December 14 – Appreciate What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it? (Author: Victoria Klein)

Appreciate.  Appreciate.  Appreciate.

So many things to appreciate and when you start to enumerate them or gush over them they become, what? banal? over stated.  over done.

In 2010 I’ve learned to appreciate the challenges.  The fights-against.  The inner arguments and the less-than-perfects.  All within myself.

In those moments of frustration and yelling and banging my head and fists against walls (literally and figuratively) I’ve managed to take some stock and learn something.  I’m an all or nothing gal.  I’m looking forward to living a full and vibrant and funny life – that includes me going all out and all in and that means sometimes getting angry and sanctimonious and snarly.  Because in those moments, I learn and I embrace and laugh more loudly.

I appreciate the quirks of being human, even when I most want to drop them from the top of the Empire State Building and watch them splatter along the sidewalks (with no one below of course — these are my quirks and I wouldn’t want them to hurt anyone else).

I appreciate all the other stuff too, of course, every day I appreciate more my sense of smell.  Leaning into a whiff of honeysuckle or rose during a brisk walk, the scent of mulchy, moldy, crunched up leaves and the crisp crackle in the woods as the pressure drops.

I appreciate knowing the energy is all connected, the wind, the heat, the cosmos — is wafting from me to you and back again.  That is pretty freaking awesometastic.

I appreciate hands. I’m grateful for the roadmap they’ve given me to compassion and clarity.  I appreciate the wonder they provide not just for me, but for everyone who steps into the land of the hand.  It’s so powerful and I’m in so much awe.

I appreciate making up words and the ability my brain has to take me on far-off-fantastical-journeys and then plop me back down on my butt at my desk.

I appreciate the clients that make my heart sing and I appreciate the balls I’m growing to clear out the lovely but not-heart-singing ones.  I truly appreciate clearing the clutter and muck in my life and my business and my heart.

I appreciate the ability to (finally) make friends and trust the process, without fear that they’ll abandon me, find another friend or find me annoying, clingy or odd. (yes, I’m all of those but I’ve learned true friends are okay with it all — I don’t need to fake it anymore).

As I  near the end of the year and the end of my 45th year, I can say that I appreciate me.

#reverb10 Continues with …

December 11 – 11 Things

What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?

(Author: Sam Davidson)

1) playing small.  (this is a big one, and to be honest, I’ve found that spending less time on ‘the plan’ for eliminating and more time moving forward is the key to success)

2) 10 pounds.  Dr. Oz says that the first 10 pounds are the ones that make the biggest difference in our overall health, vitality and longevity.  How?  For me the simple formula is the best – eat less, move more (thanks Patti). For me that means logging my food and exercise every day.  And weighing myself every day. Sure it goes against conventional wisdom, but I’m an “it’s there so I’ll eat it” gal and this process helps me remain conscious of what I’m eating and why.

3) Irrational fears.  Okay, now that I wrote this, I realize that most fears are irrational.  So I’m going to do my best to banish them, by focusing on what’s real.  And talking to myself the way I would talk to a friend.

4) Comparisonitis.  I wrote about this in February of this year, so it’s more of a long-term goal.  In order to move forward and play bigger I need to stop worrying about what everyone else is doing.  Right?  How?  Really – your ideas are welcome.  The more out of the ordinary, the better please.  I have a sneaking suspicion that the more I focus on being myself and accomplishing my goals the less time I’ll have to obsess.  But that’s just a theory.

5) Inhumane food.  I’ve been working on this for two years now.  But I’m lazy (see #2) when it comes to food sometimes.  However, my inner guidance says that to be the change I wish to see in the world, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to be diligent.  I’m working on eliminating food that is raised, slaughtered and processed inhumanely.  No, I’m not ready to go vegetarian or vegan, and I’m okay with that.  However, it’s time to stop eating food that supports a crappy system.

6) Whining.  When I whine I’m giving more energy to the schtuff I don’t want or don’t like.  So it’s time to hunker down and start changing things or start focusing on more of what I want.  If I may toot my own horn here for a minute – I’ve made HUGE strides in this department over the past 10 years, but I’m no slacker – there’s always somewhere further to go.

7) Animal ignorance.  In 2011 I’ll be creating programs to help teach kids and their parents how to care for animals in a loving and humane way.  I’ll be contributing to causes who support this end and I’ll be volunteering my time where they’ll have me to help foster healthy relationships between people and animals.

8) Debt.  I know my debt collectors are happy to hear this, and they’re probably miffed that this is #8 on the list, but considering the hole that I’m starting in, I figure it’s as good a time as any to declare publicly that I’ll be ditching debt for good in 2011.

9) Clutter.  Oh my how clutter has been my friend.  I’ve spent 2010 clearing closets and drawers of clothes.  I’ve made headway on the stacks of paper and half-written stories surrounding my desk top.  I’ve freecycled, paper-back-swapped and sold more than 50 pounds of books, but still, there’s room to go.

10.)  Sleeplessness.  They say I have to banish the animals from the bedroom to accomplish this.  I’m searching for another way.

11) Rushing.  I’m rushing to finish this so I can race to the shower so I can arrive to teach my 11 am class in Old Town.  I’d like to end that once and for all.

Good prompt!