A List of Days

January 1/2

Let's try this again: It's a year later, and I haven't written a thing. Turns out I think more about writing than actually doing it.

I think I had it right last year - 'in order to write something significant, I have to practise with the insignificant'. In fact, I now think I have to let go of the notion of significance completely, as it results in my being too judgemental, which in turn freezes me and results in nothing being written. So what I need to do, instead, is simply list the days; i.e. write about the daily stuff, something every day.

As is often the case, Lynda Monk's writings inspire me. Here are Lynda's writing prompts  from her latest newsletter:

As always, here are your reflective journaling prompts: How will you make your mark this year? How will deeper meaning become part of your lived experience? How will you care for yourself and your health in ways that sustain and nourish you? When you look ahead in your life one year from today, what do you see? Where are you? Who are you with? How do you feel? What’s new? What’s the same? What are you really excited about?

The easiest one for me to tackle refers to self-care and health, because that is what I am concentrating on. While I have some relationship issues that I am not dealing with at the moment, I am working on stopping my bad eating habits and substituting good ones, and I have committed to beginning to exercise regularly again, something that I let slide completely upon my return from my European holiday. I walked lots and lots in France, Italy, and England, then came home and did nothing. So I have walked (minimum of 50 minutes) 4 times in the last 5 days, and I intend to keep that up. As well, I still have a membership card for the local rec centre, so I intend to get back into the exercise program my trainer set up for me last summer - weights and machines and cardio.

I find the idea of thinking about the future a challenging one, especially in a relationship, since being in a relationship means  that one does not have complete control over the future in the sense that where one is a year from now requires input from both parties. I also suspect that many would read the above and say to hell with the relationship, one must do what one must do. I don't agree - I think compromise is part of being in a relationship. However, having said that, I do have a picture, albeit blurry, of this day, next year: I am fit and healthy, which means that I am not pudgy and that I have just finished exercising (probably a walk). I am living with JR in our own townhouse, which has a modern and zen-like feel to it. I am surrounded by visual reminders of the ones I love, and books, and music. I have a glass of cool viognier beside my computer, and I am reading the 330+ posts I have made in this blog. I am very pleased that I have spent 2012 writing, losing weight, increasing my physical fitness level, and learning....

What is this year-from-now Bee excited about?