Think Write Thursday | Thoughts at Mid-Year.

this morning's journal time

This week’s Think Write Thursday topic is to “consider what it means to be at the halfway point of the year. Did you state some intentions for 2017? If so, check in on them and give us an update. If you didn’t state any intentions then maybe you could tell us what you think so far about 2017 or perhaps you’d like to set some intentions for the second half of the year. Whatever you decide, however you approach this topic, regale us with your words!”

I did state intentions for 2017 - way back on January 5, which honestly seems like a lot longer than just five months ago:

more gratitude. 

more mindfulness. 

more exploring. 

more curiosity. 

more connecting. 

more yoga. 

more prayer. 

more letting (it) go. 

less busy. 

less worry. 

... more light.

When I sat down this morning to prepare to write this post, I made a list of those intentions, leaving a little blank space after each. My plan was to go back and jot a few notes next to each one and then see what sort of story all that told. I didn't make it very far. 

First, when I got to yoga, I crossed that out and wrote "pilates". and then a big smiley face and a check mark. Since I started the 21 Days of Pilates challenge on March 6, I joined Robin's Balanced Life Sisterhood and quit the YMCA (and my twice-weekly yoga routine). For the past three months, I've averaged about four pilates workouts a week and I am loving it. Now I just need to keep doing it. The good thing is that I can see the results, especially in the sleeveless tops and dresses I love to wear in the summer. 

When I got to the end of the list, what really hit me was the changes - big and little - that have happened since that early January list. Some I've already shared here, but not all:

1. Back in December, Marc started walking 3-1/2 miles at 6:00 am M-F. He invited me to join him in early January and that shared time has become - at least for me - one of my favorite parts of the day. I absolutely love watching the morning dawn over the lake, having almost an hour of uninterrupted time to talk and getting a nice head-start on the day's exercise.

2. Marc left his old job at the end of January, sort of took a month off and officially started a new job March 1. I knew the old job was stressful, but it wasn't until he started the new job - and would somedays leave the house and come home with a smile on his face - that I realized how awful it had become. It's almost like there was a little black cloud hanging over him and us ... and now it's gone.

3. I started daily stitching.

4. Marc gave me an Apple Watch for Valentine's Day. I had to give up my focus on steps (I got my first FitBit in 2013) and start thinking about simply moving. It wasn't an easy transition, but now - four months in - I'm completely on board. I'm also even more of a fan (I'm sure my mom is now rolling her eyes and wondering how that could possibly be) of the Apple devices and how well they play together. 

5. Charlie & Sam (and their parents) moved. I gave up my day a week with each of them. 

6. A few days after they settled their moving plans, I was asked to take on a three-year commitment to lead the women's ministry at our church. I said yes. The leadership role is shared among three women, with the "lead" lead role happening in the second year. My first year officially started last month. So far so good.

7. I decided to participate in #the100dayproject, with a focus on "finding light" through a daily photo. The daily photo habit is not new, but "finding light", taking a photo and sharing it on Instagram ... has some days been a challenge. But oh my goodness it's been worth it and I cannot wait to see all 100 days together. (and to not share a photo on Instagram come July 13!)

8. I quit teaching. My last class was the one Betty attended back in April. I felt, for a lot of different reasons, that the time was right, but mostly I wanted more flexibility to spend time with the boys. I realized in early June that a month had passed and I hadn't thought about it, let alone missed it. I'm still knitting (maybe more now than before?) but I'm not spending as much money on yarn/patterns and I'm certainly not spending as much time on Ravelry. I did miss the fellowship and inspiration; turns out most of my "in real life" friends are former students or LYS employees. This past Monday afternoon, a few of us met up at my house for knitting and I'm hopeful we'll become an actual "group". 

9. I renewed my interest in photography.

10. and started exploring Atlanta (with a toddler).

Katie asked me "what's new?" yesterday and I replied "not much". I don't think I'd have that same answer today! 

The cumulative impact of all these changes on my daily routine - and my life in general - has been huge ... and overall positive. Without taking much specific action on any one of those intentions (save the yoga pilates), I'm seeing progress on all of them.

I'm looking forward to seeing where all this takes me and my family over the rest of this year. My mom is planning to move in September and that will be a huge change, too - hopefully all positive (once the moving bumps are out of the way)!

Also looking forward to being "regaled by your words!" (linking up with Carole and Kat)

More and Less | March 2017.

Instead of sharing little updates about all of my intentions, this month I'm going to dive deep into just one. In last month's recap, I mentioned a "new practice" around mindfulness.

With a huge debt of gratitude to Kat (first her beautiful inspiration and then a chain of emails full of great advice!), I started daily stitching in February.

My "plan" when I started last month (and wow, was February 1 really only 57 days ago?!) was a monthly journal. I cut a piece of linen, acquired a dozen or so balls of size 8 perle cotton and dove in.

February 6

It took less than a week ... and I stalled out. I saw the first daffodil blooms, but had no yellow thread. and I stressed about the stitches (I did some crewel embroidery as a teenager, but that was eons ago!) to use. It wasn't very mindful!

I'd just started reading Marianne Williamson's A Year in Miracles; I decided to focus on a few lines from each devotion and simple running stitches. It worked. I enjoyed the creativity of choosing a thread and deciding where to place the stitches. But after that, my mind was free to meditate on the words.

February 28

For March, I simplified my approach even more. I limited the number of colors and planned to use only straight stitches, horizontal and vertical lines. The simpler approach and rhythm of the stitching was exactly what my mind needed...

March 4

... until I started struggling with the devotions. And the simplest solution of all presented itself. I'm using this stitching time for prayer.

today

Of all the daily habits I've attempted, this one has been the easiest. I look forward to the time and whereas I couldn't always "find" 15 minutes for yoga, I've had no trouble finding it to stitch! I like, too, that I'm making something with those minutes (and it's not knitting). I haven't decided what I'll do - if anything? - with the finished pieces. I'm thinking I might stretch them over a canvas board (the pieces are about 7"x9" so would fit nicely over an 8x10). or maybe I'll wait until the end of the year and do something with them all together. Welcome your ideas!

March 29

More and Less | February 2017.

from Sunday's morning walk

Continuing with the more/less framework I began last month, here's a look at right now in my world.

more gratitude. enjoying Michelle GD's monthly notes, blog and Instagram feed. her #tinytinymoments posts remind me that gratitude doesn't have to be hard.

more mindfulness. I'm 27 days into a new practice that I'm almost ready to share with y'all.

more exploring. following links one morning last week, I landed on a free 21-day pilates trial. part exploring, part curiosity and perhaps part yoga ... I'm looking forward to it!

more connecting. I did a pretty decent job of daily letters this month and have been especially delighted with the letters that have arrived in my own mailbox. Kat has me curious about exploring better tools for letter writing!

more curiosity. pilates and pens ... and I can't wait to see what Ali has in store for us in March.

more yoga. I haven't managed "daily" this month, but I am ready to say it's back to being a habit. I've noticed a real difference in the quality of my sleep when I do a 20-minute "evening" routine just before bed.

more prayer. this is going to be a focus of mine during Lent. Forty days (plus Sundays) seems like the perfect timeframe to explore a new approach.

more letting (it) go. on the "stuff" side, I'm almost ready to commit to a wardrobe pare down (have any of y'all tried something like this? I am not considering 33 things, but even 50 would be a big stretch for me ... and I'm pretty sure "just-finished" knitwear and shoes would not be counted ... like I said, I'll be taking baby steps!) at the very least, I need to spend some tough time with my dresser and closet. maybe I'll finally make time to read Marie Kondo's book.

less busy. I haven't given this much thought lately, but this week, all my regular activities resume; need to see how it goes...

less worry. I've whittled down my news to just a two morning newsletters; that's helping. I also added the Washington Post's Optimist for a weekly dose of good news.

And with that, I'm ready to turn the page on a new month. Longer days and more of them seems like just what I need right now. How about you?

More and Less | January 2017.

from Saturday's morning walk

I'm taking a different approach to Currents this year.  Instead of documenting what's going on with a list of -ing words, I'm going to frame the update with my intentions for 2017. Hopefully making that a monthly practice will help me keep those More/Less ideas top of mind ... and get back to a habit of Currents posts.

more gratitude. This has been a challenge. There are still lots of good things in my life, but I'm getting bogged down by the not-so-good. I need to practice being grateful for all the things.

more mindfulness. With a huge thank you to Kat for the recommendation, I ordered Slow Stitch. I've been savoring the words and photos.

more exploring. Thanks to Krista Tippett's interview (recently re-run) with Maria Popova, I subscribed to the Brain Pickings newsletter. I've wandered down a few paths on the site and enjoyed every single thing I've found. This article about Mary Oliver is one of my favorite finds.

more curiosity. One of the Read Harder Challenges is an LGBTQ romance. I'm reading Month of Sundays, my very first lesbian romance (because curious).

more connecting. I'm on track to publish 20 blog posts this month - woohoo! that's almost every weekday. And I've made real progress in real life - Marc and I are walking together a few times a week and I've started a regular Monday afternoon knitting date with a girlfriend; there's also knitting class on Wednesday afternoons, wine & knitting with my sister on Wednesday evenings, and small group on Friday mornings. With the little boys on Tuesday and Thursday (and a built-in opportunity to see their mama) and regular calls with my mom and Sara, I'm feeling about as connected as ever. (see less busy below.)

more yoga. I recommitted to the "daily yoga" habit on January 1. It helped that the Y added a second Yin class on Mondays and I'm back to using Yoga Studio. 23 days so far ... and I'm almost ready to say it's a habit again.

more prayer. A work in progress. (see less worry below.)

more letting (it) go. I packed up two boxes of "stuff" to donate (I'm not sure that really counts because it was mostly to make room for the three boxes of stuff I brought back from Mother's).

less busy. My calendar seems awfully full (for someone with no day job), but I don't feel busy. I wonder how that might change when Sam starts coming on Thursdays (this week!)

less worry. I'm paying more attention to current events now than ... maybe ever. There is so much going on that's scary and uncertain, but being informed and taking action (even little things) is helping. I'm glad I included this intention this year. Keeping it top of mind is helpful, too.

And whew - this month has flown by. Connecting with y'all continues to be a highlight of my day(s). Thank you!

As I start planning for February, I welcome any and all suggestions, especially for exploring and curiosity. Podcasts, books, websites?

Welcome 2017 | Light.

I didn't intend to choose a word for 2017. In fact, I was determined not to, because I didn't want to set myself up for another year to be disappointed about not following through.

But right before Christmas, I started to feel the word light tapping on my shoulder and suggesting - ever so sweetly - that it might be a good choice. I kept seeing light pop up in things I was reading (my Advent devotion has been a collection of readings titled Watch for the Light) and seeing online.

First, Brian Andreas published Your Light:

Let me say this clearly because it is time to remember. You are always the light you see by and if it is dark in the places you look it is only because you still pretend the light will have to come from someone else.

Then I saw this quotation

It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

And finally this one, from Brené Brown (I’ve just started reading Daring Greatly with my small group and she's my new favorite author)

Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy - the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light. 

Light and Dark. It’s an interesting metaphor given what’s happening in our country and around the world right now. I love the idea that I might be able to eliminate some of the darkness … even if it’s just for me and my immediate family and friends.

Then Christmas Day a few things happened that threatened to steal my joy in the day. When I mentioned them to Sara, she told me to Lighten Up.

So much for a sweet tap on the shoulder, huh?! I decided to go with it and last week, I even signed up for Ali Edwards' class. I'm not planning to create a scrapbook this year, but I am committed to the process. Maybe it's a coincidence, but I don't think so - the years I worked through Ali's prompts were years my word made a real impact on me and my life. We'll see.

To really see where light might take me, I've spent the last week working on intentions.  Maybe it’s just where I am this year, but I really wanted this year’s intentions to be new. not just rehashing an idea I’d had before. It was challenging because I think the intentions I set for 2015 and 2016 were good -- I still keep them with me (literally - they are pasted into my 2017 planner) -- but not light.  I haven't made any tweaks to the list in over 24 hours; at this point, I'm ready to call it done!

more gratitude.

more mindfulness.

more exploring.

more curiosity.

more connecting.

more yoga.

more prayer.

more letting (it) go.

less busy.

less worry.

...

more light.

and with that, I'm ready to say Welcome 2017. Bring it on!

The TWT crew is writing about the new year today. Head on over to Carole's blog to see what everyone is sharing.