karenika

Nourish Me – 52

Mind:

I read: A lot of books this week. Almost at the bottom of my audible pile.
I learned: Calculus and Python still here. No new classes so far. Haven’t done any of the Machine Learning one.
I watched: Two movies this week: Star Wars and Burn After Reading. We also watched a small amount of TV finally.

Body:

Exercise: Well I was home all week so there’s been almost zero exercise. One day I did body pump at home but that’s it. I’ve been feeling guilty but also not motivated at the same time. So I am deciding to give myself a break and start again in the new year. If I get any in before the end of the year, it’s bonus.
Food: Food was relatively bad I’ll admit. Mostly because I’ve been drinking inordinate amounts of coffee. And chocolate. I have made sure at least one of my meals is super healthy but in general I’d say it hasn’t been the healthiest week.
Body Care: I’ve done nothing here. I have been resting a lot so we’re going to say that counts.

Soul:

I rested: I’ve not been sleeping a lot but i’ve also been at home for the most part so that’s a lot of rest.
I connected: A lot of time with family this week, of course. Also spent time with my friend Manu and my friend Leslie.
I journaled: I journaled some more, too. Still making plans for 2018.
I made art: December Daily has been slow and simple this year but I’ve been at it.
Flowers: still filling my life and home with these and still loving it.

Didn’t quit coffee, still struggling with all of it but will figure it out soon!

Nourish Me Week 2017 is a year-long project for 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.

As with every year, I kept an ongoing list for my possible words in 2018. I tend to start this list around February because sometimes ideas come to me early in the year and I want to track them for different reasons. Throughout the year, different words feel like winners. They feel like they have potential. Here’s a peek at this year’s list:

strong
open
light (not heavy) – lighten
fresh
balance
tend
calm
alive
whole
belonging

Here is a reminder for my rules for picking a word:

I don’t want to pick a word for something I wish I were. Like “easy” or “calm.” I feel that when I pick a word that’s likely to make me feel intimidated, I spend most of the year feeling bad about letting myself down. The word should push/encourage me but it shouldn’t be aspirational. It should be inspirational.
I loved my 2015 word (brave) so much that I feel I am always trying to find a word that will be as magical as brave was for me. I am learning that I will just have to carry brave around with me forever and not worry about having such a powerful word each time. One of the gifts of brave was that I realized how brave I already was. It was a perspective-shifting word.
Some words are more action oriented (like brave, adventure, nourish) and some are more introspective (like easy, equable, magic) and what I want is a combination of both.

As it seems to be my trend lately, I picked my word around July. Even though I went back and forth many times and I am still finding myself wavering at times, I’ve settled on STRONG for 2018.

This word came to me from several different angles: physical, mental, and emotional. I feel like I am in a good place at the moment and I want to build on this momentum to really take the time and strengthen areas of my life that I care about and want to focus on. Strong also has the potential to propel me like brave did so I am hoping it’s as impactful a word.

I made a list of some of the mottos I want to carry with me as I move my way through this year and towards a version of me that’s stronger than before. Many of these are inspired by the 13 things mentally strong people don’t do article.

Here they are, ways to be mentally, emotionally, and physically strong:

Let Go of the Past: There is no need to hold on to the parts of me that don’t serve me or make me stronger. The past is in the past and I’ve already learned all the lessons it was here to offer me. It’s time to let it go and face forward. Each day is a new one and I get to decide who I choose to be on that day. The deal is: I do, I reflect, I learn, I do better.
Take More Risks: This is not stupid risks like jumping off a cliff and hoping nothing happens. This is calculated risks. Pushing outside of my comfort zone. Finding the boundaries and then stretching them a bit. This is how I get stronger.
Embrace Change: I don’t like change but so what? I can’t stop it from happening. Life is constant change and 90% of it is outside my control. So my plan this year is to do a 180 here. I embrace change. Bring it on!
Create Boundaries: This is a really important one. If I don’t create my boundaries, people will create them for me. If I don’t decide my hours of work, people will call me at all hours. If I don’t decide who gets to hurt me, everyone will. Boundaries means I am self aware and I am intentional about my life.
Choose Whom to Please: Similar to my boundaries, if I try to please everyone, i please no one. I need to prioritize and I need to consciously choose who matters. Everyone doesn’t matter equally.
Learn More and Deeper: I love learning. Love love love. But I feel I am often too busy to build this into my life properly. Too lazy to really stick with things and too interested in too many things. One of my goals this year is to decide where I want to go deep. I don’t want to stay on the surface.
Believe in Abundance: It’s very easy for me to fall into the scarcity mindset. It’s easy for me to feel small, scared, and worried. I don’t want to do this. Being stronger here means believing in abundance. Giving freely. Knowing there are many pies to go around. And knowing that was you give out comes back to you many-fold.
Show Up: I should have put this one first. Because it’s the first rule of life, in my opinion. You must show up. Show up for your people. Show up at the gym. Show up for yourself. Show up at work. Show up at the school. Show up at a social event. Show up.
Try Harder: My hope is that strong will show me what trying harder looks like. Can I give a little more? Am I really trying my hardest? Does my hardest change with time? Effort?
Keep Going: The other big rule about getting stronger (and about life) is that we don’t give up. We show up. We try. We try harder. We rest. We keep going. We always keep going. Never, ever give up.
Choose Joy: Because really, that’s the point of life. Joy. Abundant joy. I want to choose gratitude because it’s my path to joy.
Sit with It: Being Emotionally strong means living the length and the width of your life. Feeling all the feelings. Not hiding, not burying, not ignoring. Sitting with it, letting it pass through me. The only way out is always through.
Make Mistakes (and Learn from Them): If I am not making mistakes, I am not trying new things. If I am not trying new things, I am not growing. There are very (very) few mistakes that are unrecoverable in life. Being stronger means taking more chances. Taking more chances means making more mistakes. So I make mistakes and then take the time to learn from them. Like I mentioned above: I do, I reflect, I learn, I do better.
Live your Values: Being strong means being who I am. Knowing who I am and honoring that. Each time I see one of my coaching clients struggle, it’s because their life is not aligned with their values. So here’s to living with my values of unconditional love, learning, peace, service, and gratitude.

So there we go. Here’s to a year of strength. Here’s to a stronger me in 2018!

December Daily – 24 and 25

Here we are. Day 24 is me waking up to the sweetest note from my son and then the boys opening Christmas Eve presents.

The next day has Christmas morning breakfast and the post opening presents shot of our floor.

Then it’s my card and the big tag card.

The back of that card contains all my journaling and the next page is our Christmas table which I always love photographing.

And the last page is always flowers and my word of the year for 2018.

love this project. <3

2017 Stories – 52 – Star Wars

I will admit that even though I’ve watched the Star Wars movies a whole bunch of times, I’ve never really understood them all that well (and didn’t watch them with as much focus as they require.) so when the new movie was out, I had no desire to see it. I was going to let Jake and the kids see it but David really wanted me to go with them. He said it’s better when we do it as a family.

So I went.

Before I went, he gave me a run down of all the previous movies and we even watched a YouTube movie recap of them all. Which was wonderful because I did understand so much more and I am glad I was there to experience it with the kids and Jake. The movie was good and it was also funny. I am glad to have one more wonderful memory with my boys.

Stories from 2017 is a year-long project for 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.

Unraveling the Year Ahead – 2018

I want to start by saying that this, too, is going to be a VERY long post. These reflective posts are how I make sure to live my life intentionally. They matter to me and I love being able to look back on them in future years. I know that this might not be interesting to many (if not any) of you, so please feel free to skip it. If some of you find it interesting, all the better.

This particular exercise is following Susannah Conway’s Unraveling 2016 sheet. You can download it right here. I split the reflective questions looking back on 2017 in and the questions to help clarify goals/dreams for 2018 into two posts. This is part II, the 2017 reflections are here. All questions are Susannah’s and are copyrighted to her.

First, choose a word to guide you through the next 12 months. Pick a word that makes you feel expanded. Encouraged. Inspired. There’s no right or wrong answer so go with your gut. What’s your Word for 2018? My word for 2018 is strong.

If you lived and breathed your Word every day in 2018, what would be different for you? I would feel so much stronger both emotionally and mentally and I would look, feel and be stronger physically. I would feel proud of myself. I would stand in my power.

List some ways you are already experiencing or embodying this Word: I am showing up to exercise daily. I am doing strength training 3 times a week. I am strong when it comes to showing up for my people, my work. I am strong in my convictions. I am strong in my morals.

What could you do this year to bring more of your Word into your world? I bought a bracelet and a ring. I will buy something red to remind myself. I will also change my passwords.

Choose four extra words to support your Word this year. They could be anything from inspiring words to names of people to things you want to invest in...My extra words are my core desired feelings. They are: fresh, lighter, wonder, true

What are you looking forward to in 2018? Getting physically stronger. Changing my relationship with food. Also working on my emotional strength.

What are you feeling apprehensive about? Not being able to change things enough. Not giving up my bad habits around food. Not spending enough time with self-care.

What life lessons are you taking with you into 2018? That my life is magical and full of wonder. That I am incredibly lucky and surrounded by incredibly supportive people who want the best for me.

What area of your life do you most want to develop in 2018? Physical self. I want to be comfortable in my body and I love the idea of doing it through getting fitter. I want to be strong. I also want to fundamentally change how and what I eat. I made a lot of progress in 2017, I want to lock that in and make it permanent.

What part of yourself do you yearn to nurture in 2018? My idea of myself. I want to see myself differently. I want to own who I am and become the best version of myself. Stronger version of myself physically, emotionally, mentally, and psychologically.

Fast-forward to December 2018. You’re sitting in a cafe?, musing over the last 12 months. Where do you want to be…

in your head? (work, dreams, goals) I want to be scaling up the quality of my work and create processes that can scale. I want to develop relationships with leadership and add value to all of my teams. I want to think of myself in a way that allows me to show up without hesitation. I also want to listen better and talk less.

in your heart? (relationships, family, friends) I want to make sure to prioritize people who matter the most to me. I want to develop deeper friendships with the Tamara, Kelly and Leslie. I want to make good friends in Nathaniel’s class. I want to continue to foster my friendships with Evelyn and work friends. I want to put my family first. Support my nephews. Talk to my sister more. Go on regular date nights with Jake. Continue teaching the kids. Continue taking photos.

in your soul? (beliefs, practices, self-love) I want to get stronger in my sense of self. In my ability to be okay with who I already am, in drawing boundaries. In choosing to spend my time in ways that are most meaningful to me.

in your physical world? (home, health, hobbies) I want to continue to buy flowers. Continue to exercise daily, and start doing it at home, too. Add massage at work. Do more consistent self-care. Eat way way better and drink a ton of water. I want to do more art but only when it gives me joy. Continue the new way of scrapping that I am loving.

Okay, let’s take it up a notch. Use this page to describe what 2018 looks like in your ideal world. Be specific! What are your dreams for love this year? Work? Play? Where are you hungry for change? How do you want 2018 to FEEL? Use your answers from the previous pages to craft your ideal vision for the next 12 months. What would saying YES to your life look and feel like? Write out everything your heart desires for this new year. Be bold. I am exercising every single morning. I am drinking a lot of water and taking care of my skin, my hair, my teeth. I am feeling strong and healthy and alive. I am trying new things that feel fresh to me, I am appreciating the wonder in my life. I am choosing what to spend time on and loving the time I spend on it. I am feeling positively about my choices. I am spending a lot of time with Jake. And with my kids. I am talking to my nephews regularly. I am working hard. I am teaching my kids. I am reading. I am resting. I am showing up for life.

List 3 unhelpful beliefs about yourself you’re ready to release

1. 1. I am not strong physically. I hate exercise.
  2. I can’t quit XX where XX is any particular food. I can quit and add anything I want!
  3. I am not enough.

List 3 duties or commitments you feel ready to let go of in 2018

- 1. No more lit club after this school year is over.
  2. No more Math Circle.
  3. Maybe no TV?
List 3 skills you’d like to learn or improve in 2018
1. Math, I want to do even more math with my kids.
2. Drawing, sketching, art in general.
3. Science. Both my kids are into science and I know practically nothing.
List 3 books you intend to read this year: Lol. I read 280+ this year so I am not going to worry about reading at least three this year.
How could you bring more calm into your life (and head) this year? More journaling. Quiet moments in the morning and evening. Taking much more time out. Muting when on VC.
List 3 things about yourself you positively love
1. My willingness to show up.
2. My desire to learn more and more and more.
3. How much I love the people I love.
List 3 ways you could be kinder to your body this year
1. Take care of my skin + teeth.
2. Massage my body and release my muscles + stretch more.
3. Take Yoga and Pilates to increase flexibility.
List 3 ways you could connect with loved ones in 2018
1. Regular date nights with Jake.
2. Biweekly check-ins with my nephews.
3. Weekly meeting with a friend.
List 3 people you could extend compassion to
1. Myself.
2. My kids. Much more compassion and kindness.
3. People who annoy me. I want to be much more compassionate towards people I usually am short with. I want to assume the best of everyone.
How could you bring more love into your life this year? By choosing joy. Assuming the best. Realizing that things always work out because I try harder and harder until they do. Realizing the magic that is my life. Being grateful. Paying attention to the support I have. Being thankful.
List 3 interests/hobbies you would like to explore more in 2018
1. Rock climbing
2. Does journaling count? I want to do it much more regularly.
3. Taking online classes. Or maybe even in person ones!
List 3 ways you could feed your imagination this year
1. Try new things. Fresh things.
2. Go on adventures. Travel. Especially to places I’ve never been to.
3. Read different books (things I wouldn’t typically pick up.)
List 3 ways you could bring more passion into your world this year
1. Show up and be fully present
2. Care deeply about one thing. Do something about it
3. Speak up more. Bring awareness.
List 3 dreams you would like to manifest this year (personal or professional)
1. I’d like to be really much stronger. Be able to do pushups with ease.
2. I’d love to have handful of really close friendships
3. I’d love to deepen my relationship with Jake even further.
How could you bring more creative energy into your life this year? I would like to journal more. I’d love to bring back my sketching habit, not sure if I can but I would love to. I still love looking at those sketches. I’d love to do another 100-day project.
List 3 ways you could bring more mindfulness to your mornings
1. Take 15 minutes to journal each morning.
2. Take 5 minutes to meditate.
3. Exercise first thing in the morning. (continue to wake up at 6am!)

List 3 ways you could cherish your home this year
1. Buy flowers!
2. Fill my house with twinkly lights.
3. Buy sheets that we love for each of us. Decorate our rooms to feel more our own. Put our family photos into frames.
List 3 ways you could connect more deeply with nature in 2018
1. Take weekly walks and monthly trips to water.
2. I still would love to take hikes.
3. I think I’d like to swim more this year, too. Need to think about this one more.
List 3 places in your city, town or neighbourhood you want to explore
1. The city. We definitely don’t go there enough.
2. Marin. Especially the headlands.
3. Go to the woods more. Learn new hikes.
How could you bring a sense of groundedness into your life this year? The easiest way to ground, for me, is through journaling. Sitting in the back yard with some tea. Watching the water. Taking a moment to be grateful.
Using your favourite tarot or oracle deck, draw one card for the overall theme of the upcoming year and then a card for each month of 2018. Tip: I like to shufle 3 or 4 packs together to give the reading even greater scope. If you don’t have any decks go to www.susannahconway.com/ cards to see my favourite decks and app recommendations.

I am not into Tarot Decks and I did this last year and found it not to be that inspiring or interesting. However, back in 2013, our January OLW assignment involved setting intentions and I really enjoyed that, so I thought maybe I can do that instead.

January: Strong Silent Type: Your challenge this month is to speak less, listen more. How can you influence with fewer words. At work, at home, even in your own head. Pause one more beat before replying. Mute the VC. Wait six seconds. Do what it takes to give this a try.
February: Physically Strong: This is your month. Get out there and get strong. Increase the weights. Add more cardio. Make a plan. You can do this. You have it in you.
March: Party Strong: This month is for celebrating. You’ve worked hard, they’ve worked hard. Everyone’s working hard. Make sure to pause and celebrate. Have a party. Take a moment daily and pat yourself in the back. Pat your loved ones in the back, too.
April: Emotionally Strong: This is the time to work on being a better version of you. And loving you. Loving what is. Respond and don’t react. Journal more.
May: Quietly Strong: How can you bring more calm into this month? May is chaotic with lots of endings and transitions. Celebrate but also stay calm. Stay grounded. What will help here?
June: A Stronger You: This month involves travel. Kids at home. Lots of chaos and also wonderful. It will challenge you and you will use the time to get stronger. You will also focus on yourself as needed. Take walks. Self care.
July: Mentally Strong: Time to learn some new things. How can you grow intellectually? What classes do you want to take? What do you want to teach the kids?
August: Shine Strong: This month is for showing up. Show up at work. Show up with the kids. Show up as we close out the summer and start a new school year. Let your light shine on everyone you meet this month.
September: Love Strong: This month is hard. There are transitions, new schedules and more. Use this month to think about what it would look like to love more. Love yourself more: more self-care and kindness. What boundaries can help you? Love Jake more: what’s something you can do for the two of you? Love your kids more: How can you help them with the transition?
October: Stronger than Before: Here’s your chance to give it one last push before the year’s over. Where are you still wanting to be stronger? How can you help yourself get stronger than before? How can you take things one notch higher? One notch deeper?
November: Stronger Together: Time to enjoy the company of others. Go out and socialize. Appreciate the community you have. Spend time with your family. Bask in the joy of friendships+community+family. What’s one thing you can do to appreciate your people?
December: Rest Stronger: And finally here we are. You’ve worked hard all year and gave it your all. Time to rest. You pushed yourself to get stronger and now you need to rest so you can be ready for 2019.
2018 will be the year I finally get strong in my body.
I will nourish myself with a lot of water and vegetables.
I will make more time for eating healthy and exercise.
I will recharge my batteries by resting, massage, and exercise.
This year I will open my heart to peace with my body.
I will pay more attention to my boundaries.
I will learn more about:
1. Science: as much as I can.
2. My body: how to make it stronger, how to take care of it.
3. Who I am. I will pay attention to what I do and what I say and what my values are and own who I am.
I will release my attachment to chocolate. The past. Coffee. Things + people who don’t nourish me.
I wish for 2018 to feel strong, baby! Ligther, full of wonder, fresh and new, and true. And brave, always brace.
This year I will say NO to things that don’t nourish my body, soul, mind, heart.
This year I will say YES to living life fully.

I wholeheartedly believe that everything is possible in 2018!

Like last year, as I finish these words I went back to some of my previous blog posts and I am not surprised that I mention many of these same thoughts here, here, and here. I am pretty sure these themes have been in my life in some way or another for many years. I know that they will likely still be around in 2018 and 2019 and onward. What I’d like to do this year is to make a dent. To move things forward a little bit. Every forward step I take moves me in the right direction and that’s all I can ask for.

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine stepping into the shoes of you from December 2018, one year from now. You are one year older and one year wiser and you’ve lived every day of 2018 fully and completely. You have a message of encouragement about 2018. There’s stuff you want to share… stuff you’re eager to tell yourself. When you’re ready, open your eyes, pick up your pen, and write a letter from your future self, starting with Dear Karen: Congratulations. Here’s to one more year in your magical life. I am so proud of how hard you try, how much you show up. Keep going, you got this!

Living Intentionally 2017 – 52

Weekly Intention: This week’s intention is to be jolly and spend time with family. i want to read more. do puzzles. hug my kids. snuggle up with my husband.

Things I want to get Done: no list this week. it’s all bonus.

This month’s intention is: Shine Slowly: And here it is. The end of one more year. You made it through. Tough times, joyful times. Celebrations and trials. Changes and all. You did it. Time to slow down. Time to make space for the next year. Growth comes after downtime for you. Take this time to store some energy so you can hit the ground running in 2018.

Ways to Shine this week: Just by being with my people. Loving them a lot.

I am looking forward to: Christmas day of course!! Happy merry everything if you celebrate any part of this season.

This week’s challenges: balancing alone time and together time and remembering to not have to focus on getting things done.

Top Goals: honestly, i just want to rest and quiet the voices in my head.

I will focus on my core desires (bold, mindful, nourish, love) by: really focusing on my family wholly.

This week, I will say yes to: being ok with doing nothing.

This week, I will say no to: making myself feel guilty or bad.

I am worried that: i will torture myself with not getting enough done.

This week, I want to remember: that it’s ok to fully, completely rest. and that if i have no art for january, that’s totally okay, too.

Unraveling – Goodbye to 2017

I want to start by saying that this is going to be a long post. These reflective posts are how I make sure to live my life intentionally. They matter to me and I love being able to look back on them in future years. I know that this might not be interesting to many (if not any) of you, so please feel free to skip it. If some of you find it interesting, all the better.

This particular exercise is following Susannah Conway’s Unraveling 2016 sheet. You can download it right here. I split the reflective questions looking back on 2016 in and the questions to help clarify goals/dreams for 2017 into two posts. This is part I, the 2017 post will show up here later this week. All questions are Susannah’s and are copyrighted to her.

Before we start unravelling 2018, let’s take a moment to look back over the last twelve months. Maybe there were lots of changes for you in 2017. Maybe it’s been a year of growing or nesting or exploring or letting go. Whatever’s happened this year it’s got you to this point, right now. Exactly where you’re meant to be. Pick up your pen and let’s do some digging.

First of all, did you have a word for 2017? Yes, it was shine.

If you did, how did your word help to guide you through the last 12 months? Can you think of any specific examples? Thanks to my weekly reflection posts, I thought of ways I shined each week. It helped guide me in the kind of person I wanted to be for my kids, for my friends, for my husband, and for myself. It helped me do things I wouldn’t have had the courage to do.

What did you embrace in 2017? exercise!

What did you let go of in 2017? One thing I let go of was not doing difficult trips. We decided to take a trip to Australia, and I was really worried about taking trips, especially ones that were this involved but the trip went swimmingly. We had a wonderful time and now I really want to take more big trips together.

What changed for you in 2017? My job changed a bit. Nathaniel started a new school so our routines changed. But most significantly, I started exercising every single week day.

What did you discover about yourself in 2017? That I can quit most of the foods I eat. That eating veggies+protein work fine for me, actually. I just have to do the work.

What were you most grateful for in 2017? This was a big year for gratitude for me. I am most grateful for Jake. He supported me and had my back all year. I’m also grateful for the incredible support of my parents. My manager. My friends. And of course my kids.

When did fear hold you back in 2017? I almost didn’t go for the promotion, twice. I still can’t ride a bike. I am still too scared to do many things.

Where did you practice bravery in 2017? I went for the promotion, twice. I showed up for my kids again and again.

What surprised you in 2017? My sister coming here for two-weeks. It was such a gift.

What made you smile in 2017? Family photos. I adore them.

What conclusions did you reach in 2017? That I am deeply, deeply grateful for my life. I am incredibly lucky. And feel full of wonder.

Let’s think about your ACCOMPLISHMENTS in 2017. List three things that went really well this year — personally or professionally, what are you most proud of? For each accomplishment, consider the following: What skills helped you make it happen? How has your life changed? What have you learned about yourself? How did you celebrate or acknowledge your accomplishment? (If you didn’t, how could you next time?)

1. I got promoted.
2. I helped Nathaniel get into a new school.
3. I prioritized health for all of us: better lunches for the kids, exercise daily for me, generally more nutritious eating for me, too.

I learned that I am stronger than I think. I learned that persistence matters most. I learned that if you show up and do the work, things happen. I learned that I have a lot of people in my life who support me and want what’s best for me. I learned that I am lucky.

Life’s not very different for work but routines are very different because of the other two. I didn’t celebrate any of these enough. I have to do better with celebrations.

Now let’s look at your CHALLENGES. List three situations that have tested your limits and patience this year. The big or the small — whatever challenged you the most in 2017 (there may be more than three so go with whatever comes to mind first) For each challenge, consider the following: How did you deal with the challenge? Did you discover any new tools or allies that could help you again in the future? How has your life changed? What have you learned about yourself? (If you’re still working through a particular challenge, what outcome would feel good to you?)

1. When I didn’t get the promotion the first time, it was pretty rough.
2. Food continues to be challenging.
3. Being patient and kind to the people I love the most also continues to be challenging.

I don’t deal with it well. I usually deal with it by beating myself up. I did discover a wonderful new friend who encouraged me to never give up. She was the biggest reason I tried again. Having some control over both 2 and 3 will feel good to me. I plan to read books for both so I can come up with some strategies.

Describe your favourite day, moment or occasion of 2017 in words and pictures. What did it taste like? Smell like? Sound like? Who was (or wasn’t) there? Where were you? What were you doing? What was awesome about it? And most importantly, how did you feel? Hmm this year, too, was full of wonderful days. But the one that’s coming to me in this moment is my birthday. Even though I was quite rude and cranky with Jake on that day, when I look back on it now, it was such a wonderful day. I got to be with my sister and I got to eat at this wonderful restaurant and be in the city. I got to be with two of my favorite people on the earth and have a lovely meal. I also loved Jake’s birthday which was also in the city and involved a lovely meal but that day also involved a shopping spree at Allbirds and Athleta which proved to be a bit lifechanging for me.

Gentleness alert! Did anything happen in 2017 that needs to be forgiven? Maybe it was something someone did or said to you. Maybe it was something you did or said to someone else — or to yourself? Maybe you feel you let yourself down in some way. Here’s the thing — we are all beautifully fallible human beings doing the best that we can with the tools that we have, so where can you give the gift of forgiveness to yourself or to another? Well the food was in such good control for a while so I was proud of myself but right now I’d say it’s easily the most frustrating thing on my mind. I also do still wish I were more on top of my schedule and life. I feel like I am doing too much but I am not willing to give up any one thing so I need to drill down deeper to each thing I do and understand the commitment, what I get out of it, what’s hard about it, etc. So I can be wiser in my choices.I did a tiny amount of this, this year and it helped identify things I decided to quit doing.

So we’ve dug into our accomplishments and challenges, remembered our favourite moments and considered who we need to forgive. Now I invite you to close your eyes for a moment and think about 2017 as a whole. As you cast your mind back over the last 365 days, consider the gifts that 2017 offered you on your life’s journey…What stands out the most? What really mattered? What stands out the most is overwhelming gratitude. This year has been a miracle. So many good things: promotion, new school, wonderful vacations, time with sister, deeper friendships, falling in love with my husband daily, incredibly supportive parents, the perfect manager. I am just so so grateful. Here are some things I did:

I helped Nathaniel get into and transition to a new school.
I helped prepare David for the SATs
I continued to support many teams across Seattle and Sydney, I took three trips to Seattle and three trips to Sydney.
I got promoted.
As a family: we went to Tahoe, Los Angeles, Idaho, Cairns and Sydney
David and his team won Outstanding Journal in the Tech Challenge.
I mentored several women in my organization.
I volunteered in the kids’ school with the Math Circle, Lit Club, and STEM Fair.
I am taking a Calculus class with David and a Python class with Nathaniel.
I exercised every week day starting in July.
I changed the way I eat completely, quit soda, and started more self care.
I go to bed 10pm and wake up 6am every week day.
I read multiple college essays for multiple friends’ kids.
I make hundreds of healthy lunches for my kids.
I took many online classes including: OLW, glow, advent of light, 4 brene classes, wholehearted artist, mapmaker
I read over 280 books.
Spent two weeks with my sister visiting, ten days with my parents and three days with my nephew.
I made over 240 pieces of art this year. (20 a month.)

It’s been a full year. I am deeply grateful.

Describe 2017 in 3 words: grateful, exercise, supported

If the events of 2017 were made into a film or a book, what would it be called? A Full Life.

Before we finish with 2017, take a few minutes to write out anything else you need to say to the old year in the box below. You might like to say some nal goodbyes and thank yous…Like last year, this was another year where I had a rich and layered life. I made some wonderful friends this year that I hope to keep for life. I deepend other friendships. I fell in love with my husband all over again. I worked and played with each of my kids. I supported my nephews in their college journeys. I worked really hard. I spent time exercising daily. I journaled. I took care of myself. I took care of others. I showed up. Again and again and again I showed up. I am so incredibly grateful for my life. Thank you 2017 for all your gifts. You’ve been an extraordinary year and I am deeply grateful for all your gifts.

THANK YOU 2017 YOU ARE NOW COMPLETE!

December Daily – 23

Day 23 is about Wonder. Not as wonderful as the book, of course, but pretty darn close.

Weekly Reflection 2017 – 51

How I shone this week: This week I shone by getting a lot of personal work done. I shone by supporting my kids a lot and by supporting my friend and her kid as well.

Things I wanted to get Done:

Work: i haven’t done the matching, but I will.
Personal: exercised once, did december daily and advent of light and made more 2018 plans. i have been doing my storytelling too.
Family: we took photos. did a lot of math and some python and worked on essays a lot, too. No plan. bummer.

I celebrate: doing a lot of little things but not much of anything this week. I’ve been reading a lot and resting a lot.

I am grateful for: time off work.

I nourished myself by: hmm i’m going to say reading and doing a puzzle.

Reflecting on my worries: well we didn’t waste the week but we haven’t been doing anything special either. so i guess we ended up somewhere in the middle.

I let go of: most everything this week. just cutting myself slack right and left.

Core Desire Check-in (bold, mindful, nourish, love): this week’s been about resting and being with my peeps.

What made me laugh this week: david and nathaniel and jake!

What I tolerated this week: all the voices in my head telling me i am wasting too much time.

My mood this week was: slow.
I forgive myself for: not getting enough done. and not having a super holiday spirited season.
What I love right now: having time off.

And here we are: the very last week of 2017. I am super grateful for this year.