Hard work

Posted by Kimberly

I started working on a major landscaping project about a month ago.  It’s something that has been bugging me for years, and I was always looking for a solution.  Landscaping companies cringed whenever I requested a quote.  Access is difficult, due to steep terrain.  They couldn’t get their equipment in to do the work — or they wanted to charge a gazillion dollars for the effort.  Finally, it occurred to me that I did have access and I had the right equipment… a shovel and a wheelbarrow.  Definitely not high tech, but they could get the job done.

Now people have told me it’s too much.  I’m tackling something that’s too big.  Yes, it’s hot, sweaty, tiring, mosquito-infested work.  But you know what?  I’m getting it done.  I just started working on the project a bit at a time, in regular intervals — and I’m seeing results.  Bit by bit, my project is shaping up.  So am I.  A side benefit has been less time at the gym.  I’m working harder than I would be if I was watching television while on the cross-trainer, and I’m being productive.  I might not finish before winter hits, but this project has been just sitting there for years.  At least I’m trying.

I think we’ve all become lazy or afraid of hard work.  We don’t want to get dirty or sore.  We want instant gratification, and we don’t want to lift a finger.  I think that kind of attitude has gotten us into trouble.  If we concentrate and put some brainpower or muscle power into it, good things can happen.  If we get creative and do something unexpected, the results can be rewarding.

Great Conference

Posted by Kimberly

I had a great conference in sunny, steamy Orlando.  I went to several great workshops.  The amount of information can be a bit overwhelming.  E-books are the big item up for discussion this year, along with how they will change the publishing business.  Nobody seems to quite know, and there is a lot of uncertainty, nervousness, and excitement.  I think great books are still going to be great books, but getting people to find them could be the trick.

So I did all the conference stuff — saw friends, collected too many books for my suitcase, and went to events.  As always, the conference food was… questionable.  Chicken with a green crust???  Chicken with red sauce.  Chicken, chicken, chicken.  My friend, writer Jess Michaels, and I escaped one evening to Epcot and had the best steak dinner ever.  Ever.

It was a jam-packed few days that left me exhausted.  Now I need to sort through everything I heard and learned to find the true gems.  Then it’s time to put them into writing.  Does anyone know the secret to traveling and coming back refreshed?  Do you need vacations from your vacations?  I need hints!