Tag: journal

now i get it {summer 2018}

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Emily P. Freeman’s quarterly habit of recording what she learns during the season is something that I strongly recommend every one, especially one who is seeking to lead a life well-lived, should do. Writing my lessons down (you can record it in some other way) cements them into my consciousness and sharing it with you keeps me cognizant of those lessons.

This summer has provided one major thing that I get now.

To live the life I’ve imagined, I have to do the scary thing, the uncomfortable thing.

I don’t know who said it first but I heard it attributed to a fitness trainer who was responsible for getting Brad Pitt in shape for his portrayal of the Greek hero, Achilles, in the 2004 epic, Troy. He told Pitt, “To get to where you want to be, you are going to have to put yourself in a place of discomfort every single day!”

There’s a wide range to this level of discomfort. Some is absolutely terrifying.  Others are just slightly disconcerting. This summer, I intentionally made myself uncomfortable, furthering a lesson learned from last spring.

Here’s a rundown of a precious few of my experiences, from the mild to the “OMG! I’d never thought I’d do that!”

  • I ate at some interesting spots while on vacay.
  • I interviewed a ceramic artist in another state. I traveled to her home, sat in her kitchen, played with clay in her studio, and recorded over two hours of footage, transcribed that footage (listening to myself is like nails on a chalkboard) and began to write up the story of her journey to awesomeness. It’s coming to the blog soon.
  • I joined a writing group. At my first meeting in July, I knew no one. And then, after about three hours of writing, we had to pass our words to someone else for them to read out loud to EVERYONE! Gulp. But, I’m glad I did it. And I went back and did it again in August.
  • I wrote a piece and submitted it for publication on a very popular web site. Pushing the send button of that email elicited a bit of throw-up in my mouth. I was so on-edge, I promptly went outside for a run to relieve the angst. The run did help.
  • My Hubby has a new hobby – photography. And while on vacay in Miami, we had photo shoots in various locations, including the hotel room. I have never really liked taking pics.  When I was a teenager, I practiced for hours to get my smile to something that I could live with and now I can smile on-cue.  Only people who know me can tell the difference between my “fake” smile and my genuine smile.  Let’s just say, the hotel room shoot involved more than my smile.  It was scary, but incredibly freeing and empowering.  And no, those will NOT be coming to the blog any time soon.

What about you? Have you done anything that scared you a little recently?  I’ve learned it’s the only way you’ll be able to fully…

enjoy life

now i get it {spring 2018}

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One of my favorite inspirational writers, Emily P. Freeman, post a quarterly link-up where we share what we learned during that season. I’ve seen and read these for a few years now but only participated one time. Sharing something so intimate feels overwhelming; what if I never learned anything new? What if I keep having to learn the same old things day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. For example, if you read my January 2016 edition, I discuss foundational habits.  Yep, still struggling with those! But, now I get that this is an excellent exercise for anyone who is seeking to live their one life with intention and purpose. And sharing in this space crystallizes what I have learned, making it real and refreshing my memory when I need to be reminded again and again.

So, with that in mind, I am participating this season and sharing with you wonderful souls what I learned and will probably always be learning this past spring. Here goes…

  • I’m learning to trust my intuition, my gut, “the voice within, the voice of God’s spirit, the whisper of my own soul.” (Shauna Niequist in Present Over Perfect) This is something that I will have to work on for the rest of my life.
  • I now know that I for me to live the life that I want to live that I must stop running from my emotions. In the book, “When Things Fall Apart” by Pema Chödrön, she discusses the necessity to sit in the “hot loneliness.”  I hate doing this! I have run from my emotions and my feelings for most of my life.  My modus operandi is when I get a whiff of a feeling that is uncomfortable, painful, or even something that is exciting or interesting, is to do one of two things: (1) push it deep into the spaces of my own heart and then pile food, preferably ice cream, on top of it or (2) get busy doing something, anything to not think about it anymore. All you have to do is see a pic of me to know which one I do the most. Ignoring my emotional life has affected everything: how much joy I experience; my honesty with my husband; my memory, or lack thereof, of the special moments in my life; and the authenticity in my writing. Learning to sit with my feelings is hard, probably the hardest thing that I will ever have to do, but now I know that I have to do it.
  • Self-care is requirement; it is not an optional exercise. There is no life (literally, no life) without it.

What have you learned recently? Let’s talk about it.

enjoy life

what i’m into – that’s keeping me sane {march 2018}

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March! What a month! But I march on and the things below kept me sane.

  • Happy Women’s History Month! It was enlightening to hear and read about the contributions women have made in history across all media outlets this month. CBS ran segments during commercial breaks featuring women’s contribution in the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). I particularly enjoyed them.
  • Books, books, and more books – I hadn’t been reading very much recently but rectified that this month. I will never understand why I stop.  Books are awesome! This month alone I finished four books: a biography, a thriller, a literary novel, and a book of essays.  I am back in love with the written word and it is keeping me sane.
  • Barnes & Noble – Continuing the literary trend, I spent a few mornings in March here: drinking hot beverages to stay warm (the temps have dipped recently) and poring over magazines. This is something I have always liked doing but never made time for; it is going to become a regular occurrence in my life from now on.
  • IKEA – Hubby and I took a day trip to IKEA this month. I was specifically going to purchase a candle in a scent that I have gotten before; they apparently don’t make it anymore (sad face). But I took a risk and bought three new ones.  So far, this peachy one smells nice and cheerful.  I have brightened several dreary days with it.

 Ultimately, March has taught me that I MUST do whatever I need to do to stay sane.  I have this warped idea that I should be able to survive, no thrive, with just one spiritual exercise in the morning and then get to get on with my day.  But what I have learned is that I may need multiple exercises: running/walking, candles, writing, reading, etc. to thrive and be who I need to be in this world.  My Hubby told me that I need to understand that I am an engine that runs on premium gasoline, so I should stop insisting on putting regular in the tank and complaining when things don’t go well. Here’s to a lot of premium in April.

Per usual, I am linking up with Leigh Kramer and the tribe to discuss what we’re into.  Check it out over there and tell me what keeps you sane in the comments below.