In September, I set a daily goal for myself: to complete a 5-minute writing exercise each day of the month.

I used a calendar page and stickers to document my progress.

I didn’t do as well as I thought I would.

Not because I didn’t write. I did. I just didn’t write five-minute writing exercises. I wrote weekly blogs and my posts for MomsLA.com.

The truth is writing can feel like work. It’s not always a words-flowing-losing-track-of-time kind of endeavor.

So for October, I changed the focus of my daily goal. I decided I would strive to read for pleasure for ten minutes each day.

I own one of those under-the-desk pedal machines. I don’t track my calories or my distance; I simply pedal for ten minutes at a time, twice a day. By linking it to my pedal machine, it became easy to find my daily reading time.

Until mid-October.

I’ve been dealing with some health issues, including increased intensified pain and weakness in my leg. I have stopped pedaling. And for many days I stopped reading.

Looking at the calendar, it’s super easy to see when things changed. Box after box without a sticker.

When life got harder, I immediately forfeited an activity that brought me pleasure.

It saddened me to realize how quick I am to shortchange myself.

At the same time, it shows how much work I’ve done with my therapist that I noticed this trend at all, and that I’m unsatisfied with it.

I’m making a real effort to quiet the negative self-talk. I missed several reading days. That’s done, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

Instead, I’m looking at that calendar page on my desk and trying to claim those daily ten reading minutes, whether I’m pedaling or not.

Because I can’t magically make my pain lessen. I can’t suddenly get up from my desk chair without limping or grimacing in pain. But I can carry my book with me, and read it while waiting for the doctor at yesterday’s appointment. I can sit myself on my cozy purple chair, prop up my left leg, and read for ten minutes (at least). I’m trying.

How about you, friends? Do you have an activity you strive to do each day? Do you use some sort of system to track your progress?

And, what are you reading this week? I’m reading Holding On and Letting Go – A Life in Motion, a memoir by my Instagram friend Lindsay Swoboda.