Favorite Things

I've recently re-established my gratitude practice. It's nothing fancy. I simply write down at least five things I'm grateful for each day. Over time, I almost always find this practice more influential than I anticipate. I love that it encourages me to watch for goodness throughout the day, even when things aren't going particularly well and my impulse is to do the opposite. Beautiful sunsets, the scent of freshly cut grass, and the taste of a juicy summer peach were on my list this morning. (So was cheesecake, but that's admittedly less poetic.)

As a child who had trouble sleeping without a nightlight, I was captivated by songs from musicals which eased my anxiety by focusing on pleasant thoughts or actions, like "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music and "Whistle a Happy Tune" from The King and I. My nighttime worries have evolved over the years, but I still deal with insomnia when I have a lot on my mind. I don't think our nervous systems were designed to take in the enormity of the world's problems in the way our 24/7 news cycles constantly serve them up today.

Of course, I don't want to deny reality and pretend that serious problems do not exist, but neither do I want to become so overwhelmed by chaos that I can't function effectively or appreciate life. My grandmother would have called it counting your blessings. It's important not to lose sight of the beauty and kindness that already exists in the world, even as we try to create more. Sharing little discoveries with others is also meaningful, whether we are on the giving or receiving end. A good book or movie, a helpful hint, a great recipe--the smallest shared discovery can shift energy in a positive direction.

I plan to include a few cherished finds here from time to time, and I invite you to share some of your own discoveries in the comments, as well. I'll probably also share these posts on Facebook.

This week, a couple of phone apps that I've found helpful:

The Insight Timer app (insighttimer.com) is a free phone app--there is also a premium version--that started as a simple timer to use when meditating and has grown into a far more comprehensive resource, with lots of guided meditations and a worldwide community which you can choose to interact with or not. It also tracks your stats, like how often you have meditated, exercised, done yoga, etc. and for how long. It includes a journal function, which is where I've been recording my five gratitudes each day. I have used the free version for years.

The Cozi app (cozi.com) is advertised as a simple Family Organizer, but I think it could be useful for any small group of two or more people who need to coordinate schedules, activities, and other information. The free version has ads and doesn't include some of the features I like, such as the shared contacts list, so my husband and I recently upgraded, which requires an annual fee. Cozi was a godsend several years ago when my brother and I were sharing caregiving responsibilities during our parents' final years. Their doctors and treatments were in different hospitals, and there was so much to keep track of. We used the contacts list for doctors and such and took notes during appointments in the shared journal. We kept track of groceries and other supplies that our parents needed in the Cozi lists, where we could also keep separate personal lists for our own families.

After our parents' passing, I no longer used the app as much, so my husband and I stuck with the free version for a while, but when Bill started traveling more for work we decided to upgrade again. My work schedule varies from week to week, so Cozi is really helpful for both of us, especially since Bill and I are often in different states and no longer have in-person time together on a daily basis.

I think both of the above apps have Facebook pages, and probably Facebook user groups, as well. On Twitter, look for @InsightTimer and @CoziFamily.

So that's a start. I'll share a couple more finds next week, in a category other than apps.

How about you? Is there a discovery--large or small, old or new--that you'd like to share?  Maybe you have a favorite recipe or a household hint you'd be willing to pass along. You may have come across a great new podcast or YouTube channel.  Or perhaps something else entirely comes to mind. Please share a discovery or favorite thing (or two or three) in the comments and pass along this post to anyone who might like to participate. I'd love to hear from you!

 

 

Tortoise Practice

It seems I'm forever thinking of ideas that I don’t follow through on. That may not be entirely bad, as not all ideas warrant action. Still, I'd like to improve my idea selection process and do a better job of acting on my conscious choices.

I didn’t love the template I proposed for this blog in my last post. It didn’t feel comfortable for this space. I do like the idea of blogging, so I periodically decide to re-launch this one with high hopes, then fail to achieve lift-off.

Today, I'm humbly easing back in, with the image of a tortoise in my mind. Each January, I like to select a word to use as a theme for that year, and the year that I chose “Tortoise” was one of my most satisfying. I stuck with the theme all year. In fact, I would say the positive effects lingered well beyond that 12 months. It's a concept I continue to use to this day.

My ingrained tendency is to be more of a hare, operating in spasmodic bursts of energy, often immediately followed by exhaustion and/or overwhelm. Realistically, I may always be more hare than tortoise, but I have certainly found value in trying to balance those two qualities by encouraging my inner tortoise to make her way forward.

My hare sprints signal an unfortunate perfectionism/procrastination cycle which does not serve me or anyone else. It's all or nothing. When I'm in hare mode, if I'm not sure I can do something as well as I hope to, I don’t want to do it at all, so I put things off until there's not nearly enough time left to do it well. I guess it gives me an excuse. It also gives me insomnia—which is equally destructive to my creativity and productivity.

It's an unhealthy cycle that I'd like to break.

So...

This time, I'm NOT announcing that I'll be blogging every Monday or committing to a particular format. I’m going to let those details emerge (or not) over time. What I will do is simply state my intention to chip away at this whole perfectionism/procrastination thing, tortoise-style and imperfectly. Blogging may become a part of that process.

I’m gonna try some stuff. 

I’m gonna let go of some stuff.

I’m undoubtedly gonna forget some stuff. 

I’m gonna keep moving, no matter how slowly.

And I’m going to release the idea that everything has to be carefully polished before it can see the light of day.

I plan to nourish and encourage my inner tortoise and see what happens.

As a matter of fact, I've already taken a few recent tortoise steps: I joined Weight Watchers Online six weeks ago, and I've lost about 10 pounds, as a result. That qualifies as meaningful tortoise progress, in my book.

My mom was very much a Tortoise—in the best possible way. Tenacious and low-key, she got things done. She didn’t get hung up on being sure everything was perfect, and she rarely seemed overwhelmed by the size of the mountain in front of her or even what she did or didn’t know about climbing it. She just took a deep breath and started to climb. She accomplished so many amazing things as a result.

My tortoise mom is at the very top of my list of heroes. I miss her so much. I hope she knows how much I will always love and be inspired by her. I pray that her spirit is with me as I set out on the tortoise journey before me. 

Slowly, but surely. 🐢

Hello Again

Life happens.

I haven’t blogged in a very long time, but I’m thinking of taking it up again.

My current plan (subject to revision, of course) involves a

weekly check in post here, that includes 4 brief parts:

YES!
What’s working, things I'm saying “yes” to this week.

NO.
What's not working at the moment, boundaries I've decided to set.

MAYBE?
What's under serious consideration but not (yet?) ready for either previous list.

ALSO…
Things which are on my mind but may be a bit too random to fit neatly into the YES/NO/MAYBE framework. In particular, I'll probably share things I’m learning—ah ha moments or reminders. I suspect a few of these could develop into separate blog posts to occasionally share on another day of the week.

I’m thinking Mondays for the weekly check in post.

What do you think?