At some point in the last year, the user interface of my blogging platform changed. It took me way too long to log in for my annual update. Perhaps that’s a good sign that it’s time to make a change (see one of my responses below)…
How are you spending your birthday?
I spent my birthday (it was a couple day ago) at a family reunion in southern Utah. We’re so lucky to still have my dad’s parents around, and the nearly 100 aunts, uncles, and cousins got together to see each other & celebrate grandma & grandpa. It was…overwhelming. And hot. And also surprisingly lovely to catch up with people.
Plus David brought some gifts for me to unwrap and my brother made us French toast for breakfast. Not a bad day.
Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Happier, fatter, and about the same.
What did you do last year that you’ve never done before?
I truly cannot think of anything. Not that there weren’t a lot of small things…probably…but nothing comes to mind.
What was your favorite discovery last year?
Our leather couch. I found it at the Restoration Hardward Outlet & it is one of my favorite pieces of furniture that I’ve ever owned.
What do you hope to learn this coming year?
How to paint portraits. Not necessarily of specific people or even particularly realistic portraits, but I want to play with human anatomy in my art.
What would you like to have this year that you didn’t have last year?
A printer (mine or someone else’s) to make giclee prints of my paintings, and a website to sell them. I hope to transition this site in that direction soon, actually. The blog itself will probably still exist, just as a side quest from the main event, which will be my artwork. Some older posts will be archived, and maybe I’ll share snippets from my email newsletter to keep the blog more current.
Details are still TBD, obviously. It just seems obvious to use the domain I have in a different way, rather than starting from scratch.
What was your biggest achievement of this year?
Identifying the cause of some of my ongoing health issues. It has been such a pain–literally & metaphorically–to sort my body out. I finally have some answers & some prescriptions & some things I can do going forward. There are still things to deal with, but I’m sleeping better & not fighting migraines, and that makes everything else easier.
What was your biggest failure?
Helping my children keep in touch with their friends from our old neighborhood. They’ve made some great ones here, but I do feel bad that I didn’t make more of an effort to maintain some of those already established relationships.
Where did you travel this year?
We took a short road trip to Canyon de Chelly for the annular eclipse last fall, and just got back from another short troad trip to St. George. That’s about it. Which, now that I think about it, is kind of a bummer.
Do you have a destination in mind for next year?
In the fall we’ll go to Washington DC for a 13-year-old’s belated birthday trip. In the spring, probably southern California. Other than that, there are no plans.
What did you get really excited about?
Painting! Flowers & cacti & technicolor citrus slices! It has been such a joy!
What do you wish you’d done more of?
Getting out of the house for small adventures.
What do you wish you’d done less of?
Overthinking things.
What was the best book you read?
Some fiction favorites: Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (forever a favorite author), and When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill.
Some nonfiction favorites: This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You by Susan Rogers, You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith, and How to Walk Into a Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away by Emily P. Freeman.
What did you want and get?
Better sleep & a better handle on my mental health.
What did you want and not get?
Less time in the car shuttling kids to activities.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A schedule with a little more flexibility built in. We had some tight evening turnarounds last school year, and it’s hard to feel content when you don’t feel like you have any wiggle room.
Maybe what I would’ve liked is a generally broader sense of abundance: with time, with finances, with mental capacity, etc.
What kept you sane?
Friday planning, our family Sunday schedule huddle, and all my many calendars & lists.
What political issue stirred you the most?
Reproductive rights.
Abortion should be safe and legal. IVF should not be a controversial procedure. Birth control should be widely available. Parental leave should not be a rare privilege. The maternal mortality rate in the US should be significantly lower. Unimplanted embryos should not have more rights than fully grown human women. Healthcare professionals should listen to & believe & help pregnant people when they have concerns. Women who need care should not have to prove their lives are in danger in order to receive it. Men in politics who know nothing about female reproductive anatomy should mind their own business.
I have big feelings about it all.
Did you fall in love?
No.
Who did you miss?
My brother & his family. We were supposed to visit them in April & couldn’t, and I’m still sad about it.
Did you learn a valuable life lesson this year?
Curiosity is the antidote to a lot of problems. The more open & curious I am, the easier it is to love others, learn more, and feel peace. Even when I disagree strongly with people. Even when I think I’ve got the answers already. Even when life is busy & the world is overwhelming. The more I practice being curious, the more ease I feel.
Leave a Reply