Two-Fer

Source:  pxfuel

We get a New Year and a New Decade on the same day!  Twice the opportunity!   

Making plans for the the new Decade is actually a completely lost cause for me. So much life happens in even a single year that the best of plans can be sidetracked. Plus I don't have enough decades left in me to be making very long term goals 😏.   But no way am I skipping the fun of planning for the Year!  I'll take my chances!  

Source:  Flickr

You won't be surprised that I have some goals.  Many is the time I've made goals and tried to put them all in to effect immediately, then fallen into the disappointment of not being able to follow through.  This is a common way for goals to fail early on.  Lately I've had success making a broad framework at the beginning of the year, then piecing out the details as I address the various goals  throughout the year.  With one glaring exception, which I'll address later, I attained all my goals last year in this manner.

Here are some of this year's broad goals:

 TRAVEL

Source:  needpix.com

 
Though I enjoy being in and seeing new places, I definitely need an attitude adjustment for the getting there part.  I've never enjoyed traveling long distances in cars, and airplane travel requires a substantial time commitment on each end.  Yes, I've tried the various ways to entertain myself:  reading, crossword puzzles, napping, talking to strangers.  I can't trick myself.  I need to reconfigure my mental story of travel to INCLUDE getting there and back rather than RESISTING getting there and back.  It's an all-inclusive whole.  There is no being there without getting there.  This is head work. 

The other part of travel with which I struggle is that I'm easily disoriented.  There are those that get lost in their own houses, and those that can find their way anywhere blindfolded.  I'm not as bad as getting lost in my own house, but I'm on that side of the spectrum. I've started researching, and find I have plenty of family.  Generally speaking, orientation is something you're born with or not, with degrees either way.  If you're born without, GPS technology has made a remarkable and convenient difference. There are strategies that can be learned and practiced, many of which I already do.  In strange places, however, which is ALL traveling, my starting place is LOST.  When Ron and I travel, he likes to drive, making me the navigator.  That role has been proven over and over to be one I don't have the skills to perform. It has caused high levels of stress, anxiety, and discomfort.  Maybe I'll turn the whole thing over to Ron, sit back, and ENJOY!  Most likely something in the middle is where we'll end up, but we've been tasking me with something I'm not able to do and there needs to be a change. 

 SLEEP HYGIENE

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I've gotten a little sloppy and it's resulting in some uneven sleep.  I'm well aware of the factors that affect my sleep; I need to spiff up the application part. 

 READING

Source:  pixabay

Though plenty of reading is and will always be  part of my life, this past year it got a little out of hand.  It was a way not to do other things I tell myself are important.  Management TBD. 

NEWS MANAGEMENT

Source:  PxHere

I can no longer accept the way news is presented as moving from one "crisis" to the next.  And that these times are the worst mankind has ever known.  And that the end of the world as we know it is near.  I don't want to be completely uninformed, but I do want my intake carefully curated.  TV news is pretty much out.  It's always hysterical in tone.  Fortunately even Ron, who is a current events junkie, has had to turn to more measured sources, making my second-hand exposure to that form limited.  I'm thinking the local daily newspaper and a good weekly magazine-we subscribe to Time- will be enough.  And stop getting sucked in to my phone news feeds!  Just don't look!  The other side of this coin will be to seek Good News.  It's out there; there are websites. It's not on the front page.  I can make it part of my personal front page. 

STATE OF THE WORLD

Source:  Pixabay

Hand in hand with the above, I need to do, or continue to do what I find reasonable to contribute to solutions.  I've never been interested in carrying the banner, but I will support those who do.  Ron and I regularly donate money to various causes; local, national, and international.  We recycle as much as our community supports it, and can certainly find more ways to reduce and reuse. I can occasionally contact my legislators about issues I feel strongly about.  I can use some improvement on living what I believe:  it starts at home.  I recently received email inviting participation in a free on-line 10-day new year challenge called the Radical Compassion Challenge.  It's hosted by a well-known meditation teacher and features a slate of daily speakers who range from the esoteric to public figures.  I plan to join in and be part of something.




All that said, here's where I'm starting the New Year:

2020 PRIORITY GOAL OF THE YEAR

 

CONSISTENT YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICE!

While it hasn't been a total fail, this goal has been very slippery.  I've done all the research work,  know all the benefits, and have experienced them.  I've worked out a reasonable amount of time to spend. I've done challenges, described here in past posts.  I've told myself to TRY HARDER.  I've missed and tried "making up".  There comes a time when all the thinking, planning, scheduling, self-talk, rewards, punishments, & excuses have to stop.  JUST DO IT!  That said, I really can't do without a plan, and you know it.  Here it is:

 

Live what I believe.

Practice every day.

Though traditionally Yoga is used to prepare for Meditation, I find it works best for me to split the practices.  

Bookend the day with Meditation in the morning and Yoga at night.

Most scheduling exceptions are predictable; be flexible in timing.

Give Yoga and Meditation priority.

I'm considering alternating Tai Chi class and Y&M classes seasonally, with Tai Chi in the winter and yoga class followed by a group meditation in the summer.  TBD.

I'm also considering an occasional One-Woman Yoga & Meditation Retreat.  This would be away from home for purposes of focus and quiet.  Aren't I lucky to live just 45 minutes away from a world-class destination for things of this nature?  Yes, that would be Sedona.  I could stay in a bnb that has enough space for practice, attend as many classes as I choose at any of the ~20 studios there, and get my Y&M fix.  I mean deepen my Y&M practices.   TBD. 

As you can see, these are some pretty big bites to chew.  I'll report throughout the year as I address and progress.  The following might really be all that needs to be said about the New Year:

"Tomorrow is the first page of a 365 page book.

Write a good one."

                                                                                                         ------Brad Paisley