Puzzle Perfect

It was my first “grown up” two-week vacation, and I was staying with my very best friend. In London. It was the first time my travel required a passport! My flight was scheduled for Sept 12, 2001, and for obvious reasons, my whole itinerary was pushed back two weeks. But I did go, and I wouldn’t trade that trip for anything. It was the first time I’d seen my sister-friend in a few years, and we made the most it. Proper English tea. A weekend in Paris. Cheese and wine in a French museum followed by the most amazing Monet. The first time I’ve been moved to tears by art. A beyond-words lovely day in Bath (no small thing for a Jane Austen fan). We had SUCH an adventure. So many new experiences. So much time together, celebrating the moment and imprinting the memories.

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For several summers, I've been part of my friend's hot air balloon crew. This year, he started teaching me to fly. No one in this season of my life knows  I've wanted to fly since I was 6 years old. Growing up, I dreamed of being a Navy pilot. I wanted so badly to fly aircraft off carriers. My junior year of high school, I started gathering the requisite recommendations for Annapolis. That summer, several family circumstances shifted, and I readjusted my college/career plans. These many years later, to be learning to fly ... I’m not sure there are words.

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I'm certain Andrea didn’t know why that holiday and hot air balloons are so meaningful to me when she picked out a seemingly innocent Christmas present. It's really not important. What matters is she listens between the words found a gift with meaning across several seasons of my life. She must have bribed the keeper of my sentimental bits. In any case, I couldn't have picked anything more perfect.

My heart is full. 

Ode to popcorn and marshmellows

O popcorn ball, oh popcorn ball,

you are so very tasty.

In winter time the corn is popped,

The bowl it's filled up, it's topped.

O popcorn ball, oh popcorn ball,

you are so very tasty.

Oh popcorn ball, oh popcorn ball,

You are a treat most loved.

Marshmallows melted down just right.

Such a tempting sight. Delight!

Oh popcorn ball, oh popcorn ball,

You are a treat most loved!

Oh popcorn ball, oh popcorn ball,

First batch wasn't big enough

Too bad, but other stuff

Got in the way ... gee, that's rough.

Oh popcorn ball, oh popcorn ball,

Another batch I'll make tomorrow.

It's the most wonderful time of the year ...

Truly.  I love the Christmas season.

I love the twinkle of lights, the comforting smell of home made cookies, cinnamon and fresh-cut tree, and the tradition of cozy evenings tucked up with family, quoting our favorite Christmas movies like The Christmas Story, White Christmas, the Grinch, and all the other seasonal staples.

I love that shopping is sanctioned. But mostly, I love that giving, in whatever price range, is not viewed as gratuitous extravagance. Speaking of, I'm grateful for the ultimate gift Christ paid on the cross. A marvelous gift indeed.

On the flip side, patience, in the face of presents, is not a virtue. Giving, not getting.

I suck at waiting a specific day to give said gifts. Which is why Christmas lasts all December in my world. Not so friendly to my pocket book, but, that's why we work hard, right? I do my part to support the local economy.

Last weekend, my family and I went exploring (shopping trip with no particular destination), and found the Christmas Barn in Shedd. It's literally a barn--stuffed to the rafters with fun, creative decorations like those in the pictures.


Yes, I did purchase a few things. Yes, those gifts have already been given, loved, and are now on display for enjoyment this year.

One of my favorite pieces of decoration is in the photo to the left. A Styrofoam ball, covered with scraps of sheet music, in a classic sorbet dish. The dish was $5, but I'm sure you could find it less expensive elsewhere. A candy dish could do just as well. Styrofoam ball, what, $1? Old sheet music could be found at nearly any garage sale or flea market. Cheap (but not tacky!), easy (and glue is involved, how great is that?) done.

Where do you find holiday inspiration?

Shirk-um-stances Rerun

Last week, I noticed the iris on the north end of the house is trying to bloom.  In December.  I mused about boundaries, limiting influences, and living out one's assigned purpose. Here are my first take-away nuggets:

ignore the circumstances—do what you do

The iris is seemingly shirking its circumstances. It's not allowing boundaries (the blooming season) imposed by some outside force (time of year/weather) to shift its focus from its core function: to bloom. It might not be quite the right time, but that iris is ready! And in the meantime, it’s producing a little unexpected joy.

change is not an option

In some fashion or another, and whether we choose to accept it or not, we must change daily. On the micro level, our skin cells regenerate. Hair grows. We age. Life happens. If we only operate within pre-defined boundaries, we risk missing great adventure.

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Lately I've been working on our organizational 3 year strategic plan. This exercise has forced me to be more objective and view it from the outside-- the good, bad, and ugly—and be honest about what can be changed and what must be managed.  And I’m seeing two trends. We have some areas that, as the proverbial quip goes, “aren’t broken.” Yet I’m also seeing huge areas of opportunity. And in those areas of opportunity, we need to accelerate embracing the new way of doing things, even as we design on the fly. We need to start blooming now, or we may just miss it altogether.

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It’s unexpected to see this determined little iris in the midst of Christmas cheer. But just because something is unexpected, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be celebrated. 

Circumstances. Shirk-um-stances.

The iris on the north end of the house is a reblooming iris: normally it blooms once in early spring and once in later summer.
Today is the first of December. We've had several nights already with temperatures hovering around freezing. I'm pretty sure this flower missed the memo that it's now ... winter. Or, maybe it simply doesn't care about the calendar. Either way, it's defiantly blooming when conventional wisdom says it shouldn't.

An iris blooms, that its' job.

And this particular iris obviously takes it's job seriously. So seriously, it forgot to care about when. Boundaries can be useful, but they can also limit capacity. Because it forgot to watch the weather forecast, it will bloom three times this year instead of only two. When I took this picture, it struck me how productive I could be if I were a little more iris-like. If I were to pay less attention to circumstances and just go do what I'm good at doing ... I could have a longer Done list.

This morning's observation also has me thinking about how (and why) I sometimes let circumstances dictate the quantity of my accomplishment. I haven't come to any actionable conclusions ... yet ...but I'm definitely going to keep mulling this over!

Raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens

You know what they say about the best laid intentions ... {sigh} ... today did NOT go as I had planned. But even so, it was a *great* day.

Even though it was derailed, well nearly from the beginning, as it unfolded, I decided to just roll with it. It may be cliche, but attitude really is everything. So, in spite of not accomplishing what I had thought I wanted to, turns out I couldn't have planned it better. What happened that I couldn't script was a day brimming with wonderful, from-the-bottom-of-the-gut-makes-your-cheeks-hurt giggling. Oh, and several new inside jokes with colleagues. These are a few of my favorite things.

Here are a few more:

Family Bonding

My family has always bonded over manual labor. Not sure why, exactly; it's always been that way. It's something that just is... When I was little, it was never a question of "if" but rather "what" chore you were going to do. Although, I always had a choice. Did I want to clear the table or wipe the silverware? Did I want to dust or vacuum? Haul wood or ... well, you get the idea.

And a holiday weekend, with "daylight burning," is no exception.

Dripping

There are so many things worthy of mention on this, Thanksgiving Day.


Yet when I look out the window and see sunlit blue sky on a crisp, autumn day, it occurs to me the simple things are really the most important:
- Family that loves me without condition
- Close friends that support me, no matter the situation
- Four-leggeds that remind me there is joy and adventure in the most mundane tasks (even
taking out the trash)


I am thankful for God's provision and blessings. My cup truly runneth over.

Gratitutional

In keeping with the reflection theme, I revisited this list I started 2 years ago. At the time, I found myself struggling to not sprint my marathon ... to slow down enough to experience life as it happened instead of just rushing crazy mad from one thing straight to the next. It's too easy to let important things we know we ought to do fall by the wayside. Like telling someone when they do something we appreciate, for example. Life is too long not to appreciate the appreciable. And life is too short to live without an attitude of gratitude.

Among other things, I am thankful for...

... lazy evenings
with nothing planned but curling up on the couch with a movie or a good book.

... sunrises
no matter the size of the hairy beast you battled the day before, chances are pretty good it won't look so fierce in the brilliant light of a new day.

... a good book
a thick one with great characters and a believable plot; one you can get lost in on a rainy afternoon.

... rainy afternoons
to curl up with a fuzzy blanket, cup of hot chocolate, and, of course, a good book to get lost in.

... napping
'nough said

... old-fashioned letters
LOVE getting mail that isn't a bill or credit card solicitation. A hand-written note means the author really put some thought behind what they wanted to tell you. There's just no easy way to edit/copy/paste when composing a letter.

... puppy kisses
dogs don't care what you're wearing, if you're having a bad hair day, or what other people think; they love you simply because you're you, and you came home to them.

... blustery October "Winnie-the-Pooh" days
when it's still warm, but the wind is gusting just enough to whip the leaves around.

... heated seats
makes the early morning travel to practice so much more bearable.

... forgiveness
We're none of us perfect. We make mistakes, fall, pick ourselves up, hopefully learn something, and move on. I'm so thankful that God's grace flows freely and that He bears our burdens.

... kids
they're so innocent and full of awed wonder, not restricted by bias or tradition; they giggle at anything that strikes them funny, and they're generally dispositioned towards fun. They live life with gusto, totally spent at the end of each day. They don't sweat the small stuff, but find infinite joy in simply being alive.

... gray hair
it's genetic; a subtle reminder that some things just are outside your control. Ya gotta buckle up and hang on, because life is a wild ride. But instead of obsessing about trivial things, look at the big picture and concentrate on the stuff you CAN influence.

... grandparents
they keep family history, hope, and traditions alive. They tell you about all the crazy things your parents did when they were young. They're the hub that keeps everyone connected. I miss mine.

... moments
the stuff grand memories are made of.

... 2 am friends
they take your middle-of-the-night crisis calls and have your back, no explanations necessary. They walk beside you on the adventure through life's trials and triumphs, tolerate your foibles, laugh at your antics, understand the complexities of your character, and protect your vulnerable parts. AND, they claim you in public. :)

What would you add to the list?

Rear view to the future

I participated in a MasterMind group in late 2009; the focus was productivity. At the time, I thought, “Wow. This is good stuff.” Our coach gave us practical strategies, and useful tips. She didn’t try to change our behavior(s), but instead had this way of asking [mostly] gentle questions that challenged our assumptions about why we function the way we do. I learned some things about myself that I already knew, but had forgotten. 

And I learned some things I didn't know. Now, nearly two years out, I’ve seen my productivity—or more accurately, how I discipline myself—increase. On reflection, I think my biggest take-away was that I gave myself permission to operate in just one “life” and not try to maintain a work life and a private life. It’s all inter-connected.

One of the activities our awesome and fantastic coach (Tara Rodden Robinson) gave us was the VIA Survey at www.authentichappiness.com. The outcome of the survey is a list of your top 25 Character Strengths. Here's my top 5:

1. Gratitude
You are aware of the good things that happen to you, and you never take them for granted. Your friends and family members know that you are a grateful person because you always take the time to express your thanks.

2. Spirituality, sense of purpose, and faith
You have strong and coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe. You know where you fit in the larger scheme. Your beliefs shape your actions and are a source of comfort to you.

3. Curiosity and interest in the world
You are curious about everything. You are always asking questions, and you find all subjects and topics fascinating. You like exploration and discovery.

4. Humor and playfulness
You like to laugh and tease. Bringing smiles to other people is important to you. You try to see the light side of all situations.

5. Appreciation of beauty and excellence
You notice and appreciate beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in all domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience.

I’ve taken it again—to see if anything has shifted in two years—and find my top 5 are consistent.

Sometimes it’s been in fits and starts, but I’ve found ways to incorporate more of each into every day. I’ve made an effort to tell more people more frequently when I appreciate something they do—and celebrate what they bring to my life (Gators to you, Conroy). I’ve grown in my faith; that affects the lens through which I view and interact with life in a positive way. I said “out loud” that I wanted to see more _____ (art, theatre, sunrises, random trips to nowhere), and my friends have obliged by helping me fill my social calendar. I’ve explored more and taken up new hobbies. I’ve laughed more. A lot more. I’ve stacked my “inner sanctum” with brilliant people who are smarter than me—makes me bring my “A” game.

The relevance here is that I’ve been spending some quality time working through the strategic planning process at work. This week has been about updating progress on goals from last year as the foundation for setting next year's goals. Since it’s all one life … it makes sense that I start doing that in the rest of my life, too. So, here’s part of my rear-view on last year(s) as I look forward to the opportunities of next year. 

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VIA Survey of Character Strengths
http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/default.aspx 
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Generating more LIFE content

Soooo... I've been *thinking* about starting a blog for more than a little while. Here's some insight into my thought process on why it's taken so long to actually *do*: If I started one, what would I write about? If I did write, would people care enough to read it? If they do read it, do I have enough _____ (fill in the blank with the right word) to respond to feedback? Do I have time to write? Why do I feel compelled? Once the thought-train starts picking up speed, it's hard to slow it down sometimes. And never mind the different tangents it can run away on...
One of my alter-egos, the planner, is a little put out that tonight I stopped *thinking* about it and actually created a blog. Another alter-ego, the doer, is doing a little happy dance (complete with pom-poms) excited to be in action. 
The tipping point was a 2:18pm AH-HA moment. I was dutifully hunkered down and hammering out progress on a major project with a 5pm deadline. (I've been diligent lately with my personal productivity). It dawned on me that I've been spending way too much time lately generating work content and not enough generating life content. And so I am resolved to reverse this worrying trend. 
Which loops back to where I started: deciding to actually create this blog. This afternoon, I decided I have content. Life, in all it's loveliness. And I'm not sure I care whether anyone reads it. I'm also not sure I "have" time, but I am determined to *make* it. I've kept a paper journal for years, so there's my motivation. 
Pollyanna on Purpose ... to see all the wonderful possibility in any situation, like Pollyanna. Purposefully. This is my accountability experiment.
What's yours?