I am being more productive

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how I need to be more productive with my living. I believe I have lived up to this promise. I have spent less time on social media. I am reading more, writing more (at least on this and my other (Health) blog. I am also been busy with stuff around the condo, cooking more meals at home, and with doing exercising (At least, doing Calisthenics).

The keeping busy thing, away from Social Media sites, has not been easy for me. I still do it, but not to the same degree that I had been. Do I have room for improvement? Of course, I do. Everyone could improve on anything if they really needed to. It’s human nature. The thing is, does everyone try to strive for self-improvement. I doubt it.

As I age, I see the need to self-improve. I don’t know what exactly started me on this journey of self-improvement, but I believe it was after I hit rock bottom with my depression, and my family strongly encouraged me to seek help – At the time, I wasn’t good at asking for help. I guess having a disability and the need to show I could be self-sufficient did not help in this matter. I learnt that I could not always do things on my own. For me, this wasn’t an easy lesson. I sought professional help.

I went for training, they helped me find work. Later, when I was ready, I went back to school to get my OACs/Grade 13 (It was a transitional period – Now, they don’t even offer this option, but back then you needed it to get into university). My wanting to be in school, make all the difference. Before when I didn’t wish to be there, I only got average marks. Whereas the second time, I excelled. This was the start. It gave me confidence that I could do things. It was the first step in change. Later, I got into IT. IT changes all the time and one is required to keep up with the changes in order to continue to be relevant. I learnt not to fear change. I began to incorporate the idea of change in my daily living. I strove to self-improve. I read more, tried new things.

Even today, I still try to improve. I write more. I used to write as a teen, but then I stopped. I stopped because I wrote a lot of poetry, but it was very dark and depressing. Because I suffered from depression at the time and I was trying to get out of that mindset, I gave up writing. Then about 10 or 15 years ago, I returned to writing. At first, it was short stories, then I wrote verse, then I wrote a book, and now I write blogs. I have improved immensely with my writing. I will always strive to be better, but the thing is to stay with it.

The “stay with it” is key. One must always stay with something if one is to improve at whatever one is striving to do. Writing is my thing. It has been a constant ever since I returned to it. Now, I am on a health kick. I was never good at dieting. I just “Yo-yo.” I have tried numerous times, but I always regained the weight back quickly. I know now; however, that the key is not to diet and to keep going. It needs to be a lifetime thing. It must be one of the “stay with it” kind of things.

You see, I am always learning. I hope I never stop.
—Robert Confiant 20 April 2019

Waking up and writing ideas

I woke up in the night and I had trouble falling back to sleep. It happens sometimes. I cannot remember the dream that caused me to wake up, but once awakened my mind wouldn’t shut off. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t stressed out, or anything. There wasn’t a particular thing which kept me awake. Although, sometimes it is stress, or it’s something I am fretting over; however, not this particular time. In-fact, I don’t recall anything which would have kept me awake.

Usually when I awake, it is because the dream was weird or because of a nightmare. Sometimes, go to my laptop and jot things down in the hopes I could write about it later – This is what I am doing now except never jot the idea down, but I managed to remember my thought that could write about the fact that I awoke and that this occurs sometimes.

As a writer, jotting down ideas as they come to you is an important tool in an author’s arsenal. I am sure that many a horror or fictional stories derived from ideas from the author’s nightmares, or dreams. Dreams/nightmares are one of my tools. Another tool is riding transit. For some reason, I write better or more easily while taking transit. One other tool I use is observing my surroundings and watching people. This comes easily to me because I have always been a “people watcher.” I watch people while sitting in a cafe, or on a bench or the grass at a park or at the beach.

This craft of writing is strange.
—Robert Confiant 17 April 2019

I never learned to drive, so I take transit

I am running a tad late this morning. It happens once in a while. There were train issues. I rely on public transit and unfortunately these things happen.

I never learned to drive. My older brother took me around the court once, but that was the extent of it. I could have taken lessons, but at the time, you didn’t have the money. When I finally had the means to take lessons, my eye sight became an issue. So with my Cerebral Palsy and the eye sight issue, I decided not to learn to drive. I lived in a big city, so I could manage with public transit.

When I relocated to Vancouver, I took transit; however, I was confined to the Metro Vancouver area. Except for a few outing with friends, it wasn’t until I met my partner that I got to see some of the surrounding area. I don’t regret anything mind you.

Some people dislike public transit, but I don’t. I kill time productively by either reading, or writing. I write more often on transit and I often joke that if I wish to write, then I should take transit. For some reason, ideas come to me while taking transit and the writing flows easier.

It is quite strange, but it works.
—Robert Confiant 15 April 2019

It’s the first day of Spring

It’s the first day of Spring; the weather here in the Lower Mainland has already sprung into the season. The leaves on the tree are bidding, the flowers have begun to bloom, and the days are getting longer with each passing day.

I love this time of year. It’s the time of rebirth and renewal. The abundance of sunlight picks me up and fills me with joy.

In Vancouver area, we don’t get a lot of snow, nurse do have an abundance of rain. It can rain, off and on, for months at a time. Some years this gloom can be very trying while other years are not so difficult for me to muster through. This past winter wasn’t too bad to endure. Although, I am glad that the snow and the cold are over (It’s been a strange year, and they say, “There is no global warming.”

Spring has sprung. I am glad.
—Robert Confiant 20 March 2019

My writing fulfills a need

I am reading over stuff on social media. One just has to shake one’s head over some of the stuff that gets posted. Life can be stranger than fiction sometimes.

I have the opposite issue. Most of the time, my life is hum drum, boring and not of interest. A lot of the time, it’s get up, go to work, come home, eat and later go to bed. Even most weekends, I hang out, surf the net, clean my messy condominium, and write on my blog. Lately, I have managed to squeeze some workout time at the gym.

You will notice my life is boring which is why I read and write. I read on the bus to and from work; at least when I am not writing for this blog. Writing, now there is my saving grace. My writing helps alleviate this feeling of mediocrity. It helps fulfills a need, or an urging that would otherwise leave me wanting more from life.

Lately, my writings consist of writing for the two blog sites which I maintain. I haven’t done much in the way of poetry, verse, short stories, or the book. Still, I am pleased with what I am doing when it comes to my writing. Could I be doing more? For sure, without a doubt l could, and I should be doing more.

Overall though life is good. I met up with friends over the weekend that I haven’t seen for quite some time. It was a terrific time, and until then, I never really knew how much I missed, and need them in my life.

I am a social butterfly. I hate to drink alone, so if I do go to a pub alone, I always sit at the bar. It doesn’t take me long before I am chatting with the person sitting beside me. One time, this strategy back fired on me. The guy snapped at me when I tried to start up a conversation. I told him, “Go sit in a corner table somewhere next time. The reason most people sit at a bar is to not feel like they are drinking alone.” I asked him, “Why he bothered sitting here if he didn’t wish to socialize?” He finished quickly finished his drink and left. Not that I go to bars much anymore, but I made my point.

Anyway, here I am taking transit to work and writing this to post to this blog. All is good.
—Robert Confiant 18 March 2019

It’s been a while

It’s been a while that I have posted here. I’ve been busy with my other blog. This is no excuse; however, because I didn’t do much writhing on the book which I had planned to do while I was off.

I offer no excuse really. I just didn’t feel like it. I guess I was burnt out from all the work I have been doing since returning to work after my Christmas break. I don’t see this improving much in the near future. We are still short-handed at work and I will need to prepare for the Summer Night Market coming up in the next month, or so.

I am doing well in every other parts of my life. I feel good, and I seem to have more energy. I just find it difficult to sit down and to work on the book, but work on the book I must, if I am to complete it. I promise here and now to work on it a bit every night (I have to state it here in order to motivate me, and to keep me going. There is nothing like “putting something out there” to help one get and stay motivated).

I need to send write on transit more. I find it easier to do and I have a good hour in the morning and in the evening in which to write. It is just tricky to write on my phone. Well, except for these little blog posts entries. But, write I must. So, I will. I bought a tablet which I hope will spur me to write. Only time will tell if this is the case, but that’s the game plan.

Well, at least I have a plan and a goal. I will keep you up-to-date.
—Robert Confiant 12 March 2019

Plan for the week – writing

I was only going to take Thursday and Friday off this week, but then I decided to take the whole week off as I had the time, and quite frankly, I could use the time off. It has been crazy busy at work and it really hasn’t slowed much, and I don’t see things slowing down in the foreseeable future.

I am not doing to much. I am going to write and to rest. I have an eye appointment early in the week, but that’s it. I am going to write and rest. I afraid, other than the two blogs I maintain, I haven’t done much writing. It’s about time that changed. I am not “stuck” per se, but I have procrastinated long enough. I do not have writer’s block or anything similar. It just feels like a task lately. I am not sure why. I find doing these two blogs to be more of an interest.

Why do writers tend to procrastinate? I am sure I am not the only one. I find this writing craft to be very strange. Some days, the task of writing is very difficult; while other days, it flows very easily. I am finding it easier to write on the blog than it is my next book. Perhaps this is because of the reaction that writing on the blog provides. The number of views and/or likes is like a stimulant. It keeps me writing. The novel writing; however, does not provide me with this immediate recognition. Perhaps the reason I find it difficult to stay with the book is because this acknowledgement is missing. Either way, I know I must get back to writing the book, if I wish to complete it.

The trials of writing.
—Robert Confiant 3 March 2019