Friday, January 21, 2011

dreams from the inside out 2011

this is my health ~

Intention: I move my body joy*fully; I grate*fully eat health*full, nourishing foods; I sleep deeply and well at night and wake feeling refreshed and pain-free; I have plenty of energy to get through the entire day without napping.

Do yoga and strength training three times per week.
Join Weight Watchers after my c-section recovery
Continue to practice loving-kindness meditation and relaxation exercises.
Use my dialectical behavior therapy skills to cope with distress and regulate my emotions.

these are my relationships:

Intention: I enjoy loving, warm relationships with my family and friends, where it is safe to communicate openly and honestly while speaking words that build, bless, and comfort

Continue to teach my daughter behaviors that will enable her to fully function and be happy as a child and into her adulthood
Write more snail mail.
Use my dialectical behavior therapy skills to communicate honestly while speaking words that build, bless, and comfort.

this is my abundance:

Intention: I enjoy abundant love, abundant resources, and abundant finances.

Build a savings
Communicate honestly
Practice loving-kindness meditation and radiate love.
Advertise for piano students.

this is my creativity/purpose:

Intention: I connect often with the divine within myself, and enjoy my creativity and my work.

Devote myself to the study of becoming a birth doula, and an independent music teacher
Get my study materials for becoming a DONA member and birth doula as soon as I can afford them and study and work hard.
Continue my track record of academic excellence as I continue my studies of business
Continue to cultivate my spirituality.

this is how i practice self-love/self-care:

Intention: It is safe to live my life in a way that is loving and caring toward myself.

Do a weekly artist date.
Practice loving-kindness meditation.
Take my medications and make sure I don't run out.
Keep working toward eating in a balanced way.
Keep working toward regular exercise.

this is how i experience happiness/adventure:

Intention: I experience happiness and adventure grate*fully, and I enjoy the present moment.

Practice mind*fullness
Practice mind*fullness
Practice mind*fullness
Stay present in the moment when I am feeling happy rather than waiting for the other shoe to drop.

love~
elizabeth

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

100 dreams...the 2011 version

a couple of these are marked "private" because they deal with helping my in-laws with things that i don't think they'd want to see plastered on the internet. thanks in advance for your understanding :)

1. Birth a healthy baby in May.
2. Continue working on open communication in my marriage.
3. Get the rest of the seasons of Friends on DVD.
4. Continue working toward my degree.
5. Continue to maintain excellent grades.
6. Build up a savings.
6. Pay down my debt~got a start on this one; not a big start, but a start.
8. Continue to build up my marykay inventory~made progress.
9. attend a mets game at citi field~did not do this one; will be a dream for 2011
10. Practice meditation consistently
11. Read daily - and something other than a daybook!
12. Get regular manicure/pedicure
13. Go on a weekly date with my husband
14. Plan a honeymoon with my husband.
15. Get melanie potty-trained.
16. Find piano students~i have two; working on building my studio
17. Sample local finger lakes wines~goal for summer 2011.
18. Create a raised-bed garden...vegetables and herbs.
19. Learn to take great landscape photos
20. Attend celebrate your life
21. Create an indoor herb garden
22. Create a meditation spot in the back yard
23. Rebuild my collection of SARK books.
24. Give a weekly contribution to my church
25. Tithe to charities I find worthy.
26. Recover the songs i wrote that i lost on my old computer.~ work in progress.
27. Visit Aunt Kay.
28. Write a bio to accompany website and other internet postings
29. Write gratitudes daily.
30. Keep morning pages every day~also a work in progress
31. Learn photoshop.
32. Take a yoga class.
33. Attend new york football giants' training camp.
34. Attend a new york football giants' game at the new stadium
35. Invite Jess, Tressa, Earl, Gail, JoAnn, and Merideth to Marc's baptism party.
36. Send regular snail mail.
37. Become fluent in another language
38.Get all my christmas decorations up by the day after thanksgiving
39. Drink more water.
40. Memorize the gettysburg address.
41. Memorize my three favorite poems.
42. Memorize the declaration of independence,
43. Learn which constitutional amendment grants which freedom.
44. Visit a national park.
45. Finish the knit/crochet projects i started for christmas presents in 2009.
46. Take weekly spa showers.
47. Learn to sew!
48. Spend quiet time working on songwriting.
49. Write more music.
50. practice radical acceptance of myself as i am: still a work-in-progress
51. memorize the sigma alpha iota symphony.
52. Join DONA.
53. Work on becoming a certified birth doula.
54. Practice emotion regulation
55. do something everyday off the pleasant activities list.
56. create a self-soothe kit.
57. Bake all the christmas cookies i want to in time for christmas.
58. Keep trying new recipes.
59. Stay active every mary kay quarter.
60. Do a weekly artist date.
61. Keep full ink cartridges in my printer.
62. Create an image journal.
63. Establish a routine of regular exercise.
64. Crochet or knit daily.
65. Visit the corning/corelleware store in corning.
66. Stop relying on meds to help me sleep.
67. Practice keeping a positive outlook.
68.. Reconnect with ned b. fleischer.
69. Keep working on not acting out of fear
70. Keep working on not living in fear.
71. Knit a pair of socks.
72. Go back to Weight Watchers. (eight weeks after c-section)
73. Get back up to 10,000 steps per day by June 1.
74. Attend an information session for Empire State College.
75. Get dressed to hair, face, and shoes every day. (Or, stop treating life like a dress rehearsal!)
76. Work on developing a consistent homeschooling schedule with Melanie.
77. (*private*)
78. Keep exploring my feelings regarding my family.
79. Keep working on re-establishing relationships with my family.
80. Read a book about the lives and times of Catholic saints.
81. Write a positive-themed blog post at least once a week.
82. Keep percolating on the idea of "The Courage to be Thin," either as a separate blog or a non-fiction work.
83. Continue to study and practice dialectical behavior therapy.
84. Stay out of the hospital after baby Marc comes home (ie, no psychiatric hospitalization this time).
85. Read the creating dreams come true blog every Friday.
86. Write a response to the creating dreams come true blog post every week.
87. Spend time with my BFF over Christmas break.
88. Keep up my 4.0 grade-point average.
89. Walk the Simple Abundance path.
90. Use a different daybook every year. (I have about a billion.)
91. (*private*)
92. Help Mom and Dad establish a budget.
93. Stop drinking Coke.
94. Be true to myself. In all my splendidness. In all my imperfectness.
95. Read "Be Here Now," by Ram Dass.
96. Stop letting TV schedules dictate my life.
97. Give up going out to eat for Lent (other than eating on campus).
98. Get a prenatal yoga DVD.
99. Teach Melanie the Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary.
100. Take Melanie to Catholic church with me.

love~
elizabeth

Saturday, January 1, 2011

2010: a year of dreams in review

as we begin 2011, i thought it might be a good idea to review the dreams list i posted earlier in the year, and create a new one for this year.

my friend andrea who is running the creative dreams come true community e-group suggested that we focus on two goals for 2011. things we can really bring to fruition. i really liked the 100 dreams approach, though, so i'm going to stick with it and see how things go.

if i were to pick two goals, it would be building a savings and birthing a healthy child in may. focusing on these two goals has helped clarify some of the other dreams on the list :)

1. get pregnant~Well, I did this one! I originally discovered I was pregnant on May 4, and miscarried a week later. Then we kept trying, and on Labor Day, September 6, discovered I was pregnant again, and this one is sticking! I'll be 21 weeks tomorrow, and the baby, which the ultrasound seems to indicate (with a 90% guess from the tech) is a boy, will be born may 10.
2. heal my marriage~still an ongoing process.
3. get the rest of the seasons of friends on dvd (or deedle-dee as melanie says)~got 3-5. Will get 6 and 7 this semester, 8 this summer, and 9-10 this fall.
4. go back to work~did not get this one done, but have gone back to school in hopes of starting my own business in 2012.
5. build up a savings~was up and down with this one. Have established a consistent saving practice. Now just need to work on not raiding it for wants.
6. pay down my debt~got a start on this one; not a big start, but a start.
7. build up my marykay inventory~made progress.
8. attend a mets game at citi field~did not do this one; will be a dream for 2011
9. move out of my in-laws' house~did not do this one; we discovered that my in-laws have more needs that require us to be on hand. If we get our Gateways funding, will do this in 2011. If not, that's OK too.
10. practice meditation consistently~still a work in progress.
11. read daily~still a work in progress
12. get regular manicure/pedicures~made progress
13. go on a weekly date with my husband~need to keep this as a goal for 2011.
14. visit a state i haven't been to yet~did not do this one, and since our focus is building our emergency fund, will not be a goal for 2011.
15. plan a honeymoon with my husband~still a dream, but a goal for further down the line
16. get melanie potty-trained~made progress here. Still working on it.
17. build etsy inventory~no longer congruent with my life goals.
18. find piano students~i have two; working on building my studio
19. sample local finger lakes wines~goal for summer 2011.
20. create a raised-bed garden...vegetables and herbs~goal for spring/summer 2011.
21. create and sing in a band (or an a-cappella octet)~more of a back-burner dream.
22. volunteer at the horseheads animal shelter~shelter was too eerie.
23. learn to take great landscape photos~still a dream.
24. create inspirational retreats~not sure this is congruent with my life goals anymore.
25. attend celebrate your life~still a dream
26. create an indoor herb garden~goal for 2011
27. create a meditation spot in the back yard~goal for 2011.
28. rebuild my collection of sark books~made progress here. Still working on it.
29. attend a sark event~still a dream, more of a back burner goal.
30. write a new book i'm thinking about. non-fic this time~can't even remember what this is.
31. give a weekly contribution to my church~getting closer. Currently giving a monthly.
32. give an annual contribution to a cause i deem worthy. Working on a list of charities that are important to me and giving a monthly contribution.
33. recover the songs i wrote that i lost on my old computer.~ work in progress.
34. visit aunt kay once a month.~need to work on this. Not sure if it's out of an actual desire to see her or of guilt. She did not sound good when I talked to her in October.
35. lead a creativity or inspiration workshop.~not sure this is congruent with my life goals anymore.
36. write a bio to accompany website and other internet postings for said creativity/inspiration workshop when i prepare it~will need something like this for my business.
37. write gratitudes daily~a work in progress.
38. keep morning pages every day~also a work in progress
39. learn photoshop~still a dream; as far as goals are concerned, more on the back burner now.
40. take a yoga class~started this and plan to re-take it in the fall; it made my morning sickness worse. Planning to purchase a prenatal yoga DVD.
41. go back to school~Done. With a 4.0 GPA!
42. attend new york football giants' training camp. Still want to do this next summer!
43. attend a new york football giants' game at the new stadium: still a dream!
44. go to lexington for final four weekend if uk makes the final four: still a dream, but won't be able to do it this year because i'll be too pregnant!
45. finish my novel: still not sure how to end either of them.
46. self-publish said novel: not congruent with my life goals.
47. win nanowrimo again.: couldn't do nano this past year with school and being pregnant. Felt completely OK with it.
48. plan a playdate with jess.: think I will invite all of them to baby Marc's baptism in June.
49. plan a playdate with tressa.
50. plan a playdate with earl.
51. plan a playdate with gail.
52. plan a playdate with joann.
53. plan a playdate with merideth.
54. get my guitar fixed: only after emergency fund is built.
55. find a local drumming circle: found one in ithaca.
56. buy a drum: only after emergency fund is built.
57. send regular snail mail: still a goal.
58. get phone service where i can call the us and canada for a flat rate: only after emergency fund is built.
59. become fluent in another language: still a dream.
60. get all my christmas decorations up by the day after thanksgiving: still a goal.
61. drink more water: work in progress and getting better at it!
62. get my pilots' license: need to lose a lot of weight first; putting this on the back burner.
63. memorize the gettysburg address: still a goal.
64. memorize my three favorite poems: did one. Need to work on the other two.
65. memorize the declaration of independence: still a goal.
66. learn which constitutional amendment grants which freedom (if i'm going to be indignant about terrorists trying to thwart the american way, i'd better at least know what the american way is, n'est-ce pas?): still a goal.
67. visit a national park: still a goal.
68. make my great-grandmother's cinnamon roll recipe: DID IT! Wasn't superb but I know I can do it now and I'll get better at it.
69. finish the knit/crochet projects i started for christmas presents for last year: still working on it!
70. take weekly spa showers: still a work in progress. Took a spa bath this morning after re-reading this.
71. learn to sew: still a goal
72. spend quiet time working on songwriting: still a goal.
73. write more music: wrote some more lyrics this year.
74. do arrangements for my octet: not sure this is congruent with my life goals anymore.
75. practice radical acceptance of myself as i am: still a work-in-progress
76. memorize the sigma alpha iota symphony: still a goal
77. join the uk alumni association: still a goal but not until our emergency fund is built.
78. join a sigma alpha iota alumnae chapter: DONE.
79. join acda: when emergency fund is built.
80. join dona: still a goal.
81. work on becoming a certified birth doula: still a goal.
82. practice emotion regulation: a work-in-progress, but daily morning pages and prayer are part of this and i've been doing that every day for about the past month.
83. do something everyday off the pleasant activities list: still a goal.
84. create a self-soothe kit: still a goal.
85. bake all the christmas cookies i want to in time for christmas: did better with this one this year; also still a goal
86. keep trying new recipes: also still a goal
87. stay active every mary kay quarter: definitely a goal this year.
88. attend mary kay seminar in dallas: a goal for 2012.
89. do a weekly artist date: still a goal.
90. keep full ink cartridges in my printer: still a goal; or get a new printer, after we build emergency fund.
91. establish an adult choir at my church: no longer congruent with my life goals.
92. create an image journal: will be doing an illustrated discovery journal for simple abundance this year, so this will be happening in 2011.
93. establish a routine of regular exercise: still a goal. Working on increasing walking and plan to do yoga 3x a week once I get the prenatal dvd.
94. crochet or knit daily: needs to be a goal.
95. visit the corning museum of glass: after emergency fund is built.
96. take anna and melanie to the strong museum in rochester: after emergency fund is built.
97. visit the corning/corelleware store in corning: still a goal.
98. try new local restaurants: after emergency fund is built.
99. stop relying on meds to help me sleep: still a goal.
100. practice keeping a positive outlook: still a goal.
101. reconnect with ned b. fleischer: still a goal.
102. rebuild my collection of sheet music: a work-in-progress, but on hold until after emergency fund is built.
103. take a glider ride at harris hill: have to lose a lot of weight first.
104. stop acting out of fear: still a work-in-progress.
105. stop living in fear: still a work-in-progress.
106. master knitting socks. (maybe wooden needles will help.): still a goal.

more later...
love~
elizabeth