My muse has been AWOL for a few weeks now. I hope that she’s on a beach somewhere knocking back margaritas and is not lying in a shallow grave in the woods. I hope that she’ll return forthwith, tanned and inspired and not too hungover. In her absence though, I’m being forced to turn elsewhere for blogging inspiration in order to uphold my commitment to post every day in 2013.

First, I’ve been feeling out of sorts lately. I’m normally pretty even-keeled, not one to sweat the small stuff, able to let the nonsense of life just flow around me. But recently I’ve been kind of snarky, quick to criticize, and slow to let things go. I don’t like being inside my own head when I’m like that, so I’m sure those around me are about over it, too. I need to refocus. Get my zen back. I think if I concentrate on all that is good around me, and consciously show a little gratitude for my blessings, it’ll go a long way toward restoring my natural balance. So I’ve found a 30-day gratitude photo challenge that’ll fit perfectly into November (it is the month of Thanksgiving, after all). I plan to tackle the challenge using only my new iPhone’s camera, instead of my trusty Kodak, so there’ll be a bit of a learning curve that will hopefully prove to be valuable experience.

I don’t want to abandon writing in November, despite my muse’s desertion, so I’m looking to NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) to get me through. Blogher.com actually hosts NaBloPoMo every month during the year, but November has come to be the month in which to participate, because of its close association with NaNoWriMo, the novel-in-a-month challenge. For anyone who joins the challenge, Blogher.com provides 21 prompts for the weekdays, then it’s every blogger’s responsibility to free-write on the weekends. The main benefits of joining the blogroll are public accountability for sticking to the schedule, support and feedback from fellow bloggers, and the chance to stumble upon some awesome new blogs with which to waste away hours I should have spent working, cooking, cleaning, bathing…

So, I’ll be here tomorrow, with a new commitment to both writing and photography. If all goes well, by the end of the month I’ll have an improved attitude firmly in place. Meanwhile, if you see my muse in your travels, please tell her to drop the tequila and report for work.