life

Struggle versus Satisfaction – 100DayProject Day 15 – Card 8

100DayProject Day 15 – Card 8

I am already very late for bed and haven’t done a thing on my 100DayProject yet today. I didn’t even get to colour just one layer on the flowers that I will be using on Card 8. And tomorrow is looking pretty full as well. But fingers crossed I will make a bit of progress tomorrow.

Struggle versus Satisfaction

As I walked Luna in this morning, I pondered the sight and sounds that we can soak in when we walk in silence. I go through phases of listening to podcasts on my walk or not listening to anything. Lately I have been preferring the silence. This allows me to better appreciate the sounds and the sights of the forest as I walk: the crunch and squeaking of my boots on the snow and the ice, the variety of bird calls, the ducks moving about, likely trying to figure out their nesting sites, the jingle of Luna’s tags as she rolls around on the ground making snow angels. The surface is back to getting icy again. I was reminded how the pressure of our footsteps can transform a grippy snowy surface into a slippery, icy surface, especially when there is the addition of warmer temperatures and/or bright sunshine. I thought of how beautiful diamonds are created only from being under tremendous pressure. Which led me to thinking about the pressure I’m feeling because I don’t yet have my kits together.

I am struggling a bit with being side-tracked rather than staying focused. I’m working (or not) through the struggle of reestablishing habits, sometimes sticking with the habit and sometimes skipping a day (or more). I’m reminded of a saying I recently heard about it being easy to do hard things but hard to do easy things. Why is that? Perhaps its because we get more satisfaction from the struggle of doing hard things that we get from doing easy things.

So, I’m recommitting myself to my habits. I’m recommitting myself to the struggle of getting my kits ready and delivered today. So, enough writing, it’s time to tackle today’s tasks.

Now a few words at 10:45 p.m. just before I post this: Phew, I did finish the card kits. Now I just have to get them delivered tomorrow so my Creative Cards and Crafts program participants will have their kits in time for Tuesday morning’s 10:30 online class. My one participant who is in the UK will get her kits late as usual. I need to get them packaged up into an envelope and dropped off at the post office.

I am feeling quite happy and satisfied that I completed the task after quite a bit of struggle (and a lot of time!). It is so nice that they’ll have the supplies they need for 5 upcoming classes. That just leaves 6 more classes that need to be prepared before I take July and August off. Hopefully I can have all 6 kits created and ready to deliver by Monday 5 May. And, more importantly, I know that on Tuesday morning when I am leading the class, I will feel even more satisfaction that I always take the time to make and deliver the kits. Because we always have such a fun time connecting while we create.

I don’t yet have anything figured out for tomorrow afternoon’s in-person Card Crew session which starts at 1:00, but I’ll figure that out tomorrow morning after Pickleball.

And it’s now 11:45 and I’m still up. But, I did get an email off to the program coordinators at the Dementia Society to let them know of the classes that I’ll need to reschedule since I’ll be away for a few weeks in May. Why does something that I feel should take 5-10 minutes take 50-60 minutes. Schedule and logistics changes always take me much longer than I’d like, that’s probably why I put them off – because I know they never take just a few minutes as I would hope.

Try It Tuesday

As I walked with our dog, Luna, in the forest this morning, I pondered the theme I wanted to carry through the day. I came up with Try it Tuesday. As I would have mentioned yesterday (had I written it down), with the Celebration of Life for my mom behind me, I should have more time to try to establish some of my long-neglected but very helpful habits. I should have more time to try to establish some new habits. I should have some time to try out some new things.

I recently had 3 friends over to help me make the gardenia notecards that everyone signed at mom’s Celebration of Life to put on the wreath (I do need to come up with a suitable way to reference that wreath, but that’ll be a task and a story for another day). Two of those friends had just retired and the third, ‘F’, was in semi-retirement, currently not working but looking for a job. She’s often bored which I found very interesting since, like me, she seems to have an overabundance of activities that she likes to do. So, as we passed the crafternoon together around the table finishing the beautiful gardenia cards, I kept nagging F for her input in the list that I was creating for her which I entitled, ‘Boredom Busters’ with a subtitle of ‘thing that I’m going to help F try out.’ I categorized her input into 3 columns: for sure, maybe, unlikely. These were columns for whether I’ll be willing (or able) to help her out. I know that F is willing and able and will bust through all the things on her ‘Boredom Busters’ list. Some are big things. Some are little things. Some things we can try right away, others will definitely have to sit on the back burner to accumlate the money, the fitness level and the courage to try.

I am so excited to be helping her out. Because, in reality, it is actually F that will be helping me out. It’s not surprising that I sometimes manouvered the converation to make sure that some of the things that I want to try were on her list.

So today is a Try it Tuesday. As of 4:00 (as I started writing this) I haven’t tried many new things out. But I am committed to keep trying.

Some of my trusty ‘on hold’ habits that I’m determined to try to get back onto ‘current habits’ list include: meditation, lots movement, learning Spanish, veggies with every meal, at least 100g protein daily, strength training.

Some of the new-to-me things that I want to try include learning some hip hop, learning to sing Happy Birthday and O Canada properly. I don’t think it’s on F’s list (yet?) but I’d like to try Tai Chi.

Some of the things that have long been on my personal wish list to try include: cycling Ptit Train du Nord trail, complete an Olympic-distance triathlon (1.5 km swim, 40 km bike and 10 km run).

Some of F’s Boredom Busters that are ‘maybes’ for me to try to help her with include climbing Kilimanjaro, cross-country skiing on Baffin Island, visiting Anapurna; and doing the Lake Louise Loppet. Of course if/when she tackles the ‘start a business’ item, that will move to my ‘for sure’ I’ll try help her list.

The one item on her list that’s under the ‘unlikely’ column for me is to try is to take a mountaineering course to learn how to traverse areas with crevasses using crampons, ice-axes and, hopefully, ropes. I have the good luck to still be here after a few days in my early twenties when I, very unwisely, explored a glacier near Chamonix without taking a mountaineering course. I did have crampons and an ice-axe. But no rope. I still marvel that the accident that was waiting to happen didn’t.

On my early morning walks (which I’m now 2 days back into reestablishing as a habit) I walk about 1 km in the forest to the bridge over a stream with a small waterfall. It is a nice spot to stop briefly to appreciate all the nature that is so nearby. I’m trying to make sure I don’t just take it for granted. On the way there I try to walk in silence and let my mind wander. On the way back home I try to listen to a short podcast, usually Radio Headspace. Today is the 2nd of a 10 episode series featuring Mel Robbins as the host. Today’s episode was entitled ‘Recognizing your Passion‘. I always love it when the podcast episode that I listen to lines up so well with the word/theme that I’ve picked for the day. She encouraged her listeners to think back to a time when we felt great and to try to list out what our lives looked like at that time.

Which brings me back to personal ‘things to re-try‘ list:

Writing 750 words each day this is a great website for that,

Regularly creating blog posts. I so love looking back on the pre-Instagram (2009 through 2014) regular blog posts that I created in which I posted a photo a day along with a few words about it. Maybe I’ll repost a few on as ‘Throwback Thursday’ posts on this blog.

Swimming at least once a week. I don’t love getting into the pool but I sure love how I feel when I get out.

Creating cards just for the fun of it. And to regularly send them to my friends.

I’m committing to trying at least some (but not, all) of these things. How about you? What are you committed to trying?

And by the way, the improved working (and maybe final) title for my mom’s wreath is “Alice’s Circle of Love”.

And, as of 4:30 I’ve written 750 words today.

And, I am about to publish a blog post. It will take me a wee bit longer since I have to add a photo and a few links.

And, yesterday I coordinated a regular swimming date (Thursday mornings at 8:00) with F and, hopefully, have roped in a few other friends.

Friends make life (and tackling our “to try’s”) so much easier. So go out and help your friends do hard things.