Time. It is the most elusive thing. It is a luxury of which some of us are willing to beg, borrow, and steal for. People wish for more of it, convinced if they had just a few minutes more the results could be life-changing. 

It's true. We are busy people. Our schedules leave us exhausted, delirious, overwhelmed. To survive, we are constantly juggling, balancing, shifting, always dangling just above the edge of a looming deadline.

I loose count of how many times I hear the words, "There's just not enough time in the day to get everything done." It pains me most when it's my voice saying them.

We are a breed of our own: the busy.

To achieve this livable state of sleep deprivation, we make caffeine our favorite food group, existing in a jittery existence of the fear and consequences of nodding off. We are masters of the to-do list, the weekly calendar, the span of 24-hours.

This constant battle against the clock must be universal. Surely, others feel the tremble of the ticking constantly beating beneath every step they take through their mine field of a day. We constantly avert any possible social scenario that can pose a threat to our down-to-the-second agenda, knowing if we stop long enough to smell those ridiculous flowers the less-busy always talk about it, we're doomed. 

They say the early bird catches the worm, time waits for no one, time is money, and there's no time like the present. We are constantly bombarded by the 

insistence to do more, be more, live more. This is our fuel.

And then there's writing.

I recently had an online discussion with two fellow writers in which time was our topic, specifically how to find more of it. As creative people with unconventional lives and schedules, we are often time-shamed. Example A: "When you're done with your little writing thing, do you think you can actually spend time with your friends and family? We miss you."

To ask someone who is not a writer to understand how we work and why time is everything to us is asking for the impossible. Non-writers can view our desire for writing time as selfish; our writing – and the time we need for it – can inconvenience many people. We are expected to keep a more world-friendly schedule by only tapping into and channeling our creativity during business hours - and never on weekends.

Finding the time to write can become the most challenging aspect of a writer's life. It certainly is for mine. We can tape as many Do Not Disturb signs on our home office doors we want, but that tiny flicker of guilt still remains each time we sit down at our laptops and the world continues to happen without us, hopefully missing us. It is indeed a high price to pay.

Yet, the results can be life-changing - or, more specifically, career-changing. Many of us dream of one day writing for a living, of reaching a point in which our talent and creativity sustains us. But we cannot get there without time.

The discussion with my writer friends ended with the conclusion that each of us need to be more protective of our schedules, that we collectively have to guard our writing time. We are soldiers, protecting our own very precious turf. Because every second really does count, as much as every word we write. 

The struggle against the clock, our own lives, and the demands we must meet can be a difficult one to endure. Yet, in the end, those few moments in which the world around us slips away and nothing else matters but the words on the page - they make the pace worth it. It's usually then we feel like we won. And, as they say, even the smallest victory counts.

What are your New Year's Resolutions for 2018?

Like probably many other people, one my New Year's Resolutions is to lose weight . And like almost everyone that makes this resolution, I have failed each and every year. For 2018, my gain goal is get back into a daily exercise routine, get into shape, and feel better about myself, so basically next year will be all about me.

To begin my new "A New Me in 2018" posts, I'm featuring a review on two new protein products from Ancient Nutrition. The products are called Keto PROTEIN and Organic Bone Broth PROTEIN!

Getting the proper amount of protein is important if you want to gain strength and build muscles. While you can get extra protein from food, many people prefer to get it from a pre-workout or post-workout drink or shake. Sadly, many of the protein powders and mixes have way too much sugar in them.

Keto PROTEIN (retails for $54.95) is available in a variety of flavors, but I was sent the "chocolate" flavor. It was created for ketogenic dieters, students, gamers, and anyone looking to boost their mind and increase their strength. Each serving has 11g fat, 15g protein, 1g sugar and 3g carbs that all comes from high quality chicken bone broth and coconut MCTs. It also contains antioxidant and adaptogenic herbs. It's free of soy, grain, dairy, and gluten.

Ingredients include: Chicken Bone Broth Oil, Chicken Bone Broth Protein Concentrate, Organic Chicken Protein Concentrate, Medium Chain Triglycerides (coconut), Organic Ashwagandha Extract (root), Hydrolyzed Bovine Collagen Peptides, Cocoa, Organic Coffee Fruit Extract, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Fermented Organic Ginger (rhizome), Fermented Organic Black Pepper (fruit), Fermented Organic Long Pepper (fruit), and Fermented Organic Reishi Mushroom Mycelium (Ganodema Lucidum).

The tub sent to me is 19oz and contains 17 servings (1 heaping 32g scoop). It can be mixed with 12 ounces of water, plain almond milk, coffee, or tea. It's not meant to be a meal replacement, but it can be taken as a workout drink or as a snack.

The Keto PROTEIN Chocolate mixed with hot coffee.

Being the big coffee drinker that I am, I naturally added the chocolate protein to my morning cup of coffee. It blends really well with the hot coffee and it tasted great! I couldn't even tell it was made from bone broth! There's nothing better than drinking chocolate coffee on a cold winter day.

The Organic Bone Broth PROTEIN (retails for $57.95) is an organic superfood powder made from real bone broth. It's available in several different flavors, but the sample tub (16 oz) sent to me is the "Savory Herbs" flavor. There are 17 servings (one scoop) per container (tub). Each serving has 100 calories, 0 sugar, and 20g of protein!

What character or characters would you not mind sharing a New Year’s kiss with?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer:

I would kiss Sookie Stackhouse from the Sookie Stackhouse mystery series by Charlaine Harris. However, it probably wouldn't be a good idea, as she's a mind reader.

To make a room comfortable, the surrounding temperature should be perfect, even during the evening times, when the temperature normally goes down. To make your room cozy, you need a system to heat up rooms. And that system, in today's world, can be bioethanol fireplaces, especially for your living rooms.

It’s the time of festivities. People are enjoying their winter vacations, and you must be expecting guests over your place. In case you’re looking to substitute your old fireplace with a state-of-the-art piece or haven’t had a fireplace installed in your home previously, consider browsing through a great variety at Ethanol Fireplace Pros.

Home roofing is one of the trickiest home improvement projects. It requires you to invest your capital, time and energies and can still end up in a disaster if the roofing is done the wrong way. Home roofing is not something that you can get fixed or done any day and takes a lot of planning and patience. It is therefore advisable that you do an extensive research and homework before you start your home roofing project. Although there are many roofing contractors in Walled Lake Michigan who are good at their work and can guide you through the process, it is still recommended that you do your own research so that you can make sure that the project is completed as per your requirements and you will not face any problems with your roofing in the future. Taking a few things into account when buying a roof for your home will help you make a good purchase decision.

A good roof is always the one that has a long life. No matter how economical the roof itself is, the roofing project in itself is a very tedious task and is not something that you would want to do every time you have an issue with your roofing. Therefore it is important that you choose a long lasting roof. Make sure you know and understand how each type of roof is affected by the weather and climate conditions. This is because a roof that lasts very long in a certain climate might not remain as durable in another.


There are various different types of roofs available in the market that can alter the appearance of your house. The roofing material should also be in line with the material that you have used in other parts of your building structure. The best roof for you will be the one that complements the overall look and structure of your house and will not look aesthetically off.

Eleven-year-old orphan Félicie (Fanning) has one dream — to go to Paris and become a dancer. Her best friend, Victor (Wolff), an imaginative, exuberant boy with a passion for creating, has a dream of his own — to become a famous inventor. In a leap of faith, Victor and Félicie leave their orphanage in pursuit of their passions. But there’s a catch: Félicie must pretend to be the child of a wealthy family in order to gain admittance to the prestigious and competitive Opera Ballet School in Paris. And with no professional dance training, she quickly learns that talent alone is not enough to overcome the ruthless, conniving attitudes of her fellow classmates, led by the devious Camille Le Haut (Ziegler). Determined to succeed, Félicie finds her mentor in the tough and mysterious school custodian, Odette (Jepsen), who, along with Victor’s encouraging friendship, help her reach for the stars.

In the Recording Booth with Kate McKinnon, Nat Wolf, and Maddie Ziegler.
Behind-the-Scenes Video Gallery 

Have you ever asked co-workers to give you a book or B&N gift card if they got your name for a Secret Santa gift exchange? If so, did you get what you asked for?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer:

No. I'm currently self-employed, so I don't have any co-workers!