Whimsical Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Welcome to the first Whimsical Wednesday of the new year!  I've been hanging out on pinterest a lot lately, letting myself get inspired, and these are just a few of the images that have recently captured my attention.  As always, I'd love to know which is your favorite, and why it stood out to you.

Source: flickr.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: tumblr.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: myfotolog.tumblr.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: tumblr.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: londonmayhem.tumblr.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Daily 5 - Year 3, Day 136

Today's Daily 5:

1. a day with just the right balance of quiet and productivity
2. finding little ways to embrace the goals and dreams for this year of Still in my day to day choices
3. playing a bingo game on facebook
4. a little bit of chocolate
5. crawling into a bed with freshly washed sheets

Tuesday Anticipations, January 2, 2012

I'm out of "You Ask, I Answer" questions for the moment, and I was wracking my brain to think of something to blog about on Tuesdays.  So, for now, I'm going to blog about the things I'm anticipating in the week ahead.

I remain ever mindful of the lesson I learned (and continue to learn) from a guy named Stan.  A lesson about postponing joy.  In fact, when I find myself focusing too heavily on the idea that the only joy is that which is coming, I remind myself that I can choose to be present and find joy in the present moment.

That said, there is also a great joy in the anticipation of things that are special, that are unique to a day or a week, that hold the promise of love, and laughter and joy.  Those are the things I want to share with you in Tuesday Anticipations.

So... welcome to my first list of anticipations:

• I'm anticipating the thrill of completion of several necessary (and much procrastinated) errands and tasks
• I'm anticipating the orientation to my nursing program, with the quiet thrill that comes from a peace in the timing that this acceptance has played out in, and the joy of knowing that something I risked longing for has arrived.
• I'm anticipating the first house church gathering of the new year, and the chance to spend time praying for and with each other, and praying for guidance as we head into the new year.
• I'm anticipating the chance to spend time at the zoo with one of my oldest friends and her daughter.  People I love and a place I love - awesome!
• I'm anticipating the fun of shopping for textbooks and uniforms

They're mostly simple things, but they all hold the promise of joy, and that's what I want to share with you on Tuesdays for a while.

Daily 5 - Year 3, Day 135

Today's Daily 5:

1. Spotting the mountains in the distance
2. a productive morning
3. audio books
4. hugs and the chance to chat with some dear friends
5. sharing the joy of knowing that orientation for school is only days away, with friends who appreciate the fullness of the journey these past couple years
6. celebrating a special little girl's first birthday
7. time for reading on the bus
8. the thrill of knowing, even if it was only one day, that I consciously worked to make healthy food choices
9. a very warm day for January
10. a clear view of the moon walking home from the bus
11. paging through a magazine, reading, and clipping articles, words and images for future inspiration and projects
12. string cheese
13. a soft pillow
14. scheming, dreaming and planning for the year to come
15. little moments in which to celebrate independence and happiness

Still: Goals, Hopes and Dreams for 2012

Yesterday I shared that my One Word for 2012 is Still.

Today I want to share some of the ways that I'm hoping to flesh out that word in the year to come.  Some of the goals and dreams I have for 2012.

Physical

• Get back into a routine of yoga
• at least 30 minutes a day of physical activity - walking, yoga, situps, whatever - just make the time to move
• Continue to adapt my eating habits towards healthier choices
• Continue the habits that have improved health - vitamins, flossing, winding down for sleep at night, medications etc.
• Drink lots and lots of both tea and water

Emotional/Spiritual/Relational

• Continue to cultivate the friendships that have become important - the ones that are open, honest and like family
• Continue the practice of daily time in scripture by reading through the Bible in a year again
• Start the year by cultivating a more regular practice of listening prayer, using a 40 day devotional "Rivers from Eden" by Brad and Eden Jersak, then carry on a practice of daily prayer/meditation/listening, using in part "Common Prayer" by Shane Claiborne, and "Can You Hear Me?" by Brad Jersak
• Continue seeking help from professionals when needed (something that became invaluable in the last year)
• Cultivate deeper relationships with the people I gather with on Thursdays for House Church
• Study carefully and prayerfully to prepare for the times I lead and teach at House Church
• Consider the possibility of meeting with a spiritual director and/or taking further classes in spiritual development/theology
• Finish reading "Boundaries" by Cloud and Townsend
• Look for opportunities to widen my circle of friends and meet new people in a way that is comfortable for my introverted self

Mental/Educational/Creative

• Start the year by revisiting several books that have challenged me personally and creatively - "The Echo Within" by Robert Benson, "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott, "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" by Donald Miller
• Focus, discipline and excel wherever possible in my nursing studies.  I've been waiting a long time for this, and it's worth it to me to work hard at it.
• Find time to learn even little bits of a Spanish.  Even if it's just a word here and there.  There are apps on my phone to help with this if needed, and friends who are fluent who can teach.
• Find new authors to read, and read broadly, feeding the things that fascinate me, and opening myself up to new thoughts and ideas.  Read a minimum of a book a month, but aim for more.
• Time on pinterest - this has been a huge boost to stirring creativity within me over the last number of months, and that's a part of myself that I want to continue to cultivate.  This also plays into the mental, emotional, and spiritual parts of myself.  I feel alive when I'm creating with my hands - whether it's in the kitchen, sewing, crafting, or knitting.  There is a part of my soul that cries out for this, and I've discovered it in new ways, and want to help that part of my being come alive more fully.
• In that vein, craft something, anything, once a month at least, and continue to try out new recipes, aiming for a minimum of once a month.

Financial

• Continue to support various friends and ministries
• Continue to give to Kiva
• No new debt except student loans - live within my means (this means finding a job, and living simply)

Personal/Random

• Buy a pair of Toms (the third year in a row that this is on my list - maybe this will finally be the year for it?)
• Find a more suitable living situation
• Simplify - sort through belongings and pare down - less clutter, no holding on for "someday".  Balance beauty with usefulness and necessity.  I'm not hunting for a spartan lifestyle, just a simpler, even less consumer driven lifestyle.  This also means finding ways to reduce, reuse, recycle wherever possible.
• In the note of consuming less - hang more clothes to dry (my exceptions here are sheets and towels - I just like those softer and smelling pretty); recycle more - it's simple thanks to the blue bin program; I just have to be willing to go out of my way a bit.  Buy used when possible.  Reduce the clothing I buy, and consider the versatility of various pieces.

It seems like a crazy list when I look at it all written out like this.  And yet, the vast majority of these things fit with "Still" for me.  They are nearly all things that call me to a quieter, deeper, and fuller life, or are a continuation of habits and practices and passions that are already in play in my life.  They're not hard and fast rules for me.  In my mind and heart they're simply the fleshing out of the way the word Still came to me.  They're guidelines for living out the words that have already made themselves at home, and for welcoming Still to grow and shape me.  I'm looking forward with joy and anticipation and much hope and peace to seeing the way these things play out within me. I enter 2012 with more anticipation than any year in recent history, and I'm so excited to see where it goes!