Photo

Reverb's Prompt-a-Day Blog Challenge  

December 25 – Photo – a present to yourself. Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and [...] (Author: Tracey Clark)

Really! I'm still waiting for that one. Maybe it's the impossible shot. I'm so elusive. Ha ha.
 

Is it possible to capture someone in a photo? I've never seen a photo of me that captured who I am. Maybe I'm totally different on the inside.

If you read this blog post (or non-post), why don't you answer it? I would be interested to know if you have such a photo of yourself.

Everything’s OK

Reverb's Prompt-a-Day Blog Challenge 

December 24 Prompt – Everything’s OK. What was the best moment that could serve as proof that everything is going to be alright? And how will you incorporate that discovery into the year ahead? (Author: Kate Inglis)

It happened in June. I voiced an idea that had been swimming around in my head for a while, and an answer came immediately. I mean, immediately, as in less than a second. The idea held potential complications and many unknowns, and the answer took care of them all. I'm still amazed.

I've learned over and over that when I trust my intuition and take the leap of faith, the Universe responds. As the new year unfolds, I will be going into uncharted territory once again. I'm more confident this time that the path will reveal itself as I put one foot in front of the other.

New Name

Reverb's Prompt-a-Day Blog Challenge 

December 23 Prompt: New name. Let's meet again, for the first time. If you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be and why? (Author: Becca Wilcott)

I might have gone for this a couple of decades ago. But not now. I am quite content to be who I am these days, so I'm not interested in pretending to have a different name or a new persona. However, I am changing daily, so you'd better keep a sharp eye out.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Travel

Reverb's Prompt-a-Day Blog Challenge

December 22 – Travel How did you travel in 2010? How and/or where would you like to travel next year? (Author: Tara Hunt)

How did I travel? What does that mean? By car? By plane? By the hardest?

I think I traveled by roller coaster. That's the kind of year it has been. Family illness, my illness, the house's illness, all of which are ongoing, but getting better. This has been a year of change, and all the ups and downs have brought me to the same place: it's winter, and I'm hibernating. Looking inward. Lighting a candle in this cave and studying my shadow. Not afraid of the dark, I'm facing it with curiosity. Looking at myself honestly. For real. That's so hard, but if not now, when?

How and where would I like to travel next year? The year has already begun, and the journey. I can see only as far as my next step. Are you brave enough to travel with me?

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.