"A break or interruption of work" -- Oh, yeah, that is what a Hiatus is!

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HIATUS - a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc

I am more then 50% of the way thru my "Hiatus" and I realized I haven't really even started! When I got to the end of Surprise week I didn't even feel like I should be taking  a hiatus and part of me was ready to go on and jump into Joy week but today I am ready for my break. This morning I was having an inordinate amount of trouble with blogger while I was writing my "quick" post for my other blog and I ended up spending more then two hours struggling to get it posted.  When I was finally done I had no time or energy for the post on Faith that I had planned for here.


Then I noticed I was getting angry. I created, "My readers are expecting something from me and because of @#$&&#!! blogger I wasn't going to deliver!" My husband came in wanting to share our morning cup of coffee together and I shooed him away because "I had to get something posted!" Then it hit me,  I have suddenly started treating my blog like it is my job. I have created "deadline" pressure that only I feel or care about. I've started obsessively checking to see if I have new commenters, followers and/or if one of my regular readers has been by or not. Frankly it is getting a little nuts!!


I LOVE this blog and I love the experiment I have going on here but this is not my job. It is my hobby, my BLISS, and a source of great fun but by treating it like a job I am sucking a lot of the joy out of it. How perfectly timely to notice this just as Joy week is approaching! Anyway, as I started this week I told you  I wanted to see what might show up if I wasn't concentrating on my virtues but keeping my same blogging schedule and not really stepping away isn't allowing for anything new. So I've decided stepping away is what I am going to do.


For the rest of this weekend I am not going to blog at all. I'm going see what might await me away from my computer and take time for any coffees my Sweetie may wish to share.  


Oh, and because it is a three day holiday weekend I will also not be posting on Monday so look for my Joy Week kick off post on Tuesday! Have a really fabulous weekend everyone. I look forward to sharing the Joy with you all next week!

Next Post: The benefits of a pause

My 13 bliss virtues are 

joy, order, creativity, passion, whimsy, serenity, inquiry, community, 

romance, gratitude, moxie, humility, and surprise.



This week it is Hiatus week and after that

 the series begins again with Joy.

Warning: I bailed on the "fun graphs." Here is the Geek Report on the Everyday Bliss Game

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HIATUS - a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc

OK. This post is taking FOREVER because I keep hoping for some kind of Eureka Moment. After nine months of keeping my weekly scores, I thought some sort of epiphany was awaiting me. Truth is I wanted some sort of proof that my experiment was working.  What ever that really means! 


Each week I give myself a "gut check" of sorts and then give myself a grade on my 10 point scale. I've been doing this since I started my game and have secretly been convinced that this vaguely scientific approach would prove a dramatic increase in Bliss.  If I tally the numbers from each cycle through the virtues I do get an increase in the overall number but each and every Virtue is behaving in unique ways.


My romance score has decreased even as I am able to call on more romantic ideas then ever before. Moxie is the only virtue that has followed a consistant upward trend but seeing that makes me a bit worried for the week upcoming! After scoring an 8 how much further can I go? It seems inevitable that I won't be able to keep the momentum indefinitely.


(Formatting be damned! I'm posting this chart in a GIANT size so you can actually read the numbers if you are interested. I hope it isn't too annoying!)

The Score Sheet

I'm starting to see the value in Ben Franklin's single point system. When he evaluated all his virtues, on a daily and not just weekly basis, he gave himself a "mark" if he caught himself not following the virtue. His game was to arrive at a point in time when he would be "mark free" entirely and therefore arrive at "virtuous living."  Not that he ever attained or really expected to do so... in time however he had fewer blemishes on his daily record so he could feel he was making progress in his pursuit.


My system is inherently flawed. "Gut Checks" have no scientific basis. They are at the effect of my changing mood and can vary widely just based on how well I ate prior to making the determination. (When I'm NOT hungry I tend to be more generous towards myself!) Ben's system is really a lot more scientific because one could determine if gratitude was there or not -- in fact an astute observer could make the determination -- but making a evaluation of "how much" gratitude requires measurement tools just not available to human beings at this time.


Bottom line, what I have been doing has been entertaining, for me at least, but really doesn't measure what participating in my Everyday Bliss project has done for me. I  do plan to finish out the year doing my gut check evaluations at the conclusion of each week but instead of believing it is any way a scientific tally I will use them as the amusing side note they are... for even if my scores ARE quite arbitrary I am still curious to see if I can ever feel good enough about my weekly participation to award a perfect 10!!


I think I'll also start a Ben Franklin style daily review.  But I'll save that discussion for another time!


SO did my quasi-statistical ramblings bore you to tears? I promise I'll be back to regular style posts tomorrow!! Thanks for sticking with me! 

Next Post: Musings on Faith

My 13 bliss virtues are 

joy, order, creativity, passion, whimsy, serenity, inquiry, community, 

romance, gratitude, moxie, humility, and surprise.



This week it is Hiatus week and after that

 the series begins again with Joy.

"Show and Tell" - three year old style!

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HIATUS - a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.

Hey there all!! I am trying to put together some fun graphs to show you my "progress" during this Everyday Bliss project but it is taking far longer then I expected so I've decided to share my girl's drawings & "show and tell" to pass the time! Enjoy... I'll be back with those numbers soon.

Take it away Sweets:

"This is a picture of you and me mommy.

 I am singing and you are very so happy"

"This is Lillian. Lillian is my best friend. 

She makes me laugh."

"This is Tinkerbell flying. I will fly when I am a fairy. 

I'm going to be a fairy when I grow up. I will be little."

I interviewed Sweets over on the Everyday Mommy blog today if you care to hear more from her. Here is a sample:

What do you want to be when you grow up?
An alligator. An alligator sounds like fun to me.

Is there anything I should tell the people who are going to read this?
You are really going to love it!

Do you have anything you would like to Show and Tell today?

Next Post: The Ultimate Bliss Tally!

My 13 bliss virtues are 

joy, order, creativity, passion, whimsy, serenity, inquiry, community, 

romance, gratitude, moxie, humility, and surprise.



This week it is Hiatus week and after that

 the series begins again with Joy.