This is not an easy question to answer, but I'm pretty sure I've got it. Last winter I was training for the half marathon in March, and in February my training was at its most rigorous. The race itself was invigorating, but one of my training runs was by far the moment I felt most alive. Since it was winter, in New York, I would run completely bundled up in the mornings. One morning I went out for a seven mile run (I think) and it was brutally cold, the kind of cold that reverberates in your body for hours after you warm up. I ran from my apartment in the East Village down the East River, rounded the tip of the island, turned the corner to face the Hudson River, was blasted with a massive gust of wind tunneling down from the Adirondacks, or Canada, or wherever those wind spurts emerge from, and looked left to see Lady Liberty saluting me. As I continued through Battery Park I ran towards a mime dressed as the Statue behind me. He looked down at me as I passed, smiled, and high fived me. This kind of encouragement, from a complete stranger covered in metallic green paint, was exactly what I needed to keep going. I had a tradition with myself that I would end runs with a cup of coffee and some sort of breakfast pastry at Joe's on Waverly Place, so I finished my distance in the West Village and wiped the cold sweat off of my face in the tiny little bathroom at Joe's, drank a big cappuccino, and ate my cran-walnut muffin.
December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)
This is easy. The drive across the country was full of wonder, full of exploring, learning, viewing, and breathing in the pulse of each new place we stopped. Discovering the vast history of the colonists, Native Americans, settlers, and natural wonders of America made me appreciate the diversity and majesty of my homeland. I know that we have a lot to work on as a nation, but we have a lot to work with, and, as ridiculously trite as this may sound, I'm proud to be an American.
December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Author: Alice Bradley)
I let go of a piece of myself this year. I let go of the idea that I always need to be the loudest, most entertaining person in the room. I still haven't completely let it go, but I'm on my way. Letting this aspect of my personality go wasn't so much a conscious decision as an evolution (and a result of deciding to drink quite a bit less), and I still kind of miss the rush of feeling like everyone is paying attention to me and everyone likes me, but I realize now that most of that was a false feeling. It's a sad letting go, but a major part of the growth that I talked about yesterday.
December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)
I don't make a lot of stuff, other than in the kitchen where I generally make experiments and guacamole, but if you count photography as making something (and I would) then I made some pretty cool stuff this year. I'm by no means an "experienced" or "great" photographer...yet, but I'm taking steps in the right direction. I bought an SLR film camera and learned how to use it this year (after wasting a couple dozen dollars–not so bad–on developing blurry, half-photos to realize that the lens was broken) and for that, I am impressed with myself. I know it's not rocket science or curing cancer, but it's something that I've wanted to learn how to do for years, so [pats self on back].
I'll finish catching up tomorrow.
I let go of a piece of myself this year. I let go of the idea that I always need to be the loudest, most entertaining person in the room. I still haven't completely let it go, but I'm on my way. Letting this aspect of my personality go wasn't so much a conscious decision as an evolution (and a result of deciding to drink quite a bit less), and I still kind of miss the rush of feeling like everyone is paying attention to me and everyone likes me, but I realize now that most of that was a false feeling. It's a sad letting go, but a major part of the growth that I talked about yesterday.
December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)
I don't make a lot of stuff, other than in the kitchen where I generally make experiments and guacamole, but if you count photography as making something (and I would) then I made some pretty cool stuff this year. I'm by no means an "experienced" or "great" photographer...yet, but I'm taking steps in the right direction. I bought an SLR film camera and learned how to use it this year (after wasting a couple dozen dollars–not so bad–on developing blurry, half-photos to realize that the lens was broken) and for that, I am impressed with myself. I know it's not rocket science or curing cancer, but it's something that I've wanted to learn how to do for years, so [pats self on back].
I'll finish catching up tomorrow.
Happy hump day!
A
1 comment:
Love these responses!
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