Greetings! A New Year is here and I've been looking forward to setting new goals for myself while also reflecting on my accomplishments in 2015. One of my proudest accomplishments in 2015 was self publishing two ebooks. The first ebook I published was my book of essays entitled Don't Forget to Write. I released this book on my birthday, December 15th. Releasing this book on my birthday was a somewhat strange experience as I spent the day enjoying 'Happy Birthday' messages and then thinking 'Quick! I need to post my book on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest!' It was a somewhat frantic pace during the day trying to promote the book. I'm not sure if I would release a book on my birthday again. It might be a more pleasant experience if I picked another day! I also wrote a short story entitled, "Seeking Vegas'' which I'm currently adapting into a novel. It's a women's fiction story and it's free, so if you are interested, I encourage you to check it out! For my birthday my husband bought me a Instax Mini camera. It's basically a Polaroid camera. I know this seems regressive considering today's technology, but my Grandmother had one when I was growing up and for the longest time I wanted one. The film is expensive, about $1 per image, which makes me really contemplate what and whom I want to photograph. It's been an interesting experience, setting up a shot, making sure everything is properly placed, having the proper flash and subject matter. It surely is a lot different than snapping away with my iPhone which is what I've grown accustomed to.. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not going to give up technology. After all it has allowed my work to be read all over the world, something I never dreamed of happening! But sometimes I feel like it clogs up my brain, checking social media, updating my ebook, etc. Sometimes it's best to strip everything back down to the basics and remember why I started. Sometimes, I do my most heartfelt work with just a pen and paper. Looking ahead to 2016, I've signed up for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon. This year I'm running for charity as a member of the American Heart Association Team. Heart disease has affected many of my family members and I am proud to run for this great cause. I will be writing more about my fundraising effort next month!
I'm also planning on writing another book of essays (stay tuned for details) and finishing my first novel. I'm also looking forward to getting in better shape and taking better care of myself this year. I know it's a cliché and you are probably thinking you already run and do CrossFit, what else are you going to do? Well this might sound surprising but I'm going to rest more. Last year when I was going through a difficult situation (another miscarriage, a loved one's surgery) I found myself pushing through it, signing up for races and forcing myself to workout. I'm not saying that this was a bad strategy. In many ways it was good therapy, but in the meantime I forgot to rest my body. So at the end of the year I ended up with a very beat up and angry body. So this year I'm looking to make small changes: pay more attention to my diet, take my vitamins, sleep more, take rest days, schedule an entire week off from working out, cut back on caffeine and wine, and just in general, be kinder to myself. Sometimes you don't need to do a total overhaul. Small changes can lead to big results. Lastly, below is a picture of Bobby and I taken by Kevin Bright on the Fleet Feet Pittsburgh annual Holidays Lights Run. It's one of my favorite runs of the entire year. Click here for a video that I made so you can experience it too! Can't wait to see what 2016 has in store for me! Happy New Year to everyone and remember to be good to yourselves! -Sarah
4 Comments
Nicole
1/19/2016 12:15:07 pm
You are such a talented writer. I enjoy reading your essays and blog. Wishing you and Bobby so many blessings in 2016. You both deserve a beautiful year full of joy.
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Sarah
1/22/2016 10:31:38 am
Thank you Nicole! Wishing you many blessing in 2016 as well!
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2/2/2016 05:19:55 am
Your New Year resolutions are awesome! You did an outstanding job with e-books publishing last year, so I think that 2016 will be even more successful! Also, that is great that you have decided to live healthier and stay in shape!
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Sarah
2/2/2016 04:25:45 pm
Thank you so much! Wishing you health and happiness in 2016!
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Author: Sarah WarmanI like to run, take pictures and write. I've combined all three in this blog. Archives
June 2019
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