If I could live anywhere I would live exactly where I live now. Well, maybe a few miles away in one direction or another, but basically in the same place. You see, I live here by choice. I already made the decision to put down my roots someplace other than where I was raised. It’s been over twenty years, so I’d say it was a good decision, but who knows if it will be forever.
I wanted to live someplace where there were opportunities for me to grow. When I finished grad school there were very few teaching jobs available in my hometown. It seemed that you really DID need to know someone doing the hiring, and I knew nobody. I applied to virtually every district in the western half of the state, often times for jobs that I really didn’t want in tiny isolated communities where I really didn’t want to live. Fortunately for me, although it didn’t feel like it at the time, I wasn’t offered any of those jobs.
The time was right for me to pick up stakes and go west. I wanted to live where there was sunshine and opportunity. I was tired of long, grey winters and too few rewarding jobs. LIke millions of people before me I saw a westward move as a chance to improve my life. There were bumps along the way, but overall it has been the right move for me. My extended family visits regularly and I go back east every year. The way I see it, I get the best of both worlds.
I love where I live and I don’t see a reason to leave in the near future, but somewhere down the road maybe life will hand me different circumstances. Then I might contemplate a new move. I might go back to my hometown, but I doubt it. I love to visit and there are people dear to me there, but I think I would try somewhere new. After all, I still don’t miss the snow.
Roughly three months ago I had my 47th birthday and decided to give myself some challenges for my 47th year. Some of them are coming along quite nicely, and others have yet to begin. Here’s a quick overview of how things are going for two reasons. First of all, there’s accountability. If I announce what I’m doing (or not doing) I’m more likely to progress toward my goals. Secondly, I want to give myself a push in the right direction. I have to revisit the goals to get them fresh in my mind again. Hopefully this won’t sting too much. I’ve included several links to posts that address particular goals, so feel free to poke around and read some.
1. Get at least one piece of writing published, in print, not via internet-not yet, but I am published in an online magazine, so it’s a start
2. Commit to eating home cooked meals at least four times a week (eMeals is helping with this one, check them out!)– sometimes yes, often no
3. Leave the house in plenty of time to not rush everymorning– this one has been going really great
4. Read 47 books –I’m only at nine (not including books I read to my students), but I’m off this week, so that number should go up! Check the facebook page for my reads.
5. Start a writing group –yes, but not the way I originally thought. I’m doing a writing group with kids. I also belong to a group, so starting a new one right now doesn’t seem to make sense.
6. Reconnect with old friends –I’m attending my college reunion next week, and there’s already talk a a high school reunion for next year. That conversation has gotten me back in touch with some friends from long ago.
7. Take my meds everyday until I no longer need them– Check! I finally figured out a method that works for me and never miss them now.
8. Use the treadmill at least once a week (hey, you have to start somewhere!)– honestly, no. More than before, but still not once a week.
9. Try Zumba (even though I have two leftfeet)– not yet
10. Finish the charity quilt on my sewing table-mortified to admit, but also not yet
11. Finish one UFO (unfinished object) per month (this would mostly bequilts)– uh, no
12. Eat more fruit– yes! I more or less like fruit now and have some almost every day.
13. Eat more vegetables –doing ok on this one, could do much better
14. Drink lesssoda-I was but now I’m not. Time to refocus on this one.
15. Teach my son to drive(eeeeeeek!)-not yet
16. Take the dog to the dog park at least once a week– not yet ( it’s been too flipping HOT)
17. Finish the office to make it a nice place to work (clear out clutter and organize)– and again, not yet (I’m seeing a pattern, gulp)
18. Donate unused items (just dropped off a bunch of items today but there’s more to get rid of) – this is ongoing but we could use another round
19. Leave work at a reasonable hour each day– most of the time I do
20. Limit pinterest addiction (it’s embarrassing, really)– I rarely go on Pinterest unless I’m looking for something specific. I don’t surf it though.
21. Keep on blogging! At least once a week share thoughts, ideas, challenges, triumphs, etc through this forum– YES!
22. Learn how to be a better blogger (and a more widely read blogger)– learning slowly but surely
23. Learn to box, really, I want pink boxing gloves and something to hit –I’ve started
24. Try to improve sleep habits –working on this one
25. Save up for a really cool family vacation-working on this one
26. Try to listen to my teenager better instead of just talking at him– this one is so so so hard
27. Talk to mom more– a couple of times a week
28. Discover more of my state (there are tons of hidden treasures I’ve never seen-not yet
29. Take more photos on my actual camera instead of my phone– working on this one
30. Learn some new aspects of the job I’ve been doing for a long time– working on this one too
31. Figure out some additional ways to get income into the household– I have two additional income opportunities I didn’t have three months ago, and the possibility of a third one
32. Take better care of my car (it has over 100,000 miles and it has to last!) – I did make it wait a while for its last oil change…
35. Surprise my sweetheart with a weekend away – not yet
36. Girls only day trip- probably in November
37. Climb that stupid mountain- haven’t even tried yet
38. Read magazines, then recycle (so hard to part with some of them, and no, I’m NOT a hoarder)- zero progress on this one (maybe I do have a few hoarder tendencies)
39. Push my limits in all ways –I could do better
40. Don’t forget to be kind, to myself and others – most of the time, yes
41. Look good in THOSE jeans again – not yet
42. Give myself a reason to replace my sneakers at this time next year – I better put some more miles on them
43. Sing even if I’m not great at it – yes, but mainly when nobody but the dog is around
44. Do more with less – doing pretty well with this
45. Get things done right away when possible-I suck at this, but I have been paying bills early
46. Have fun – I do
47. Enjoy life – ditto
Well, clearly I have some work to do, but on the flip side I’ve made a lot of positive strides in the past three months. I’m not disappointed by what I’ve learned through this little exercise. I know that these are achievable goals, and given a positive attitude and determination, I’m sure the next check in will show even more progress toward completing them.
Beauty surrounds us, yet it seldom stops us. When we allow ourselves the luxury of slowing down we begin to see real beauty everywhere. A perfectly shaped pear is beautiful. A baby’s laugh is beautiful. The hum of a meticulously restored vintage car engine is beautiful. We need only take time to filter out the junk in our world to notice. Too often, though, we don’t have that ability or even the predisposition to try. We are preoccupied with the nuts and bolts of daily living, and the thought of purposefully seeking out beauty seems like a waste of precious time. Time that could be spent grocery shopping, doing laundry, or playing Candy Crush Saga.
At one particularly low period in my life I made it a point to seek out at least one thing each day that made me smile. I would then text these observations to a dear (and patient) friend. Finding the smile each day was meaningful, but sharing it strengthened my connection to the world at large. I remember the man with the giant blue tattoo over half of his face and the woman with turquoise hair pedaling her retro bike down the street. Those may not have been images of beauty in a traditional sense, but they gave me pause, and ultimately I was glad that I had seen them and shared them.
Unlike those everyday experiences, sometimes beauty hits us over the head. It is so powerful that it stops us in our tracks and causes everything else to melt away. Sitting in a symphony hall you can be immediately removed from the hundreds of other patrons, left alone with the piece of music washing over your soul. In the sight of a magnificent sunset the rush of the day fades and you are left feeling serene. Gazing at the work of a master painter you are taken to another level of awareness, lost in the interplay of light and dark, line and form, symbol and message.
These works that transfix you operate within you on a deeply satisfying level. You are happy to be lost in them. Your life pauses as you allow yourself to be moved. Rarely do you analyze these experiences as they happen, you simply live in them and allow yourself to just BE. After that moment has faded, the piece has ended, the sun has set, you may revisit it and ask why it was so powerful. What about that arrangement made it so haunting? How did the artist manage to capture that light? There’s nothing wrong with this analysis. In fact, if we seek to create beauty imitation is a logical place to begin.However, when you first experience true heart stopping beauty, your mind rests and your heart fills, and your soul can’t help but feel at peace.
It’s been over twenty years, so I’d say it was a good decision, but who knows if it will be forever.
The time was right for me to pick up stakes and go west. I wanted to live where there was sunshine and opportunity. I was tired of long, grey winters and too few rewarding jobs. LIke millions of people before me I saw a westward move as a chance to improve my life. There were bumps along the way, but overall it has been the right move for me. My extended family visits regularly and I go back east every year. The way I see it, I get the best of both worlds.
BulgingButtons 