Buon Giorno & Buon Anno! Good Morning & Happy New Year!
I hope you did not indulge in too much cheer to not be able to enjoy this blessed primo giorno of 2012.
I wrote a post about resolutions and dreams vs goals but wonder if this year we shouldn't be so hard on ourselves. Maybe we should just step back and just think each thing through, whether it be about our story or our decisions and have a little more faith in ourselves before marching forward.
I learned many things in 2011, well, some new and some remembered, and hope to carry those through 2012. Time for reflection is necessary and you can do that either mentally, physically, or by writing. I don't think we should limit ourselves to what we know we can accomplish because although there is comfort in that I am becoming to believe that to grow you need to push yourself to do something you think you cannot. Whether your potential thing is astronomy, botany, calligraphy, dog grooming, elephant training, fishing, geology, house building, "Iliad" synopsis, jamming, knife throwing, llama shearing, map folding, nunchakas, ornithology, puppet-making, querying, robotics, sketching, typesetting, Umbelliferae, vaniloquence, wizardy, xenogamy, yodeling, or zoology, push yourself to introduce one new thing into your life sometime this year. Also, try to do one teeny tiny new thing every day to create a healthier you. Don't worry, I'm not going to preach.
I'll go first. Okay ... two days ago I decided that I really needed to stop eating so much candy. Sounds easy, right? Not so much. You see in order for me to stop eating so much candy I have to eat none at all. Some things with me are either all or nothing. So Friday went well and then there was last night. I rationalized what was the harm? It was NYE, one more candy fling couldn't hurt, right? Then I stopped to think it through and you know what? I wondered if after I shoved 6 or 14 kisses into my mouth would I really feel sated because that is what I would have done before. So the stronger me said if I want to stop then I have to stop and since I already started to stop, why start? So I apologized to the kisses and opted for tapoica pudding instead and you know, that really boosted my psyche. (I know this may not sound like a big thing to you but maybe some day I'll tell the story about me quitting smoking 15 years ago. That sucked. But I did it.)
And the new thing I'm going to try this year? Poetry. My first attempt at poetry was in high school over the angst of being in love with a certain guy who didn't love me back. Probably because I wasn't someone he even noticed as I worshipped him from afar, but that's beside the point. Love is love, unrequited or undeclared you can't fight the feeling and you know it. I usually write fiction or write to think and on the forums I frequent I have been reading some poetry and didn't realize how much passion and meaning lies within fragments linked together lengthwise on the page. I always thought poetry was something that rhymed and was written by a different breed of writer but now I'm not so sure. We all have something to say and as long as it makes an impression or evokes an emotion or haunts someone, its presentation is unimportant. So I'm going to try. And maybe brush up on my Italian.
So what have I learned? A few things ...
+ Don't be pissed at someone for a ridiculous length of time. Unless there is an extraordinary reason, it isn't worth it. People die and you don't get them back. And time isn't refundable so use it wisely.
+ Whenever you pull out your wallet be sure that you want to buy that thing. Whether $5 or $5000 ask yourself if it will really add joy to your life, is it something that you will treasure or is it just nice to have or does you-know-who have one and you need to one-up. Money loses value and so do things so think it through. And besides, you probably have real bills to pay.
+ Unless you love your job if itmostly pays the bills quit whining about it. Many people are losing all and I'm sure they would take your sucky job in a wink if they could.
+ You don't have to love animals you just have to appreciate them and the joy they bring to others. Sleeping with them, dressing them and feeding them better than you probably crosses the line but hey, I'm trying to not judge so much.
+ Dwelling on things gone wrong, hurtful words, or bad scenes will not bring cheer into your life. Use your scissors.
+ Children are wise and more perceptive than we are. Listen to them. Notice I said children, not teenagers.
+ I didn't like being called the "Comma Queen."
+ Too much gluten / sugar / salt messes with your body, your sleep, and your jeans size.
+ Let go of those people who don't add to your life. If they are family spend less time with them. If they are your spouse or about to be maybe you ought to make a list
+ I still have no idea what a "New York Minute" is.
+ Nothing done for the wrong reason ever works out.
+ Be kind. People have things going on in their lives that they don't often share, so if someone is acting like a dick just smile and keep walking.
+ Coffee is the most important meal of the day.
+ No matter how you feel, write every day. Keep writing even if it's for two minutes and even if you have to use a napkin or grocery receipt or the back of your hand. Don't. Stop. Writing.
+ What ever happened in 2011 or 2010 or 1975 or 1969, it's time to let it go. You don't get anywhere new by retracing your footsteps.
Benedizioni a voi e la vostra! Blessings to you and yours in 2012. Write on!
I hope you did not indulge in too much cheer to not be able to enjoy this blessed primo giorno of 2012.
I wrote a post about resolutions and dreams vs goals but wonder if this year we shouldn't be so hard on ourselves. Maybe we should just step back and just think each thing through, whether it be about our story or our decisions and have a little more faith in ourselves before marching forward.
I learned many things in 2011, well, some new and some remembered, and hope to carry those through 2012. Time for reflection is necessary and you can do that either mentally, physically, or by writing. I don't think we should limit ourselves to what we know we can accomplish because although there is comfort in that I am becoming to believe that to grow you need to push yourself to do something you think you cannot. Whether your potential thing is astronomy, botany, calligraphy, dog grooming, elephant training, fishing, geology, house building, "Iliad" synopsis, jamming, knife throwing, llama shearing, map folding, nunchakas, ornithology, puppet-making, querying, robotics, sketching, typesetting, Umbelliferae, vaniloquence, wizardy, xenogamy, yodeling, or zoology, push yourself to introduce one new thing into your life sometime this year. Also, try to do one teeny tiny new thing every day to create a healthier you. Don't worry, I'm not going to preach.
I'll go first. Okay ... two days ago I decided that I really needed to stop eating so much candy. Sounds easy, right? Not so much. You see in order for me to stop eating so much candy I have to eat none at all. Some things with me are either all or nothing. So Friday went well and then there was last night. I rationalized what was the harm? It was NYE, one more candy fling couldn't hurt, right? Then I stopped to think it through and you know what? I wondered if after I shoved 6 or 14 kisses into my mouth would I really feel sated because that is what I would have done before. So the stronger me said if I want to stop then I have to stop and since I already started to stop, why start? So I apologized to the kisses and opted for tapoica pudding instead and you know, that really boosted my psyche. (I know this may not sound like a big thing to you but maybe some day I'll tell the story about me quitting smoking 15 years ago. That sucked. But I did it.)
And the new thing I'm going to try this year? Poetry. My first attempt at poetry was in high school over the angst of being in love with a certain guy who didn't love me back. Probably because I wasn't someone he even noticed as I worshipped him from afar, but that's beside the point. Love is love, unrequited or undeclared you can't fight the feeling and you know it. I usually write fiction or write to think and on the forums I frequent I have been reading some poetry and didn't realize how much passion and meaning lies within fragments linked together lengthwise on the page. I always thought poetry was something that rhymed and was written by a different breed of writer but now I'm not so sure. We all have something to say and as long as it makes an impression or evokes an emotion or haunts someone, its presentation is unimportant. So I'm going to try. And maybe brush up on my Italian.
So what have I learned? A few things ...
+ Don't be pissed at someone for a ridiculous length of time. Unless there is an extraordinary reason, it isn't worth it. People die and you don't get them back. And time isn't refundable so use it wisely.
+ Whenever you pull out your wallet be sure that you want to buy that thing. Whether $5 or $5000 ask yourself if it will really add joy to your life, is it something that you will treasure or is it just nice to have or does you-know-who have one and you need to one-up. Money loses value and so do things so think it through. And besides, you probably have real bills to pay.
+ Unless you love your job if it
+ You don't have to love animals you just have to appreciate them and the joy they bring to others. Sleeping with them, dressing them and feeding them better than you probably crosses the line but hey, I'm trying to not judge so much.
+ Dwelling on things gone wrong, hurtful words, or bad scenes will not bring cheer into your life. Use your scissors.
+ Children are wise and more perceptive than we are. Listen to them. Notice I said children, not teenagers.
+ I didn't like being called the "Comma Queen."
+ Too much gluten / sugar / salt messes with your body, your sleep, and your jeans size.
+ Let go of those people who don't add to your life. If they are family spend less time with them. If they are your spouse or about to be maybe you ought to make a list
+ I still have no idea what a "New York Minute" is.
+ Nothing done for the wrong reason ever works out.
+ Be kind. People have things going on in their lives that they don't often share, so if someone is acting like a dick just smile and keep walking.
+ Coffee is the most important meal of the day.
+ No matter how you feel, write every day. Keep writing even if it's for two minutes and even if you have to use a napkin or grocery receipt or the back of your hand. Don't. Stop. Writing.
+ What ever happened in 2011 or 2010 or 1975 or 1969, it's time to let it go. You don't get anywhere new by retracing your footsteps.
Benedizioni a voi e la vostra! Blessings to you and yours in 2012. Write on!
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