Future Self

Reverb's Prompt-a-Day Blog Challenge 

December 21 – Future Self. Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead? (Bonus: Write a note to yourself 10 years ago. What would you tell your younger self?) (Author: Jenny Blake)

I would give the same message to both my future 69-year-old self and my past 54-year-old self--this quote from Plato: "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." What I have learned over the years, frequently the hard way, is that the stupid stuff other people do is brought on by their inner turmoil or distraction. Same as me. Sometimes it's easier to forgive others for their stupidity than to forgive myself. Maybe I should rephrase the quote: "Be kind to yourself, for you are fighting a hard battle just like everyone else." 

This is the first day of the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year. I was unable to view the eclipse of the full moon last night because of a thick cloud cover. However, I did notice how brightly backlit the clouds were until the eclipse began; then it was significantly darker. I fell asleep before the moon was completely covered.

Already I feel the excitement of anticipation as the new year begins to unfold. I expect this to be a year of great learning and growth for me. It's winter, and, like the great oak trees in our front yard, I'm sending my roots deep into the earth so I can stay anchored and strong in times of adversity. In the darkness, light begins to grow.

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."--Albert Camus

Beyond Avoidance

Reverb's Prompt-a-Day Blog Challenge 

December 20 – Beyond Avoidance. What should you have done this year but didn’t because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?) (Author: Jake Nickell)

What should I have done this year? I don't should on myself anymore. I simply make choices, and accept responsibility for the consequences of those choices. No more shoulding. I've shoulded myself practically to death my entire life. No more. As Yoda said (sort of), "Do or do not...there is no should."

Healing

Reverb's Prompt-a-Day Blog Challenge

December 19 – Healing. What healed you this year? Was it sudden, or a drip-by-drip evolution? How would you like to be healed in 2011? (Author: Leonie Allan)

Is anyone ever completely healed? I think healing is a process. I've often thought I was healed of some emotional hurt, only to feel it reappear out of nowhere. Eastern medicine says that all emotions, from the time we are born to the present, are stored in our cells. No wonder they keep cropping up at odd times, but especially when we are in a physically weakened state.

So, while acknowledging that I am in the process of being healed, rather than healed, I would have to say that QiGong and the macrobiotic diet are the primary reasons. I've written about macrobiotics recently, so I won't repeat myself here. The QiGong practice I've been learning for the past two years is based on medical QiGong. The basic idea is that stagnant energy needs to be cleared from the body and the organs need to be toned, all on a daily basis. When energy stagnates in the body over a period of time, disease and/or disorder sets in. QiGong gets the energy moving in a very flowing, non-stressful way. I find it very meditative.

I look forward to continued healing in 2011 of body, mind, and spirit. More writing, healthy eating, QiGong practice, exercise, meditation, SoulCollage and art journaling should do it. And love. Let's not forget love.

Try

Reverb's Prompt-a-Day Blog Challenge

December 18 – 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? (Author: Kaileen Elise)

 I want to try to establish a regular art practice. I don't mean that I want to "become an artist." I simply want to practice playing with art materials. In other words, have fun making art for art's sake. I did a little bit in 2009, but put it away when I got busy with other things. Even if I set aside one day a month to make little books, or one day a week to play at art journaling in those cheap composition books, that would be enough. It feels so good to let go and mess around with paint and paper. I want to play more in 2011.

Lesson Learned

Reverb's Prompt-a-Day Blog Challenge

December 17 – Lesson Learned What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward? (Author: Tara Weaver)

I've learned that my body has limits and that I would do well to pay attention to them.

I've had to accept the fact that my "cast-iron" stomach "rusted" and I can no longer eat whatever I want.

I've learned that food tastes fabulous without butter after all, and that there is life without cheese.

I've learned the benefits of miso, umeboshi, quinoa, and wakame, and how to pronounce them.

I no longer live to eat. I eat to live a long, healthier life.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friendship

Reverb's Prompt-a-Day Blog Challenge 

December 16 – Friendship. How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst? (Author: Martha Mihalick)

I write with two groups of women who are extraordinary. Some of us have been writing with each other for 6-1/2 years. Over the years, we have peeled the layers from our selves and revealed our souls. There is no longer any shame or fear. We are who we are and can be absolutely real in each others' presence. Writing has done this, and the poetry therapy process has been the catalyst. We have met together almost weekly, setting aside one morning a week as THE time to explore our thoughts and hearts in the presence of others. We were strangers in the beginning, and the friendships grew slowly. The transition was so gradual, I didn't even notice for a while.

A large network of like-minded people has grown from the contacts in these core groups. I am amazed to watch it expand almost daily, reassuring me that there are sane, caring people all over the world, lots of them. We are beginning to find each other. The process is exciting.

5 Minutes

Reverb's Prompt-a-Day Blog Challenge  

December 15 – 5 Minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010. (Author: Patti Digh)

8 Eastern Bluebirds on the birdbath at the same time, on a snowy January day.
20 Goldfinches on the thistle feeder, with 20 more on the ground below.
Hearing my brother's voice for the first time after his brain bleed, two months later.
Watching a coyote stroll through the backyard.
Started a novel. Why, I don't know.
Listened to Joy Harjo read her poetry, in person.
After the devastating flood in May, everyone pitched in to help those in need.
Lost 40 pounds without trying, all because of acid reflux.
Learned what "macrobiotics" means.
Began doing QiGong exercise routine on my own, on a regular basis.
Bought a frame drum, started learning to play.
Watched a hummingbird taking a bath in the birdbath, skimming across the surface like a hovercraft.
The moon. Always the moon.

Okay, so I cheated. This took longer than 5 minutes. It was really cool, though, because I got to see the advantage of keeping my "sum up the day in as few words as possible" journal. I made the list by skimming through the short entries. It was easy to catch the highlights.