reverb10

This is one of my favorite Normal Rockwell paintings. We saw it in Hartford back in November.

Prompt: Lesson learned. What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward?
Author: Tara Weaver

It’d become a bad habit of mine, a way of passively dismissing my own perspective, of deferring to those around me, of withholding my own opinions; cowering to this brutal terror of being “wrong”.  I think I was so entrenched in that way of living I didn’t even see it any more; I was too close to the picture to see the whole thing. This year the best thing I learned about myself was that I don’t have to fall victim to that fear any longer. I discovered my own truth living bright and strong within me, and I finally started letting it out.

Now, in fairness I know plenty of people who would say that I don’t have any trouble voicing my opinions, and in many instances they’d be right. Politics, the environment, human rights, animal rights, the weather; these things when brought up in conversation have been known to elicit strong reactions from me and indeed my opinion is often shared quite frankly. I even relish the argument at times. But in so many ways, ways perhaps those closest to me don’t see because of the comfort level we share, to the masses I have been hiding behind a sense of courtesy and agreeableness that has left me feeling fake, timid, and voiceless. I loathe giving anyone the chance to prove me wrong, so often times I hold back from stating any sort of concrete opinion, negating that possibility altogether. It’s not as much fun as it sounds.

And really, the funny thing about this realization is the way it came about, so simply it surprised even me. I was at a jewelry making class, one of several I’d take this year with the same shop owner and the second with the same metalsmith/teacher. I was the only student on this day, so the topics we discussed were far from normal class banter. And without any great struggle or noticeable sweating I was suddenly sharing my take on small business, on social media and on being a solo-entrepreneur as a whole. Here I was talking to two women with businesses that my brain knew were far more established than my own, and I was telling them what I knew. WHAT I KNEW. Who knew I knew anything?! But I did. I have been studying small business for over two years, reading any number of marketing books, theory books, expert blogs, you name it. I had immersed myself in this world because I was actually running my own small business and had been for over two years. Why wouldn’t I have learned a few things along the way? You can see that this is no monumental event, this simple discussion. But to me it felt like I wasn’t just taking advice or adopting my usual spot sitting on the sidelines, I was sharing resources and ideas. I was participating, AS AN EQUAL. That was a lesson right there and it blew my mind.

I subtitled this blog “discovering my truth” because that’s literally what I figured I would explore on it. I see now that in the course of this past year I have not only been discovering my truth, but learning to own it as well. Others might not think the same as me, they might think I’m “wrong”, but this is my truth, the way I see, feel and appreciate the world I live in. Who is anyone to tell me anything different? Nobody. That’s who.

(Note: to learn more about this post and find others like it head on over here.)

Share on Facebook

{ 0 comments }

Prompt: Friendship. How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?
Author: Martha Mihalick

In the most fabulously literal way Joe (my best friend) and I changed our entire perspective on life by buying this house. (I feel like this new home has been mentioned a lot here in these reverb posts, but what can I say, it was a BIG thing that happened this year!) I never pined to be a homeowner, I just hated the feeling of burning money up each month paying rent. So, we bought a house, and yes, the whole world changed and NOT in any sort of subtle fashion.

Suddenly there were huge purchases to be made, appliance to be researched and bought cause the ones that came with this house didn’t actually work the way we were lead to believe (unless the washing machine dumping its water all over the kitchen floor and nearly flooding into the living room is customary performance???). There was a basement to be sealed up and more fern to mow down than I’d seen since my time in New Zealand. On the plus side we had a dish washer now, and a fireplace, and a new couch long enough for even Joe to stretch out on. And the biggest plus of all was that I had my friend right there with me for the whole nutty ride. And the ride continues….

(Note: to learn more about this post and find others like it head on over here.)

Share on Facebook

{ 1 comment }

Prompt: 5 minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.
Author: Patti Digh

I want to remember the way the sunlight comes into our bedroom in the afternoon with its yummy orange glow. I want to remember the way Logan lays on Abby, touching paws or heads or snuggling his wrinkly face into her anywhere he can. I want to remember the the feeling of Joe carrying me into our first home, laughing and nervous and excited. I want to remember sitting on the porch in the old apartment in the sunshine, watching the clouds and the trees and the birds and breathing in the perfect Spring air. I want to remember his look of childlike giddiness when Joe and I picked out a HUGE Christmas tree, because we knew we could, because OUR house has high ceilings. I want to remember how good Joe smells after he cuts wood on the porch. I want to remember the way the sky looked flying back from North Carolina and the way the red earth passed below me so slowly on my way out to California. I want to remember…

(Note: to learn more about this post and find others like it head on over here.)

Share on Facebook

{ 1 comment }

Prompt: Appreciate. What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?
Author: Victoria Klein

I would like to think I am never short on appreciation and gratitude for the things I am blessed to have in my life, but this prompt stumped me. Perhaps it was the limit: one thing. There are so many, it’s not an easy choice. Ultimately though, I’d have to say that the one thing I’ve come to appreciate above all others (even if only by a slim margin) is the unknown.

If you knew how I’ve lived most of my life, very much with the intention of avoiding mistakes at all costs, you’d see that I don’t enter into the realm of the unknown very often. This year I’ve been shown just how far diving in with your eyes closed but heart open can take you. Call it fate, call it destiny, or call it the Universe being kind to this timid risk taker (solo world travel doesn’t strike me as risky, but attending a class or event where I don’t know anyone does, go figure!), things just seem to have worked out alright this year. Whereas usually it’s the unknowable ending that cripples my beginnings, this year I was brought face to face with many uncertainties and happily live to tell the tales.

My gratitude for this wonderful feature of life has been expressed simply and honestly; by trusting in it and venturing through it again and again. I can thank my lucky stars or Mother Nature herself, but I do send out my thanks each and every time the unknowable turns out better than I could have dreamed.

(Note: to learn more about this post and find others like it head on over here.)

Share on Facebook

{ 0 comments }

Prompt: Action. When it comes to aspirations, its not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step?
Author: Scott Belsky

The next step is putting pen to paper. It’s organizing my thoughts into cohesive and articulate-able exercises. It’s about matching my goals with her direction so we have a solid message, a map set out to follow, a way that is ours that we share for others. It’s about making the tough decisions, getting it all on paper and then putting it all online. And all on the line too. Then it’s about spreading the word and taking some temperatures. It’s about going for it, doubts/fears/insecurities and all. It’s about believing that we have something good to say, that we are doing good with what we’ve got. It’s about knowing that sitting on the sidelines isn’t cutting it any more. Game on.

(Note: to learn more about this post and find others like it head on over here.)

Share on Facebook

{ 0 comments }

Prompt: Body integration. This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?
Author: Patrick Reynolds

It’s an unfortunate reality but I don’t often think of my body, let alone being one with it, during my normal day to day life. I try to appreciate it when it sees me through one challenge or another, and if it performs beyond my expectations I always take a moment to acknowledge that, but I wouldn’t call that a sense of cohesion. More like a sense of partnership: separate at best, antagonistic at worst.

Throughout the course of this year I have done yoga only a handful of times. I have taken numerous walks around our new neighborhood, including the trail at the top of the hill. And I have visited a couple of local reserves to get the dogs some outdoor time. It hasn’t been a very active year. The only times I can say I honestly sense my body as more than just a tool in my existence are in the day or two following a yoga session. Something about those movements awakens an awareness of my bodies various parts, and the connections between them. After a good yoga workout I can feel things differently than I did before. Walking, reaching, bending, are more whole-body experiences than they seemed before and as each part contributes to the movement of the whole my brain clicks into a gear of awareness. It’s actually pretty cool. I find myself doing random tree and bow poses in the kitchen while dinner is being made. Just because I can. Because I like the way it feels to FEEL it all. That’s the closest I think I come to a sense of cohesion; bow pose in my kitchen, just for the fun of it.

(Note: to learn more about this post and find others like it head on over here.)

Share on Facebook

{ 0 comments }

Prompt: 11 Things. What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?
Author: Sam Davidson

1. Anxiety
2. Doubt
3. Procrastination
4. “yes” when I want to say “no”
5. cold feet
6. ingratitude
7. inactivity
8. clutter
9. furbunnies
10. lack of reading
11. lack of relaxation

1. Anxiety- While there are times when this particular affliction is a bit stronger than my mind-over-matter skills, I feel like too often I allow myself to get into the small places where anxiety can take the reins. In 2011 I plan on taking more time to relax (see the last item), and trust that things will work out the way they are meant to, whether I can shoehorn them into place the way I want or not. And if a day of nerves takes over, I am going to be a heck of a lot kinder to myself about it. Movie marathon anyone?
2. Doubt- Just as gripping as number one my doubts are going to be dealt with in the same fashion; a healthy dose of deep breathing and trust. Plus a little bit of “action over contemplation”. It feels like a winning combo to me.
3. Procrastination- I have already started giving this vice the boot this year by getting some systems in place that give me the amount of breathing room I apparently need to get things done (without numbers one and two coming in to join the party!). I have been getting better at recognizing my natural rhythms this year as well, so going into the next one I can rest assured that while one day might not have been high on productivity, my energy will return and things will get done eventually.
4. Saying No- This one is pretty simple: just say no. Say it with me…
5. Cold feet- I’ve invested in some really nice wool socks. Oh, and I am becoming far less okay with any sort of waffling on my part. I’m gonna just go with it, whatever it is, and do my best. Nuff said.
6. Ingratitude- Nothing brings me back to my happy place than taking stock. And a new daily exercise was born.
7. Inactivity- Going for walks, stretching, even balancing in tree is enough. I’m going to move more this year.
8. Clutter- I do a good job of purging from time to time, now I have to master giving everything its place. It’s a work in progress, but in 2011 more will be made. I think my cluttered mind will thank me too.
9. Furbunnies- Two large dogs…need I say more? I’m getting a stick vac for more daily cleanups. Nothing says love like a clean rug to lay on with said puppies.
10. Lack of reading- Simple one to fix, harder to find the time. My goal: the daily reading hour…
11. Lack of relaxation- perhaps the root of many of these items, this one is SO out next year! Time will be made each day for something fun or replenishing. I can’t wait.

(Note: to learn more about this post and find others like it head on over here.)

Share on Facebook

{ 0 comments }

Prompt: Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?
Author: Susannah Conway

Wow. The wisest decision? Hmmm. It sounds like such a small thing, but really the wisest decision I made this year was to start this blog. The is my second blog, the first being dedicated solely to my photography business. That blog had begun to feel limiting; I knew I had more to say but that wasn’t the place to say it. My frustration built up at the end of last year and in the beginning of this one I decided to just branch out into another blog entirely. I was scared I wouldn’t have time to keep up with it, and then I was scared I was going to feel exposed by sharing too much of myself and my life on it. But it’s actually been the most wonderfully freeing experience. I love this new blog and the way that it has opened up totally unforeseen doors for me. I tend to close down my focus and this blog being as open and undefined as it is has lead me to look at things in totally new ways.

Or are they new? In the most brilliant progression this blog has lead me back down the path of writing, which many of you probably don’t know was once my dream in life. I went to college and got an Honors English BA degree with a special concentration in Creative Writing. I wanted to write, write, write. But when I graduated and the deadlines went away so did my ability to sit still and compose words into pieces of art. I lost the drive for something that I loved and that loss of identity threw me for a very long time. I always joked that I would still sit and write my memoirs someday (a handy threat to dangle over family, no?) and I truly believed I would, but I never saw the urge to write coming back to me now, let alone so strongly. I am still fighting my demons of discipline and procrastination, but I take the sheer inclination to put pen to paper as a sign of life, a sign of hope, a sign of magical things to come. Thank you for reading!

Share on Facebook

{ 2 comments }

Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.
Author: Shauna Reid

In all honesty, this past year didn’t see enough social gathering, which I see now was a bit of a shortfall I need to work on fixing. This is why I have held off on writing this essay; because I just don’t have something big to write about. Instead I will think about the few, smaller, less grand gatherings that I think were totally rocking in their own way.

New Year’s eve 2009 found me at a yoga studio of all places, ringing in the new year and the new ownership of the studio by one of my best friends. After doing nearly 90 minutes of yoga (and if you would kindly read “doing” as sweating, huffing and childs-posing that would be very much appreciated). We followed up our torture workout with champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and sweet treats that in many ways completely undid all the health benefits of the previous 90 minutes. It was well worth it though to see my friend beaming as she stepped into her dream.

Another “gathering” of memory would have to be the closing Joe and I went to for our house. I wouldn’t quite describe it as “rocking our socks off”, but it was surely one of the more intense assemblages of my year. It was an insanely hot June day, ripe with nerves and sweat, beads of which began freezing in the too-high air conditioning. The wooden chairs creaked, the table had a high varnish shine and the papers slid back and forth across it, first unsigned, then signed. When the keys were finally put into my shaky palm I thought I might just pass out. I was so many things in that singular moment: overjoyed the process was over, relieved that it was over and no one had been MURDERED, and thoroughly convinced that I had no idea at all what any of it meant except that I was somehow far more vulnerable than I’d ever been before. I think buying a house has been likened to giving birth, and I don’t have the knowledge base to say whether that’s true or not, but something tells me it’s probably pretty damn close.

And the last major-minor collection of souls that sticks out would have to be this past Wednesday night. Joe and I and our pups enjoying a wonderful dinner and a night spent decorating our Christmas tree. It doesn’t take much to make this girl smile, and simple times are usually the truest way to my heart, and my socks.

(Note: to learn more about this post and find others like it head on over here.)

Share on Facebook

{ 0 comments }