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This Phoenix Speaks

Seven years in the making, my first published book, This Phoenix Speaks , is now a reality. The tireless and tiring work invested to ma...

50 Things by 50: 2 Months Out Check-in



I did a progress report in October, and here is my 2 months until the big 5-0 report. 

I have accomplished all but the following goals: 

3. Publish a poetry only book. 

    This has not happened even in my imagination. I am unsure if it will. Cross your fingers for me, and please send comments demanding I get it up for sale in time for Valentine's Day (or sooner!).  

10. Go on a girls trip. 

    I have not done this yet. I hope to accomplish it in January. 

11. Go on a sibling(s) trip. 

    I have not done this yet either, but I am happy to report that one is in the works—in February. Let us all cross our fingers it works out, so I can cross this off the list. 

13. Visit a lake.  

     I almost did this but had to cancel. Not sure when/if it will happen.

15. Write letters/emails to 50 women who have been inspirational to me. 

    I have now written thirty-three letters of fifty…I need to still get writing. 

16. Find something meaningful to do for others in honor of each of my parents' birthdays. 

    I made my mom's homemade bread in honor of my mom's birthday, and I am not sure what will happen for my dad, but I am hoping to do something special soon within December as a tribute. 

17. Break the habit of worrying about things I cannot change. 

    Progress is being made. I think I will never be completely rid of the practice, as it is very human of me, but I am thankful to have taken time to become mindful of when it is happening and learn how to stop doing it. 

18. Give away ALL clothes that do not fit anymore. 

    Round one of the purge happened in the summer, but I STILL need to go through things one last time before February hits.  

20. Complete the revisions on my will. 

    Still needs to happen. 

21. Revise and renew life insurance. 

    Still needs to happen. 

23. Create an exercise plan to do for a minimum of ten weeks in a row to create healthier habits. 

    If we count physical therapy after my Boston injury, I've got it down. But if we aren't counting that, I might need to start this around Thanksgiving and/or Christmas breaks.

24. Go on a picnic. 

    Still has not happened, and it will have to be a wintertime picnic to make it happen. haha.  

26. Try a new exercise class, and stick with it at least five times. 

    I plan to try to do this over Christmas break. 

27. Organize a neighborhood cleanup. 

    After the injury, it has been weird and difficult to do stuff, so I am unsure if this will happen in time. If it does not, I will organize one in the spring once I feel more able. 

28. Complete or give/throw away all unfinished craft projects. 

    I still need to finish one project, so we will see! 

30. Watch the sun rise. 

    Still needs to happen...

33. Play at least one round of golf (probably go to the driving range a couple of times first). 

  If I can just go to a driving range a few times, I will count it since it is now wintertime.

36. Attend a city council meeting. 

    I have not done this yet. I want to make this happen after Christmas. 

37. Make a better habit of taking walks around the neighborhood/walking to church. 

    With my injury, this is a fool's errand for now, but I have been doing extra walking on my good days to meet this.  

38. Eat a sausage roll (going to York to do so is recommended but optional). 

    I need to do this still! 

42. Go dancing. 

    I will probably have to count dancing at my birthday party, but maybe I can try something better by then.   

46. Brush up on Spanish. 

    Has not happened. Still unsure if it will.  

49. Decide on a top 50 films list. 

    This is done, but I decided to do 100 films (50x2), and I will publish it on here ASAP. 

50. I decided on what to do, have been organizing it, and will send out invitations soon. 

Gratitude: Memories

 


Not all memories are good ones, but today, I am thankful for every good memory I have from the past, the present day, and for the hope of good ones ahead. When I was a teenager, my mother wrote me a note since she could not be there to help me get ready for my first homecoming dance, and she said, "I hope there have been enough good times to outweigh the bad," and that sentiment has stuck with me ever since. I did not appreciate it fully at the time, but as the years without her add up, I hold to that wish of hers as a promise that good memories will always outweigh the bad. I have seen it happen. I have learned to let go of the bad and focus on all the good that comes my way, and I am just so grateful to have the chance each day to try to outweigh the bad with all the good that we keep on striving for. I am so grateful for the memories I have made this month alone with focusing on gratitude and introducing another set of students to this mindfulness project that is truly life changing and wonderful. I hope you, Reader, have enjoyed the read and have tried to find something to be thankful for each day as well. Until next time...

Gratitude: Christmas Lights

 


I am sure it began when I was a small child, sitting in front of the Christmas tree with its lights all aglow, wishing for good things to come. So now, when I have my Christmas tree up, I will plug in the lights in the early morning and at nighttime and sit gazing on the soft light and reflect and wish and hope. Gratitude runs deep for the comfort and joy I have in Christ, and the Christmas lights remind me of all that He made possible for me and all of us. Christmas lights remind me of the birth of Jesus Christ but also the light of hope I have for being with my family in heaven and throughout eternity. And I am so very grateful for every reminder, especially Christmas lights today, that keep me hopeful for good things to come. 

Gratitude: The Pilgrims


 I come from a long line of immigrants to this land we call America, and I am grateful for each one of them who took their life into their hands and tried this American Experiment. I can trace ancestors from the 1600s who came as early settlers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and elsewhere, and it gives me a sense of ownership of my destiny as an American knowing that my long line of American-minded family members sacrificed to make a new and different life for themselves and their posterity. I am thankful for all of the good, determined, faithful folks who did strive and fight for a better way. Whether my direct ancestors or otherwise, I know it takes community to survive in unsettled wilderness, and I am grateful for what they did to pave the way for my freedom and comfort. I am so blessed by their efforts and even their lives. 

Gratitude: Visitors

 


Especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas, visiting and being visited are a thing, and I am here for it. I love it. In recent years, I have not been as able to go visiting very far from home, but I have had family come to me, and I love it so much. One of my brothers who lives about 500 miles away will be coming to visit for early Thanksgiving, and I am so thankful that he would take time and money to come see me and my children. It means so much. I am grateful for the various vehicles that make all visiting possible too. Without the vehicles, we would be stuck like it used to be before modern transportation provided more freedom of movement. Vehicles and visitors go hand in hand, and I am thankful today for both.