Wisdom – What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out? From December 10th on #reverb10.
So simple and so true! The wisdom I followed was leaving days in my personal schedule ‘unplanned’ aka only having things planned two or three nights a week instead of all five. I tried, successfully, to be less busy. I opted out of things. I said 'No'... it was liberating.
Yes, this may sound obvious I know, but it was not, as they say, “how I rolled” in the past. So I hope after 12 months of a lighter schedule I will have made it into a solid habit!
Saturday, December 18
Appreciate (December 14)
..still catching up... the list of stupendous Reverb 10 Prompts still inspires me to reflect and write more about 2010.
for December 14th the was prompt: Appreciate – What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?
Of all the things I have to be grateful for, in 2010 I have realized how much I value a certain type of person... people who are on the same wavelength!
This does not mean agreeing or having the same interests on everything, no. However, that can be rather amusing and worth appreciating if it's for the long-term benefit of a hilarious situation. But for me it is more about people who are willing to be themselves, genuine and open but respectful of themselves and others. I have been so terribly lucky to find these people all over the place in 2010. Sometimes just out of the blue and other times like socks hidden in the back of a drawer – and when I am around these people it feels much easier to be myself, to enjoy life and to be grateful.
I was given the most insightful, simplest way to show my appreciation for these people: tell them. One of these very people made it a point, in 2009, to ask only for birthday acknowledgement was to encourage all his friends to tell the people who are important in one’s life just how much they mean to you. I called three dear people in my life (perhaps three because I am an overachiever or just love sharing good vibes). I explained this friend’s birthday wish. I thanked them for being the wonderful, loving, same-wavelength-dwelling people that they are to me.
That simple gift (more to me than anyone) became extraordinarily meaningful to me in the wake of one of these dear people suddenly passing away that same year. Thus, this expression of gratitude for the supportive, inspiring and genuine people I meet has become a regular practice in my life and I am eternally grateful for it.
for December 14th the was prompt: Appreciate – What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?
Of all the things I have to be grateful for, in 2010 I have realized how much I value a certain type of person... people who are on the same wavelength!
This does not mean agreeing or having the same interests on everything, no. However, that can be rather amusing and worth appreciating if it's for the long-term benefit of a hilarious situation. But for me it is more about people who are willing to be themselves, genuine and open but respectful of themselves and others. I have been so terribly lucky to find these people all over the place in 2010. Sometimes just out of the blue and other times like socks hidden in the back of a drawer – and when I am around these people it feels much easier to be myself, to enjoy life and to be grateful.
I was given the most insightful, simplest way to show my appreciation for these people: tell them. One of these very people made it a point, in 2009, to ask only for birthday acknowledgement was to encourage all his friends to tell the people who are important in one’s life just how much they mean to you. I called three dear people in my life (perhaps three because I am an overachiever or just love sharing good vibes). I explained this friend’s birthday wish. I thanked them for being the wonderful, loving, same-wavelength-dwelling people that they are to me.
That simple gift (more to me than anyone) became extraordinarily meaningful to me in the wake of one of these dear people suddenly passing away that same year. Thus, this expression of gratitude for the supportive, inspiring and genuine people I meet has become a regular practice in my life and I am eternally grateful for it.
Try it!
Okay #reverb10 - you must have known I was off doing some snowshoeing and was up for a short prompt today!
Try. What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did/didn’t go for it?
This one is easy! This year I wanted to try moving to an apartment solo, sans roommates. It was such a valuable and satisfying experience – but also allowed me to appreciate all the great roommates I've had in my life! However, there were times when I felt I had too much space and was living in one-bedroom opulence... and did miss splitting the bills two or three or four ways...
Next year? I want to try living in another country. And since I've already got the plane ticket I think I'll be ready to try that one really soon!
Try. What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did/didn’t go for it?
This one is easy! This year I wanted to try moving to an apartment solo, sans roommates. It was such a valuable and satisfying experience – but also allowed me to appreciate all the great roommates I've had in my life! However, there were times when I felt I had too much space and was living in one-bedroom opulence... and did miss splitting the bills two or three or four ways...
Next year? I want to try living in another country. And since I've already got the plane ticket I think I'll be ready to try that one really soon!
Friday, December 17
Aaand action! (December 13)
One more #reverb10 prompt today (I said I'd catch up!!) This one is from the 13th.
"When it comes to aspirations, it's not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen. What's your next step?"
Just one?? How about five?
Well, I've had the idea of getting a Masters degree since I was 12 years old so having put in all my applications to my top three program choices this month feels like a solid step!
Steps two through four? Finally heading on my journey of a lifetime. Another "since I was very young" dream. When I realized my name, Lyndia, rhymed with India I was interested. After some travel experience, undergrad courses and personal research... sub-continent here I come! I've got the ticket and the visa and the vaccinations so I feel that was no less than three steps.
Step 5? Quit my "good job in a bad economy" to make sure I could get all I could of it so THREE MONTHS in India... here I come.
Is that enough? In the next three days I'll be officially dumping my beloved... downtown apartment. Journey of a lifetime...aaaaand Action!
"When it comes to aspirations, it's not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen. What's your next step?"
Just one?? How about five?
Well, I've had the idea of getting a Masters degree since I was 12 years old so having put in all my applications to my top three program choices this month feels like a solid step!
Steps two through four? Finally heading on my journey of a lifetime. Another "since I was very young" dream. When I realized my name, Lyndia, rhymed with India I was interested. After some travel experience, undergrad courses and personal research... sub-continent here I come! I've got the ticket and the visa and the vaccinations so I feel that was no less than three steps.
Step 5? Quit my "good job in a bad economy" to make sure I could get all I could of it so THREE MONTHS in India... here I come.
Is that enough? In the next three days I'll be officially dumping my beloved... downtown apartment. Journey of a lifetime...aaaaand Action!
This Body (December 12)
For December 12 the #reverb10 prompt was on Body Integration, as follows: This year when did you feel most integrated with your body?
Luckily this prompt is for 2010! If I had had to think about "Body Integration" any year previous I would have had to do an Internet search to see if that was the name of a cutting edge dance song...then I would have scoffed and made a generic, sweeping comment and then illustrated some mental tangent. But for this year - perfect!
I have been so lucky to have had a superb revelation about this, but not without some excellent guidance. In early spring I noticed my awesome lunch-away-from-the-cubicle-jungle yoga classes were cultivating something deeper. A relatively unfamiliar phenomena of my mind being in my body. May be basic but it took me awhile! In one position (pigeon pose) I felt I had "mastered it" and was going to ask after class how to extend the challenge. Then, a few seconds later, my favourite yoga teacher Eileen Chan said something like "for some of you this will be a challenging posture, but if you feel distracted see if you can challenge yourself to keep your mind in this pose and in your mat." I was surprised! Just what I needed! So I promptly lost my focus in excitement... but had two seasons of practice until late autumn... I got it! One unexpected day it clicked and I felt totally in my body thanks to good ole stretchy pigeon!
The mental flurry settled into the physical space: together, integrated. Just there. Finally there... always there. Well, starting with increments of, like, 35 seconds.
Luckily this prompt is for 2010! If I had had to think about "Body Integration" any year previous I would have had to do an Internet search to see if that was the name of a cutting edge dance song...then I would have scoffed and made a generic, sweeping comment and then illustrated some mental tangent. But for this year - perfect!
I have been so lucky to have had a superb revelation about this, but not without some excellent guidance. In early spring I noticed my awesome lunch-away-from-the-cubicle-jungle yoga classes were cultivating something deeper. A relatively unfamiliar phenomena of my mind being in my body. May be basic but it took me awhile! In one position (pigeon pose) I felt I had "mastered it" and was going to ask after class how to extend the challenge. Then, a few seconds later, my favourite yoga teacher Eileen Chan said something like "for some of you this will be a challenging posture, but if you feel distracted see if you can challenge yourself to keep your mind in this pose and in your mat." I was surprised! Just what I needed! So I promptly lost my focus in excitement... but had two seasons of practice until late autumn... I got it! One unexpected day it clicked and I felt totally in my body thanks to good ole stretchy pigeon!
The mental flurry settled into the physical space: together, integrated. Just there. Finally there... always there. Well, starting with increments of, like, 35 seconds.
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