Decade Retrospective: Things That Happened, Good and Bad

December 23, 2019December 23, 2019 ~ Ruth ~ Leave a comment

We’ve reached the tail end of 2019, which also marks the close of a decade. That means instead of getting a year-in-review retrospective, you’re getting a decade in review, minus the boring bits.

All things considered, the past ten years have been a mixed bag. Witness the following accomplishments and events from the last decade, both good and bad.

Between 2010 and 2019

launched a writing career, publishing six books, four plays, and four sacred scripts, all while amassing an avalanche of rejections
started running, progressing from that first exciting 2-miler to 5k to 8k to 10k to half marathon to Ragnar Relay to this year’s full marathon (completed only after a short stint lying on my back crying at the top of a bridge)
lost several toenails (see above)
reunited with my best friend from middle school
sneezed my gum out of my mouth
survived multiple Atlantic hurricanes
broke a tooth
tried internet dating (I almost said “tried and failed” but if you’ve ever internet dated, you know surviving the experience is a win)
snake fell on my head
visited the American Southwest
called 911 while on a run because I thought someone was being assaulted but it was just two little kids play/scream-fighting in a hot tub
bee flew into my mouth
slowed down significantly on overseas travel, but sneaked in some visits to old haunts and new favorites: Israel, England, Scotland, France, New Zealand, Haiti, Korea
broke my ankle falling off a bucket (and leveraged the experience for the plot of my debut novel)
started wearing reading glasses
first international showing for one of my plays (Enter Macbeth, Dubai)
made the switch to half-caff coffee
dropped my entire dinner-on-the-grounds contribution in the church parking lot one Sunday before even getting out of the car
earned a master’s degree in theological studies
lost friends and connections to old age and sudden death
attended funerals
wrote and performed original music with a friend from church
woke up with half a spider stuck to my neck and the other half under the fingernails of my right hand
said “Okay, I love you, BYE!” at the end of a Skype lecture to a high school class
frog jumped on my head
audiobook I’d loaded on my phone started playing at full volume in the middle of church (not a sacred text)
intermittently treated for chronic pain, neuropathy, and inflammation
surprise medical tests, contemplated my own mortality
read nearly 2,000 books (official count started in 2011 – 1,712 as of today)
developed a long list of historical boyfriends (see above)
touched an alligator
stopped working with the church youth group and started teaching adult women
opened an umbrella in the car directly into my own face (twice)
finally joined Spotify (please welcome me to the twenty-first century)

2019 finds me in a place that 2010 Ruth would never have imagined. To be honest, I have mixed feelings. I’m thankful for the successes but am ever mindful of the disappointments, struggles, and pain. Life is a beautiful, ridiculous, and messy mystery.

God’s grace keeps me steady.

What’s your decade been like? What items would you include on your list?

Comment below or shoot me a message on social media. I’d love to hear points of comparison and departure in our experiences.

Coming Soon

2020: A Year of Books

Each month during the next year, I’ll be sending a recommended set of titles for you to check out. No forced discussions, no homework, or anything like that. Just fresh reading recommendations casually delivered to your inbox on the first day of every month: fiction, non-fiction, classics and new releases, accessible Christian theology, well-known authors and debut writers, you name it.

Join us for 2020: A Year of Books!

I’ll be back next week to post my 2019 reading retrospective.

Until then, I hope you savor the last few days of 2019 and enjoy a wonderful holiday week with your family, friends, and loved ones.

Merry Christmas from me to you!

7 Ways to Deal with Imposter Syndrome

August 13, 2018 ~ Ruth ~ 2 Comments

Do you ever feel like an incompetent failure whose successes have been a fluke? Do you fear that your inadequacy will be revealed at any moment?

I do. Whenever the feeling hits, I resort to one of these failsafe methods.

7 Ways to Deal with Imposter Syndrome

Make it stare at my last finished project. (“Take a good look. I SAID LOOK AT IT.”)
Take it for a run. (It often grows tired and lags behind.)
Challenge it to a dance off. (We’re both bad dancers, but Imposter Syndrome’s worse.)
Sign it up for the SpaceX mission to Mars. (Of course I believe the rumors. And as a bonus, I can watch the launch from my front yard.)
Read aloud from Moby Dick. (The chapter on whales puts it to sleep.)
Punch it in the face. (Right hook.)
Banish it with coffee. (Effective and enjoyable.)

This morning I’ve opted for the coffee.

In all honesty, I’m not certain that Imposter Syndrome is the right term for what I’ve been feeling these days. It’s more like a languid torpor brought on by the sneaking suspicion that this project will never actually end.

I know it’s a lie, but at the moment, it feels true; and whenever it’s time to work, I just want to recline on my purple plush chaise lounge with a bottle of smelling salts like a damsel in a Victorian novel. (Also, I want a purple plush chaise lounge. But who doesn’t?)

Have you found helpful ways of dealing with Imposter Syndrome? How do you motivate yourself to keep going when you feel overwhelmed by challenging work? Please share in the comments below.

Happy Monday, everyone! May your coffee be stronger than your uncertainty.

4 Reasons to Persevere in Running Even if You’re Bad at It

July 2, 2018 ~ Ruth ~ 2 Comments

When I first started running a few years ago, I was really bad at it. Even now, I’m still only mediocre. Yet I persevere. I have four good reasons for doing so.

Reason 1: It’s a Quick Calorie Burn

This is the main reason why I took up running in the first place. As a writer who spends a fair amount of time in a computer chair, I need regular exercise. Running is quick, effective, and a cheap alternative to the gym, since the streets don’t charge me monthly fees to run them.

Reason 2: No One Punches Me in the Face

Before I took up running, I trained in boxing and kickboxing. Our coach eventually moved out of state, however. The class disbanded, I stopped sparring, and working out now no longer involves the danger of dropping my guard and walking directly into someone’s glove. I can say with some confidence that even a bad run beats getting punched in the face.

Reason 3: I Don’t Have to Be Good

I’m not out to impress anybody, bring home trophies, or even beat my own personal records. In short, I’m not in it to win it. My goal with every race, every run, and every training session is the same.

“You don’t have to be good,” I tell myself. “You just have to finish.”

The funny thing is, though, I am getting better; but it’s not because I’m pushing myself or following some slick training program. I keep showing up, and the consistency pays off.

Reason 4: The Struggle Is Worth It

Running is difficult. Everything about it is a struggle. In the end, however, it’s worth it.

I feel the same way about my writing. It’s a struggle from beginning to end, and none of those daily writing sessions feel important or impressive. I keep showing up at the keyboard, day in and day out. I plonk down on my computer chair, open a manuscript, and give myself my daily pep talk.

“You don’t have to be good. You just have to finish.”

And, eventually, I do.

~~~

Training sessions and first drafts don’t have to be impressive to prove effective. They just have to be done!

Is there something you’ve been wanting to try but have been too intimidated or too afraid to start? Share in the comments below. Is there something you’ve finally started that you’d been putting off? Tell us all about it so that we can cheer you on.

You also may enjoy seeing how I worked some boxing and kickboxing exploits into my debut novel, Collapsible: A Novel of Friendship, Broken Bones, Coffee, Shenanigans, and the Occasional Murder.

Happy Monday, everybody! May your coffee be stronger than your yawns.