Weds check-in: Persevere . . . Persevere

What I'm celebrating this morning is that despite whatever else swirls around, I have been able to work this week on the writing. Instead of fretting, I have no extra time. I must jump right in. And so little tasks that might have been set aside cannot be ignored, and I'm making progress.

Of course, the larger question might be, "What is real progress?" If my daughter is a little better each day, that is progress for me. Yet, I can see my husband looking a bit more worn and know that this extra support is costing him, even as we both enjoy that added time with our granddaughter. And for sure, cooking has gone to the dogs. But philosophers would put it more eloquently. Change is constant. Be true to yourself. Persevere in making the life you desire. Every small step takes me closer.

So, once again, ROW80 to the rescue. Here's my progress on the goals for this week ending Sunday.

1. Write whatever pleases me.  So far that means I'm nearly done reading the 100-page instructions for Smashwords and making a checklist so I can use it before the month ends on converting The Mermaid Quilt to Smashwords. Ten chapters of Standing Stones read. One Micro-scene written for Rivers of Stone (400 words; goal 1,000 for the week).. Request for a beta reader out on Years of Stone. One travel blog post written (the most beautiful library in the world), short but a beautiful memory of a time in Buenos Aires.
2. Submit a story and a poem. OK, this one usually takes buckets of courage. Sent "Color Me Green" out. Hoping for a Yahoo! this time. Not quite ready with a poem. Can't be one I've posted online which makes this difficult as most poems are posted on the writing blog. Ephemeral.
3. Read and write reviews. Work on guest posting. Finished Jessica Brockmole's Letters from Skye in time to review for Friday. Next up: Ashna Graves, Death Pans Out and Gary Schanbacher, Crossing Purgatory. A little behind on talking with guests for posting (Sandy Jensen, Deniz Bevan), but some progress here. 
3. Continue commitment to ROW80 (post 2x and read 10x). So far so good. Read 9 others already and it's only Weds. Posting Weds and Sun. Some ROW80 folks as they write about their weekly challenges and accomplishments share hints on organizing or writing that continue to help me focus. 
4. Cherish each day. It's not so much that I'm cherishing the day, but knowing that each day brings me opportunities to appreciate the people I love and the time I have to write or quilt. Exercise has been a bit more difficult, though running up and down stairs counts! Last week, I swam twice. This week, not at all. So I must eat breakfast and leave in 20 minutes or I won't swim today!

Pueblo Quilt in progress.
Bountiful Blessings by Betty Ann Standiferd.
Hand applique, 3 blocks completed (Camp 2013)

Maybe I'm working on the surface this week, but even small steps forward keep me focused. The micro-scenes keep me dreaming about Rivers of Stone and the novel journal sits in a prominent place, saying, "I'm next!" "I'm next!"  Other ROW80 writers somehow balance many projects and persevere. What do you do when drastic events happen to change your routine? How do you keep writing?