home to find Bob just setting down to start his first task. When she questioned him about why he hadn't completed anything, he explained that he had to get ready to pay the bills. For Bob that meant finding his lucky socks and hat, trying out different locations in the apartment to spread out the stack of bills and the checkbook, and deciding on the best ink pen for the job.

Sound familiar? Bob fell into the trap of needing everything perfectly organized before he started a simple task. A typical procrastination ploy.

Are you a procrastinator? If so, what kinds of things keep you from starting a project?

While you think that through, I'm fixin' to think about starting to draft that book.

Lessons from the Grandsons ~ Jacquolyn McMurray

Three story treehouse.

I’m a little late with my blog post this month for the best possible reason--our daughter and two grandsons are visiting. Due to the pandemic, I have not seen their family as often as usual, so I'm trying to maximize my time with them. And since they flew to Hawai'i from Washington state, we are all quarantined on the farm for fourteen days.





The extended time in isolation has brought an amazing opportunity for hubby and I to get out of our comfortable routines and experience the benefits of organizing our days around an almost eight-year-old and almost four-year-old.

Here's ten lessons I've learned from changing my routine during our grandsons' visit:

1) Since the boys change out of their pajamas before breakfast, I follow suit and don't lounge in my jammies half the morning. It gets me outdoors earlier in the day.

2) No willy-nilly, eat breakfast whenever I please. The boys are hungry soon after getting up, so I eat with them. The benefit? I tend to drink less coffee when I eat breakfast earlier.

3) On our walks around the farm, the boys point out geckos, daddy longlegs, and spiders. They notice the sounds of the mourning doves and the mating call of the coqui frogs. Their awareness heightens my awareness of my natural environment.

Female Jackson chameleon on tree bark.

The not quite four-year-old spotted this female Jackson chameleon from four feet away!

Early reader

4) We read together every day. Both boys love silly books and we spend a lot of time discussing the stories and repeating the funny lines. What a health benefit to laugh every day!

Words and pictures by Mo Willems.

5) An evening outdoors to roast marshmallows for s’mores, coupled with the boys' excitement when they spot the first visible star in the sky, reminds me to be grateful we live in a place where stars are visible.

6) Although not aerobic, I’m getting in my steps while doing the chores with the boys, climbing up to the third story of the treehouse Grandpa constructed for their visit, and playing croquet. I'm using muscles I've not used in a while and feeling the benefits of not sitting so much.

7) I have not watched TV during the visit. Instead, I’m choosing  to play games with the boys. In the last week I’ve learned how to play Mancala, exercised my aging brain with Memory cards, and taught the almost four-year-old a new board game.

8) A snack in the afternoon is like a little tea party. Instead of eating at my desk in front of my computer, I sit with the boys, enjoy their silliness, and take a real break.

9) An art table takes up most of one wall in the dining room and we’ve converted the living room into a playroom. I can't remember the last time I rearranged furniture. Interesting how adding a table to a room or moving a rocking chair gives the area a new look and feel.

10) One of my favorite parts of the visit is the opportunity to hear the boys' language development. The not quite eight-year-old loves to try out long scientific words and the not quite four-year-old is in the stage where nouns get turned into verbs indicating some sense of word usage. He uses words like crayoning and scissoring to describe his work at the art table.

We are only half way through our grandsons' visit. I can't wait to see what the next ten days bring.

Finding Joy in Nature’s Treasures ~ by Jacquolyn McMurray

Like most serious writers, I spend lots of time in front of my computer writing/revising/editing and attempting to keep up with social media. To give my body a break from the screen, I go outside to walk around a bit. It brings me joy to observe and appreciate the treasures nature offers.

And yes, I am fortunate to live in Hawaiʻi where our climate affords me the opportunity to go outside every day of the year.

Our house on the farm is situated so we cannot see the sun rise or set on the horizon, but we do get to enjoy the vibrant colors that light up the sky.

Our hens provide a few eggs, but more importantly, they are a primary source of entertainment for me.  I love watching them care for their chicks and the way they follow me around in case I might toss them some corn. 

Most every day, a walk around the farm yields something edible—eggs, citrus fruit, avocados, macadamia nuts, limes, papaya or bananas. I am baffled that a hen can lay an egg without breaking the shell and that one tiny seed can produce a tree that bears more fruit than a family of four can eat.

My husband marvels at my ability to find four leaf clovers. On occasion, I’ve found five, six, seven, and eight leaf clovers. Treasures indeed!

Even when I venture beyond the farm, I’m on the lookout for gifts from nature—the  patterns in the hollow of a tree trunk where bees once resided,

the weathered tree stump that resembles a horse’s head, 

or the unfurling of the hāpuʻu fern.

There are countless ways of finding one’s joy. For me, appreciating nature provides a quick fix. What do you do that brings joy into your life?

Welcome to Originality by Design

Welcome to the launch of Originality by Design. Our members consist of authors, artists, editors, musicians, yogis, and other creative individuals. We will share our passions, interests, hobbies, stories, and life’s twists and turns with you. Here you will discover a diversity of subject matters and interests. 

We hope you will join us through this journey. We encourage you to add your thoughts and opinions along the way.

We love guest bloggers. If you are interested in being a guest on our blog please contact us.

Please join us tomorrow to enjoy the first member post.

Meet the members of Originality by Design

Our Members