Something Good

6 Replies

decmorningmoon1. Kickstart Your Change: “Free courses that help you dream big, take action, and change your life.”

2. This quote from Cheri Huber: “Whatever we are experiencing at any moment does not have to be resisted or improved or analyzed.  It is possible simply to open oneself to whatever is here.” Amen, (now if only I could do this consistently).

3. Brené Brown on Vulnerability, On Being Podcast.

4. This quote from Edward Hays, A Book of Wonders: “Grant me daily the grace of gratitude, to be thankful for all my many gifts, and so be freed from artificial needs, that I might lead a joyful, simple life.”

5. How To Sit With Your Emotions from Effervescence.

6. This quote from Howard Thurman: “Don’t worry about what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

dec12sky7. Bow to Whatever it is, a poem by Tara Sophia Mohr shared by Julia on Painted Path.

8. This quote from Anna Quindlen: “The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.”

9. This contemplation from Ram Deev: Prioritize health. What’s the point of freeing ourselves if we’re forced to experience that freedom caged inside an unhealthy body?

10. How To Uncover Your Values (And Why You’d Want To) from Tamarisk Saunders-Davies.

11. Affluenza, a documentary from PBS. An oldie, but a goody.

12. Top Documentary Films. Watch documentaries online for free, (this is where I originally found Affluenza, which I first saw 15 years ago).

13. Sun Jar, a solar powered garden light. I have always wanted one of these, was reminded of them the other day. This company has some other really cool stuff, so take a look around.

14. Thoughts On Feeling Shiny Again, a really great post from Holly on decor8.

15. Five Practices to Stay Grounded During a Busy Season from Scoutie Girl. Just looking at this list makes me feel better.

16. This quote from La Rochefoucauld, “A man who finds no satisfaction in himself will seek for it in vain elsewhere.” Ain’t that the truth…

17. Get the World’s Simplest Minimalism Formula from Live Collar Free. “A simple ‘program’ for getting rid of a lifetime of collected and gathered belongings,” just what I need.

Reverb12: Day Two

2 Replies

reverb12Again, I am answering many prompts, from the various Reverb lists. I might not be able to keep that up, but for now I’m having such a good time, having so much fun with the process–answering all the prompts!

Limits

The full prompt is: “We often learn our limits the hard way. Were there any limits you realized this past year? Alternately, what self-imposed limits were you able to move beyond this year? (Author: Carolyn Rubenstein).”

I definitely felt limited by time and energy. This is an ongoing, lingering issue. I try to be really smart about what I commit to, what I say yes to–it has to be “hell yeah” or I say no. I work to to stay away from energy vampires, time monsters and shadow comforts. I have to keep a close eye on my physical limitations, my energy level and available strength, my body’s capacity for whatever activity it might be.

The self-imposed limits, (besides the ones that are setting reasonable restrictions intended to protect my health and wellbeing), are my beliefs about what is possible, what I’m capable of, my worth and my value. I spent so much time waiting for permission to participate, thinking that the gatekeepers would let me in eventually, that the party planners would send me my invite, that I’d finally earn my certification, my entry into the guild, that the project, my thing, would fall out of the sky fully formed. Then I realized, if I wanted something to happen, I needed to stop waiting and happen.

Help

The full prompt is: Asking for help can be the hardest thing we ever do. When and how did you ask for help? Alternatively, did someone ask you for help, and how did it play out for you?

This year, I realized that one of my superpowers is generosity, I love to help, want nothing more than to ease suffering in the world. With organizations like Kickstarter, Kiva, and Charity:Water (my birthday campaign runs for 28 more days, if you have any interest in helping me raise some money–100% of your donation directly funds clean water projects in developing nations), it was even easier to find ways to help those who needed it. I gave my cousin the $100 I got at the World Domination Summit to help her fund charity work she hopes to do in the near future, I helped John F. Ptak get the cancer surgery he needed, I regularly give to my local dog rescue and meditation center, and I helped save our local independent theater. In return for that last donation, I got to make a slide that is currently playing while people sit and wait for their movie to start.

lyricslidefinal

Writing

The full prompt is: What piece of writing are you most proud of from 2012? How does this piece differ from your other pieces?

This blog, for sure, is the writing I am most proud of from this past year. The fact that I kept at it, that I have continued to show up, have been open and authentic in my posts, that there are kind and gentle souls reading, sharing and connecting with me. I have loved everything about it. The other writing I’ve done that I feel especially good about has the same quality, of being wild and real and on purpose, not fake, not trying to get you to like me, but telling the truth–beautiful and brutal, tender and terrible.

Two Final prompts so related, they had to be combined for one single answer

Part one: What was your most significant expenditure in 2012? It doesn’t have to be necessarily the biggest expenditure, just the one with the most impact. What difference has it made to your life?

Part two: What was the most memorable gathering you attended (or held) in 2012?

Answer for both: World Domination Summit. It cost me a lot of money–plane ticket, summit admission, car and hotel room rental, food. It was expensive, more than I would normally spend on myself, but it was so worth it. I met so many amazing people, some I already knew but had never met in person, some I didn’t even know existed until I met them there. I was inspired, overwhelmed, gobsmacked. I have stayed connected with many of them. Just this morning on Skype, I had the most heartwarming, encouraging, spontaneous, fun conversation with someone I met at WDS, felt an instant connection to (seriously, it was one of those moments where you meet a complete stranger and think “there you are, I’ve been looking for you”). I continue to do good work, to plan great work, to make a difference because of the spark of that event, that experience.