Our assignment for April was a little different with a new prompt released at the start of each week through the month. The most important part for me was to collect in-this-moment responses. I’ll collect them and put them on 6″ x 8″ pages to be added to my book. In the meantime, here are my words:
PROMPT: I am …
Resilient, ridiculously resilient.
Showing up for my life every day.
A happy and curious masterpiece in progress.
Mama to four brilliant humans and two less brilliant labradoodles.
A collector of books, journals, colourful pens, crystals, stories, vibrational modalities, office supplies, recipes, creative hobbies and good friends.
Grateful for the totality of my life experience. The whole of it, the easy and the hard; the cruel and the kind; the abundance and the lack; even with all of the challenges I wouldn’t trade any of it to be where I am right now.
Happy to meditate daily, twice if it’s at all possible.
A writer, regularly on my blog and also my novel-in-progress.
Becoming a far less skeptical woo practitioner learning as much as I can about as much as I can.
Regularly inspired by creative brilliance, blessed to be surrounded by so much.
A natural light photographer always looking for new perspectives.
Alone but not lonely.
PROMPT: I give myself permission to …
Find a partner, a companion, someone who will cherish me and in turn will allow the same.
Move more, not as a punishment but as a means to be more flexible and live a long lovely life where I am able to take care of myself, travel and enjoy my time on this glorious earth.
Trust my instincts and act (or not) on them as the situation warrants.
Travel to all of the places on my long list in the most comfortable way I can afford.
Eat what I want, food is not a punishment or reward – it is necessary to keep poorly designed humans alive (total design flaw – though the digestive system is remarkable).
To be honest about my feelings and not be bullied into doing things for the comfort of others.
Put me first: sleep when I’m tired, eat when I’m hungry, bathe when needed, read when I’m curious, meditate daily, feed my soul in ways that surprise and delight me.
Feel all of the feels, connect and engage, on every level.
Remove the chaos and clutter in my life.
Write my novel with no distractions which might mean find a sitter for the dogs and stay in my pajamas all day and all night and write, then write some more. Whatever no distractions means, do it.
Buy what I want so my space reflects my tastes and interests.
Face my fears by trying and failing – or at least make every effort to learn what is and what is not for me.
PROMPT: I am learning …
Writing a novel is HARD.
To, with mouth firmly shut, accept opinions on my work. Some come from those I admire and respect and the others, well, the others go in the recycle bin and that’s okay. Not everyone is going to like my story and that’s perfectly okay.
I did a really good job raising four smart, loving, independent, energetic, opinionated, competitive, generous and grateful children in spite of doing it in an area where entitlement runs rampant and with limited physical or emotional support.
All about iCloud and how it works. Magic!
My best days are those with a routine. I am getting better about spontaneity but my preference are days with a regular plan. I can shake things up, but please give me some notice!
Patience. One short year ago I continued to be impatient with myself, others, everything I considered in my control and even outside it – ridiculous, right? Now? One of the amazing benefits of meditation – patience and the calm that comes with it. I have released so much, and yet there is still a way to go.
My daily routines require dependable internet connection and I’m not having any luck with Cogeco or Bell. It has to be fixed … again.
I am an incredibly slow reader as I tend to read every.single.word an author chose to write. When it’s good, it’s great. (Case in point: “Where the Crawdads Sing” was read in a record 2-days. Totally worth it. FIVE star WITH a totally satisfying ending, a rare feat indeed.)
Holidays don’t start when you arrive at your destination, it begins when you are “comfortably” situated in your seat on the plane and the door has been closed. I now take the time to enjoy the ride, read a book, watch a movie (Instant Family was fabulous) and eat a snack – completely relax into vacation mode so that I am fully open to the experience when I get off of the plane.
To be more active on Instagram. Not something I have incorporated into my daily practice so it is an effort on my part. I’m getting better, but not to a level of consistency that I’d like.
Everyone is doing the best they can. It may not be the best you can or even the best you deserve, it is the best they can do. Once I embraced that simple truth both gratitude and forgiveness came with ease – like breath. What a gift!
To slow down. I’ve lived a full life of multitasking and being all things to all people at all times in my life. I spent a lot of time feeling torn. I am taking the next year or so to stop spinning and find my bearings, keeping what works and chucking what doesn’t work in the life I want going forward. It’s time to find and embrace my new normal.
PROMPT: I feel most alive when …
I wake up every morning, grateful for a new day.
I’m faced with a new and/or unknown situation. All of my senses are on high alert and I take in everything to formulate the proper response.
I open a new calendar, face a blank page, discover a new project. Oh, the possibilities! And on the flip side, when a calendar, list, blank page or project is complete.
I make it to my destination in one piece after driving on the QEW or any of the 400-highways, or when I drive thorough downtown Toronto, NYC, Boston or LA. Invigorating when it’s not completely terrifying!
I click with a new person and we talk and laugh for hours. I may or may not see them ever again but love to have been able to exchange ideas for whatever time we had.
Someone I respect and admire takes notice and has a few good words about m that they share.
Watching live performances tingles my senses: a concert, play, comedian, sports, all of it. The risk, the possibility of messing up, always has me on the edge of my seat, rooting for good things.
I complete a chapter in my novel-in-progress and I know it’s good, really good.
When I have a good conversation, even (or especially) a heated one, where I learn something new, something I had never considered before.
All of my kids are at home with me, all under one roof. Those are the best days.
When I go for a long drive with the windows down and the music loud – songs I know and can belt out with no audience except the dogs and the wind.
When I find myself in nature: I sit with my eyes closed, by the ocean, wind whipping, waves crashing, gulls crying; or, a huge thunderstorm blows through with force, rain pouring with lightening flashing and cracking, inevitably I can be found outside under my deck enjoying the show. Even quieter moments like walking through the forest or sitting in my garden make me feel connected and alive.
What is your One Little Word for 2019? If you want to participate, head over to Ali Edwards and check it out. Tons of fun and it’s never too late to start!
