Is it my imagination, or did we skip right over October 2019? I mean I know there was stuff that happened, but I feel a bit like Speedy Gonzales whipped by and I’m left clinging to the ceiling by my fingernails.

Virtue	Sep	Oct	Notes
Beauty: body I enjoy exercising my lean, healthy 59 kg body several times a week. • Eat < 5g of salt and sugar per day. • Walk 10,000 steps per day. • Sleep 8 hours each night.	🙂 69.5 kg	😐 70.3 kg	Poor Pretty Girl has been unwell, and I’ve barely had a night of more than five hours sleep which isn’t helping the diet and exercise situation; I’m not surprised I’ve put on a little weight. The festive season is already underway, and it’s getting harder to avoid salty fatty snacks. I’m getting in early and I’ve already scarfed a box of Christmas fruit and mint flavoured Turkish delight. There’s a box of ginger there with my name on it too.
Beauty: home I live in a comfortable home that soothes my soul. • Work out how to take home renovation holidays.	🙂	🙂	It’s been a big month on the home front. My new office furniture arrived, as did my black net curtains which are much better at dealing with the glare than I expected. Plus have the added bonus of cooling the library a fraction. We’ve ordered the new front door, but there’s still a couple of weeks until installation.
Beauty: garden My garden is lush and abundant, providing habitats, weather protection and a mystical threshold. • Develop a new garden plan.	🙂	🙂	The garden is going nuts, as you’d expect for Spring. Bulbs, roses, berry flowers, and when the sun’s out, bees! We’re at the point of the year where the lawn doubles in height overnight, and poor Pretty Girl is almost gets lost in it.
Friendship: friends I love meeting new people, and as I am friendly and outgoing, I make friends easily. • Find (or start) a local writers group.	🙂	🙂	Had some lunches, went on a couple of dates, and chatted up some tradies. 🙂 Started thinking about gifts.
Friendship: creatures My creatures are happy and healthy and find my garden a haven.	🙂	🙂	Pretty Girl “celebrated” her 15th birthday this month. She’s starting to suffer quite badly with arthritis, and maybe a little doggy dementia, so it’s time to start preparing for the end. There’s been a LOT of bird courtship going on, and it won’t be long until we get the babies visiting. And our possums are similarly engaged, only there’s a lot of running up and down the roof going on too. It’s time to start thinking about adding water sources to the garden to help them get through the hot months.
Friendship: contribution I share my knowledge, time, and money with those who need it. • Develop a charitable works programme.	😐	😐	What with being tired and ill, I contributed my absence. Though I ate an unpleasant meal and was reminded about choosing wisely. And saw a cute couple.
Wisdom: growth I learn and grow every day. • Visit a historically or culturally significant venue or event each month.	🙂	🙂	During October I published the planning calendar I developed for myself (because some friends asked), then lacking creativity, spent a bit of time catching up on some online business and writing lectures. Or reading about diet and exercise while I rested – best of both worlds!
Pleasure: adventure I am brave and adventurous not afraid to try new things.	🙂	🙂	I wrote five short stories, and 16,640 fiction words all up. Interestingly, my October writing time was 46% of September’s, and my word count was the same. So you really have to put in the time if you want the results. Fingers crossed November’s writing conditions improve. Researched Victorian Starships. 🙂
Pleasure: recharge I work hard and have the right to rest and recharge. • Turn the computer off by 7 pm. • Read 78 books in 2019.	😐	😐	Read The Cruellest Month • The Fast 800 • Fast Exercise • The Year That Changed Everything and Real Artists Don’t Starve. I’m four books behind my target as I’ve been reading several books at the same time and a lot of short stories. And still obsessed with Koran Drama. Need to get back into the reading.

October 2019 ranged from wildly productive (wrote a complete story) to achieved nothing whatsoever, with very little in the middle. And every day has a sticker that represents what I was feeling. Looks cute, but I’m glad it’s over and hope November is better.

How was your October 2019?

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You can find more monthly reports on the Life Worth Living page.