Guiding Word of 2020 - Belonging

The story behind choosing my 2020 Word is a bit NSFW (essentially I was reading IG on the toilet), but it all started with this image.

It might have been the satisfying BM, but I'm pretty sure it was actually a swelling of emotions that brought a tear to my eye when I read Morgan Harper Nichols thoughts. I try not to overthink my words. They come to me, and it's good. There is always something to learn from them.

(I didn't learn until after I selected my word that Brene Brown talks a lot about "belonging". It remains to be seen if I will use any of her teachings this year...)

HOW I DOCUMENT MY WORD
After 20+ years of scrapbooking, making albums, and documenting life, I can finally say that I know what I need to do to have success on a project like this:

• Simplicity
• A Repeatable Formula
• Everything At Hand

At the end of 2018 I made the decision to include more photos in my 2019 album, and by the end of last year I was ready to add more art. This is a fluid process folks, that I'm sure will keep changing as I do.

Some things stayed the same between 2019 and 2020. I'm still relying heavily on sticky notes to keep track of what photos go where. And I really appreciate the pre-printed cards for journaling, weekly check-ins, art...whatever I feel like. One goes in each weekly "spread" so I remember to do something there. But if I forget I move on. No hard feelings.


WHERE DO I START?
This year I started by setting four feelings goals. I wrote (& stamped) them on 4x6 sheets of cardstock, and will write my corresponding actions (what I will do to feel that way) once they're "finalized". Knowing that I can always change my mind and cut out something that's not working for me. My life, my project, my rules.

These feelings didn't jump out at me right away. Other than the cute one! But now that they're inked in black and I've had a chance to sit with them, I'm super confident in my selections. I  have some goals that don't fall into one of the feelings categories (like home stuff and my reading goal). Those will be documented in other ways.

This work forms the foundation of my year and of my album. So far it's very empty! But it will slowly fill up over the year with memories, thoughts, art...lots of goodies.

And that's it so far! As with the start of every year when I have chosen a word, I am excited to see what 2020 has in store for me! I've got some big plans, and Belonging is a big part of those plans. I'll keep you posted here and on IG with the good word.


FURTHER READING
You will find my previous posts on choosing a guiding word for the year filed under One Little Word. Last year my word was CURRENT, and boy did it take me for a ride.

Morgan Harper Nichols is on Instagram here and is definitely worth a follow.

xo, Lisa

One Little Word 2019 - "Current" First Quarter Update

It's been three months since I chose my 2019 word, so it's time for a little review/summary/reflection. I am writing it here - in public - to share a little behind-the-scenes action (and inaction) of working with a word for a year.

Sometimes it's a lot of luck, patience and trust. March was a month in which I had to let go of some control, and I lost sight of my word. There are still lessons here. In fact, if I really do the work of evaluation, these months of "failure" provide the greatest opportunities for growth. But I might not find answers and that's okay too.

FORMULA
Once I got the foundation pages and cards out of the way, every week is laid out the same, with space for three photos and one "Currently" card. I don't have a set day to complete the card every week, as long as it gets done. I've only missed one week so far and it was because I was deep into trip planning and packing.

Every month or so I go back through my photos and pick a few to print and include. I am trying to choose ones that best represent my goals, or my current state of mind/current self.

One of my goals/wishes for this album was to have space to add more photos, as I felt that was lacking in last year's book. Now I am starting to feel like I am moving out of balance the other way and plan on working to incorporate more writing and art into my book from this point forward. 
Not sure what that's going to look like yet, but I have lots of examples from my 2017 & 2018 books to take inspiration from.

STILL LOVING IT
March felt like such a set back, but the benefit of time and distance has softened my anxiety over it. When I look at my year as whole, "off months" don't have such a huge impact. I find having a word allows me to take both a bird's eye view and a closer examination of how I'm spending my days and moments.

I still feel connected to my word, but I feel there is room for more growth, exploration, and curiosity about CURRENT. I've got some big projects planned for April, so there might be an opportunity to take a deeper dive into my word through my art and scrapbooking. But I also want to take it beyond that and use my word to help me expand into my bigger goals.

I don't feel like I'm pushing myself in my word this year, but I also feel like I'm trying to take on too many things (Hello Burnout my old friend). My word was supposed to help me with this, so a more focused approach might really help me out.

MOVING FORWARD
I've been setting monthly feelings + actions goals and they sometimes engage with my word, but I don't purposefully make these goals in the context of my word. My goal with my goals going forward is to review them within the context of CURRENT as much as I can. I have already set my goals for April, but I will be evaluating them through the lens of my word and adjusting as needed as the month progresses.

This is your friendly reminder that if you didn't choose a word at the beginning of the year, there is still time. The New Year can be a hectic time for folks, and spring affords such a vibrant energy, that this would be a great time to choose a word to carry and guide you through the rest of the year. If you are interested in trying it out, my email is always open, or you can check out Ali Edward's (the creator of OLW) content online.

FURTHER READING
My OLW 2019 Intro post
My "Current 2019" Pinterest Board
All of my One Little Word posts are tagged here.
Find more information here about the creator of "One Little Word" - Ali Edwards - and the workshops and inspiration she provides.
My past words: Honesty 2014 // Simplify 2015 // Time 2016 // Action 2017 // Connect 2018

xo

One Little Word 2019 - Current

My One Little Word for 2019 is Current.

This word came to me...well...not easily. I had an idea about what I wanted to accomplish this year, especially how I wanted to feel. But I didn't know how to put that into words. I had no flipping idea actually.

So I did when any on-the-cusp-Millennial would do. I went to the internet. But I didn't find a lot of help there. It wasn't until I listened to an episode of one of my favourite podcasts that it finally clicked.

Current means:

• Belonging to the present time
• Used as a medium of exchange
• Moving continuously in a certain direction
• Flow marked by force or strength
• Steady flowing movement

HOW I AM DOCUMENTING MY WORD THIS YEAR

1. My blog,
2. Currently cards done weekly,
3. Album for photos and other inserts.

The album I'm going to use is an old photo album that my Dad had bought and never opened. It's nothing fancy, or even nice looking, but it's in good shape and it serves my purpose. I really want to add more photos to my OLW documenting in 2019 - this is something I identified as lacking in my 2018 documentation - and using a photo album seems an obvious easy way to make sure I have space to do that.

We're already a few weeks in, and I feel really good about my word. I am excited for the comfort and the challenges it will offer me this year.


FURTHER READING
Oxford Dictionary definition
My "Current 2019" Pinterest Board
All of my One Little Words posts are tagged here.
Link to Episode 53 of The Crafty Ass Female Podcast: Diving Deeper in One Little Word
And as always, find more information here about the creator of One Little Word - Ali Edwards - and the workshops and inspiration she provides.
My past words: Honesty 2014 // Simplify 2015 // Time 2016 // Action 2017 // Connect 2018

xo

One Little Word 2018 - Summary

Every year I say I am going to post more here about my One Little Word work. And every year I am too busy doing the work to write about the work! That's not a bad problem to have!

NOVEMBER

The November workshop prompt was to "write a letter to yourself." I do enjoy this exercise, and while I kept it brief these were the words I needed to hear that month.

I also included more photos in October and November. While this isn't a direct nod to the workshop prompts, I have found that I like having more photos in this album, and my plan for documenting my 2019 word directly addresses this.

DECEMBER

In December I spent time reflecting on the year, what I learned thanks to my word, and what I want to take with me into 2019. I used the same prompts from the 2017 OLW workshop, but I don't think I like them. I just don't dig deep enough. Perhaps this year I will make a new plan for finishing up the year. I've got some time to think about it!

The final page is a photo of Lucas & I from our first walk of 2019. The first page of the album is a photo of myself at the beginning of the year. It's wild to see how much I have changed.

I am still working on the binding - it's beautiful, and my favourite, but it takes forever - but otherwise I am finished with 2018's album.

And so closes out the year...

I am excited to move on to my next word...which I have already chosen, and will post more about over the next few weeks.

FURTHER READING
All of my 2018 OLW posts are available here.
If you like the "art journal" posts, check out this tag.
And as always, find more information here about the creator of One Little Word - Ali Edwards - and the workshops and inspiration she provides.
My Connect 2018 Pinterest board.

xo

One Little Word 2018 - Connect

Whoa! It has been AGES since I did a proper One Little Word post! I made some time last weekend to do some of the prompts, going back a few months now, and paint a few pages.

May's prompt was to include photos of examples of your One Little Word for that month. I had a lot to choose from, as May was a positive month for connections for me. This last page shows the We Believe Gala in support of the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton. I volunteer on their support line, so it was important for me to help them out with their silent auction that night. Also, Tarana Burke was their special guest. which was a real treat. She is the creator of the Me Too Movement. For both May and June, I wrote a simple summary of some of the ways I connected with my word that month.

I used the prompt from last year's OLW workshop for August. Ali Edwards asked us to think about the current "Chapter" of our lives, what we are struggling with and what we are celebrating. These are important thoughts to ponder in every chapter, and I might have to add them into more regular and purposeful rotation.

This next spread is for July. In last year's workshop Ali Edwards asked us to include our favourite quote or song lyrics related to our words. This year I found some lyrics of a song that I think fits well with how I was feeling about my word that month. (That was the month my sister and her family moved to Dubai).

September was ROUGH for me this year, and my reflection and the quotes on the following pages accurately show how I was feeling both in general terms, and as related to my word. When everyday life becomes difficult to show up for, it can be difficult to focus on something so abstract as a "One Little Word". On the other hand, it can also be empowering to have a lofty aspiration, such that a OLW can provide, to focus on and bring some light to the darkness.

I don't yet have an overall opinion on how my One Little Word is going this year. What I do know, is that it feels totally different from last year's word and my experience living and documenting it. Even just a few months ago, say in the spring, it feels like I am relating to my word on a completely different level. It's exciting to see such a change in myself in only a short time. Whether or not the change has been for the better, only time will tell.

Until then, I continue to enjoy this practice of maintaining and documenting my life as it relates to one word, and I look forward to the final months of the year and how CONNECT will manifest in my life.

FURTHER READING
All of my 2018 OLW posts are available here.
If you like the "art journal" posts, check out this tag.
And as always, find more information here about the creator of One Little Word - Ali Edwards - and the workshops and inspiration she provides.
My Connect 2018 Pinterest board.

xo

Connect 2018

I did some work on my One Little Word album the other night. Alcohol ink, spray ink, stamps...bringing out my favourite tools and supplies for these quick pages.

FURTHER READING

My Connect 2018 Pinterest board.

xo

One Little Word

Well, well, well. Here we are - somehow - at the end of February (oh God Lisa, it's actually the first week of March but that's just semantics at this point...). January felt like it would never end, and then February disappeared in a blast of cold and snow.

And here I am, finally doing some long overdue work on my One Little Word 2018 album!

REAL TALK
Let's get honest for a minute here. I am getting way better at being accountable when I sign up for a course or whatever. But I can still fool old Lisa here, and skip out on some of the things she wants me to accomplish.

You're not the boss of me!!

Wait...um....yes, yes you are.

So the following video is very important, and relevant, and I make raspberries at the camera and am also very hilarious and "candid". So you should watch it. But I understand if you don't have 9 minutes to spare, or also don't have headphones to wear so your coworkers or beloved family members have to hear me talk in funny voices and make said raspberry noises. That's cool. It's there for you later when you have some privacy.


But in the meantime, take a gander at these fabulous still images!

Oh wow...that's only two actual images of the album I am working on for my OLW 2018! Yikes! See, this is why you need to watch the video. Aside from me being very amusing and "candid", I also explain why my documentation of my word so far this year has been shit and I am very disappointed in myself, etc.

BUT ALSO I explain how I am most definitely NOT going to let stupid 28-day-February get the best of me, and I have grand schemes for March. And to be fair, I guess I have some accountability, because as soon as I finished the video shoot, I was inspired to finish a few more pages in this album. But you'll have to wait for that because I need more fodder for Blogger! He he...rhymes....

Anyhoo, I love love love my Word of 2018. Connect has been and continues to be SO DANG GOOD to me. I've got people coming to my home, and I'm enjoying every second of it, and I can't wait to see what March, April, May and all them there other months have in store for me.

xo

FURTHER READING
Ali Edward's One Little Word Workshop and write up on OLW
My Connect 2018 Pinterest Board
My friend Nadine's journey with OLW

READ MORE ABOUT MY JOURNEY WITH OLW HERE
Honesty 2014 // Simplify 2015 // Time 2016 // Action 2017

One Little Word 2017 - Documented in Art

There were a few pages in my 2017 album that were a bit more "artsy" than the rest of the pages (which were very text-heavy), so I thought I would share them separately.

Oh July. I didn't do any other prompts or work in my book in July. In fact, this page wasn't done until months (and months) later. I kind of messed up the writing, but otherwise it turned out okay!

MATERIALS USED:

Gesso, stencil & spray ink, gold paint, alcohol ink, gold glitter embossing powder, Derwent Art Bar

I believe this next one is November's prompt, to write a letter to yourself. And then make it fancy.

MATERIALS USED:

Stencil & ink, alcohol ink, Derwent Art Bar, spray ink

I can't remember which month's prompt this next layout corresponds to, but I do remember that the activity was to find song lyrics (or quotes) that related to your word, or helped you explore your word. I am a big fan of Dale Carnegie (How to Make Friends and Influence People), so the quote on the right was an easy add.

There are four stamps on this page from my 100 Days of Stamp Carving project that I completed last summer.

The back and front covers are some of my favourite parts of this book, and I am still very proud of how they turned out. I hadn't done art like this in a long time, and I was working through a major block. I grabbed some of my favourite supplies - gesso, a stencil, water soluble pencil, spray ink - and just started messing around.

MATERIALS USED:

Gesso, stencil, gold paint, spray ink, water soluble pencil

It was fun to add a little bit more of my style to this album. I really liked that the lessons in Ali Edwards' OLW workshop were broad enough that you could interpret them not only according to your style, but to the way you were documenting your Word for the year, whether that be in a scrapbook, a journal, or in your head.

If you have chosen a Word for the year, how do you document it? I am doing something much more "artistic" this year to document my word, and I am interested to learn how other people explore and document their word.


FURTHER READING
Ali Edwards - One Little Word Intro
A full flipthrough of this book is posted here.
All of my One Little Word posts over the years can be found here.

One Little Word 2017 - Action Documented

Oh gosh it felt so good to glue those last few photos into my book. Sometimes projects like this - long-term ones - can easily not get finished. At least, this happens to me quite often.

I am super proud of myself that not only did I have an amazing year with my word Action, but I also completed a workshop and a whole album! Yay me!

Now, it's a big one, and I didn't want to get into every page as a lot of them have more personal journaling about my year. But I did want to share some of my favourite prompts, pages, and lessons for my year of ACTION! Check out the video below.


The full flipthrough of the book - the whole big book! - can be viewed here.

I thoroughly enjoyed both my word last year and completing the Ali Edwards workshop. Even though I am not taking it again this year, I am using the same prompts for a new album, and I highly recommend signing up if you are new to the idea of choosing a word.

This type of project can be life changing, but it also depends on the amount of work you put into it I really focused on my word last year, and I noticed a huge difference in my life, my relationships, and my overall health.

Check back here tomorrow for a deeper dive into some of the art I incorporated into my book, to make it more "me."

FURTHER READING
Ali Edwards - One Little Word Intro
A full flipthrough of this book is posted here.
All of my One Little Word posts over the years can be found here.
Music by bensound.com

One Little Word - (Re) Connect with Meditation

Last year I explored meditation as part of my One Little Word Action. It became very important to me to notice and take advantage of the space between ACTION and INACTION. And meditation seemed to fit perfectly in there.

But, I never fully committed to the practice. I didn't make it a practice at all.

Enter 2018, and my new One Little Word Connect. This year I want to get curious about crafting rituals, and dive deeper into the idea of Daily Practices. And despite my lackluster performance last year, meditation helped me out a lot when I did it, and I want to purposefully invite that feeling into my life again this year. And chase it with a little bit more energy.

Aesthetically, this app is really my style. Ocean blue accents laid over top lush greenery and waterfalls. But where's the meat? (says the vegetarian). In other words, what do you have to offer me of substance.

FEATURES I LOVED

• Daily reflection feature allows you to write a note about what you are grateful for today. (Con...it took me forever to find this page. Don't judge...I'm a tech dummy sometimes.)
• You can choose a feeling, and they will select a meditation to go along with it! (Con, some of the feelings are unavailable in the free account)
• The reminders to breathe throughout the day > "let's take three deep breaths"...

FEATURES THAT I DIDN'T LOVE

• While I thought at first that the 3-5 minute sessions would be so great for me because TIME was always my big excuse last year for not meditating more, I need more than 3-5 minutes to meditate
• STOP TALKING SO MUCH. I found it especially hard to get fully in the zone because most of the meditations had practically no dead air. Less talky, more ommy.
• I think this is an app made for a millennial. That is, most of the features were accessed via swiping and not in a traditional menu. I'm old. I want a menu.

Are you feeling a sense of deja vu? Well, it could be because I and reviewed another meditation app last year! Click here for my review of the Headspace app, and some 2017 thoughts on meditating in my car. Aura has a totally different setup and vibe compared to Headspace. Now that I have sampled two meditation apps, I think I am going to try more on for size. Before I settle down with The Right One.

FURTHER READING
My Connect 2018 Pinterest board.

xo

One Little Word 2018 - Connect with Myself

"It's about pace and intention, the senses and the symbols. It's about the meaning we imbue into an object or an act rather than a script we inherit." - Courtney E. Martin

I became very interested in what I called "Daily Practices" last year, for my One Little Word (Action). I noticed early on in the year that when I pursued some habits, or daily activities, my mind was not only more focused on the task at hand, but I had more mental bandwidth for other things.

This year I wanted to be more purposeful with these "Daily Practices" and how I could turn them into rituals that would in turn allow me to connect more deeply with myself - my passions, hopes, fears, desires, feelings, and goals.

Some of the rituals I am exploring look more like how most people imagine a ritual to look. Burning sage, tarot cards, crystals, and a repeated mantra. I don't necessarily follow along with the mystical side of crystals and tarot, but I find that focusing on an item, repeating a simple phrase (example: "Today is going to be an awesome Thursday"), and practicing meditative breathing has huge benefits for my mental well being, and how I mentally prepare for a day or an event.

I have this little "altar" set up in my bedroom. Crystals purchased from a little gem store in Jasper, rocks and shells collected on a trip to the sea, glitter, baby teeth, and a little wood elephant that Lucas coloured as part of a school project when he was younger. And taped to my mirror are phrases that inspire, motivate, and empower me. My altar reflects things that are significant to me, and while there is always room for more items, I also don't want it to feel cluttered or full.

When I wake up early enough, I take a moment before I leave for work to meditate, speak an empowering phrase about what I want my day to look like, and read a Mary Oliver poem. It takes me about 5 minutes in total, and it is amazing how such a short period of focused time can be such a game changer.

Right now my only obstacle is my own ability to make time for these rituals, which is something I really struggled with last year as well. I don't believe in "work-life balance" or "how to have it all" when it comes to being a mom who works outside the home, but I do believe in being more intentional about how I spend my time and energy with my son and with the things that fuel me.

I would love to hear about your Daily Practices and Rituals!

RESOURCES
The Moon Deck
20 Positive Affirmations
Jasper Rock & Jade
A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver

One Little Word 2017 - Action

"How we spend our days is how we spend our lives." - Annie Dillard

I am still finding and remembering moments from last year that really brought home my word to me. Moments that are filled with the lessons and victories that I found thanks to my word.

At the beginning of 2017 I started saving my wristbands whenever I went to a rec centre. I thought "wouldn't it be cool to use these as documentation of my year of Action?" There was no structure, process, or plan to go along with this. I simply found a little shoe box and a Sharpie, and started saving my wristbands instead of throwing them out.


I was going to count the amount of wristbands I saved, but then I realized that the actual amount isn't the important thing. This colourful box made me so happy to look back through. Even if I don't remember each run, swim, or workout, the dates and moments add up and show me how committed I was to my goals last year...and how I continue to re-commit everyday to showing up and slowly adding to my health story.

I stopped going to the public gym regularly once the gym at my office opened in the summer. And we don't get wristbands there ;-)

This was an incredibly positive exercise, a simple activity with a big impact at the end of the year. I am going to start look for other easy opportunities to celebrate my victories as I pursue my word for 2018.

xo

One Little Word 2018 - Connect

My One Little Word for 2018 is Connect.

This word came to me on a wintery run last month. And even when I started second-guessing myself, I also knew that it was the right word for me at this time of my life. This is the one time of year that I really use Pinterest, and I have started a Connect 2018 board there. It's mostly quotes at this point, as that is an early exercise I like to get under my belt when preparing for the year, and getting some inspiration for a word. And then fleshing out, or figuring out, how my word is going to help me explore and guide me over this next year.

HOW I AM DOCUMENTING MY WORD THIS YEAR

1. Instagram using the hashtag #olwconnect2018
2. Handmade 4x18 Art Journal
3. My blog

I have decided not to participate in Ali Edwards' OLW Workshop. I completed it last year, and I definitely recommend it if you are picking a word for the first time and need a little extra push to make your word visible in your life. Or if you are a seasoned veteran with choosing a word, but want a little more accountability.  #notanad


MY FOCUS FOR THIS YEAR
I will go into this more when I post the start of my OLW 2018 Album, but I wanted to share a bit about how I hope my word will shape my year, and what I want to invite as I explore CONNECT.

Connect with my Heart // This looks like Rituals, Meditation, Yoga, Stillness, Vulnerability, Art, Big Beautiful Self Talk

Connect with Nature // This looks like Camping, Bird Watching, Ravine Exploring, Bike Riding, Laying in the Grass

Connect with my Community // This looks like Blogging, Meeting my Neighbours, Volunteering, Teaching Art

Connect with my People // This looks like All Manner of Dates, Hosting Games Night, Writing Letters & Emails, Getting OFF Facebook and ON to more couches

And as always, I want to invite MORE into my life.

More rituals. More candles. More beach. More mountains. More hugs. More laughter. More of less.


WHAT I HAVE LEARNED ALREADY
Yes, we are only a few weeks into the new year, and I have already learned something about my word/thanks to my word. Honestly, that's how I know it's a good word.

I have learned that connection is sometimes hard and messy, and it may not go the way you planned. But like any goal, all the baby steps count, even if you feel they are taking you backwards.


READ MORE ABOUT MY JOURNEY WITH OLW HERE
Honesty 2014 // Simplify 2015 // Time 2016 // Action 2017

xo

Action 2017 - A Year in Review

When I was updating some links on my blog, I noticed that the last time I posted about my Word of the Year, it was JUNE! Yikes! The funny thing is, I felt really connected to my word this year, and I really stuck with it all year. Even when I didn't feel like I was actively pursuing my word, it was still showing up for me and guiding me through some of my sticky moments. My most successful word yet, even though the year overall was kind of weird (to say the least).

ACTION GOALS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Women's March at the Alberta Legislature in January 2017

I applied to be on the Sexual Assault Centre 24 Crisis & Info Line, and was accepted into training. The training itself was 60 hours in the spring. Making it through those sessions, and those two months was really hard on me emotionally and physically, but I made it through, and started on the line in August.

I started running again! And ran a 5km fun race in November, something I didn't think I would be mentally (or physically, but mostly mentally) ready for this year.

I moved in with BFF.

I started and completed a 100 Days Project. #100daysofstampcarving was a complete success. #100daysofwatercolourwhatevers was a successful learning experience, even though I didn't complete the 100 days.

Started meditating. This one didn't stick, but I have decided to re-commit to it as a Daily Practice in 2018.

Recognized the importance of Daily Practices in my life.

Enrolled in a Spanish class with BFF.

Started building and working on my Five Year Plan.


IN SUMMARY

I think my final page in my One Little Word book for the year sums it up quite nicely:

I loved my 2017 OLW and I can see it already making a big difference in my life and my goals. But 2017 was kind of shit and I wanna move on.

I am excited about my 2018 Word - CONNECT - and will be writing a post about it soon. Also watch for a little walkthrough of my 2017 Album. I'm finishing it up today, and mostly just so pumped that I finished the darn thing!!

Did you pick a Word for 2017? How about for 2018?

For more on my Word for 2017, go here.

xo

Action 2017 - Journaling Habits

I made a commitment to myself at the beginning of the year that journaling would be an important daily Action. And I made it to June! That's better than I have ever done! And then summer hit, and we all know how I feel about how this summer went for me. ICYMI, it was a bummer.

Life felt too full of nothing, and I didn't keep up my "journal every day" action item. Was I too busy? HA! No. It just fell aside, and I maybe reached for it once a week, if that.

But, I am better at being good to myself, forgiving myself, and letting shit go this year.

So I am just getting back on it, without judgement.

And I am re-realizing that this is an important part of my mental health, my daily rituals, and cultivating my good habits.

So the moral of the story is...

- Don't feel bad if your habit isn't trucking along like you expected

- Let go of your expectations of perfection

- Just start, just start again

Do you have a daily habit that has taken a back seat over the summer? Did you have great success with your daily rituals over the summer? Do you want to get on a daily ritual, but have no idea how to get started?

xo

One Little Word - Self Care, Action & Chores

At the end of each of my Volunteer Training sessions, we do a feelings check-in and self-care statement. The other day my self care was something along the lines of: "I am going to go home and do chores! Take out the garbage and recycle! Do the dishes!"

Now, this may sound like the opposite of what we know as "self care", but in actuality, self care just means doing something that makes you feel ....[not sure about the word I am looking for here. whole, balanced, in control, something like that]

It took me a reaaaalllly loooong time to recognize that I need a certain kind of structure in my life, and more specifically in my daily life, in order to feel good and in control. I mean, I was 36.5 before I realized that washing at least one dish everyday was integral to my overall mental health.

And now that I wash at least one dish everyday, I can keep up with and focus on other things. It frees up my mental space, and the domino effect this has on other things in my life is astounding.

For me, self care means having a plan and a routine.

For me, self care means doing chores.

For me, self care means creating "good" habits.

For me, self care means making a bunch of meals and having them in the freezer on days when I didn't plan ahead.

I am filing this under One Little Word, because it was thanks to my word - ACTION - that I came to this realization this year.

It seems so simple, and some readers might be shaking their heads at me, but I have never been really good at creating structure for myself and sticking to it. It feels surprising and amazing now that I have figured this out and have seen such benefits happening already. With this momentum and energy I feel like I can tackle pretty much anything.

Any other amazing revelations out there from my fellow readers with a OLW? Or just my readers in general?!

xo

One Little Word - Action & Inaction

A major realization for me this year in relation to One Little Word – Action – it in turn related to the opposite of my word: INACTION. I’m still working through all the potential and possibilities, but an early discovery and adjustment to my schedule toward this is meditation. Initially, I was trying to tick off this box, this meditation “to do” in the evenings, thinking that it would be a great way to end my day. But I was getting overwhelmed with all my Daily Practices piling up at the end of the night.

So when I shifted this practice to my lunch hour, my sole thought was to accomplish it without having it stacked among other practices. But holy shit has this small scheduling change ever made a huge difference to my overall day! Just taking 10 minutes for myself in my car allows me to regroup and start my afternoon with a fresh and clear mind.

Some days I can tell that I really needed it – that time I shouted at the app for example – and I may not be 100% focused for those session, but they still have a huge impact on my mental energy.

About the app

I use Headspace, which is a free app…for the first 10 sessions. Which, to be honest, is a great start and you can get a lot out of those 10 freebies. I’ve been doing them pretty consistently for a few months, and I am still enjoying the free sessions. All I need is a guide, a reminder, and I am not looking to more into more complicated or specific meditation just yet. If you’re looking for an app to help you get started, I would definitely recommend this one. Cute cartoons, soothing, slightly accented voice…it’s nice and I feel like 10 minutes is totally doable for most people. The app is free to start, and very easy to use, so it is fairly accessible as well.

I am thinking about “Action” & “Inaction” in terms of self-care right now, incorporating each into each other, and thanks in part to my current volunteer training sessions, I have been thinking about accessibility as it relates to self-care, and what messages we get from society around self-care. Audre Lorde was a writer, feminist, womanist and civil rights activist, and she has a great quote about self-care that is stuck in my head: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”

She was speaking specifically to her role as a black woman, and while I don’t want to separate that aspect of her work and writing, I also think this quote can apply to other marginalized identities and poor folks. When privileged people seek self-care, it appears in a magazine with a glitzy headline or in Mom’s groups on Facebook with a lot of emphatic head-nodding and encouragement. And when a poor or marginalized person does it, they’re considered lazy or selfish, spending money on something they “can’t afford”, a luxury item.

Self-care is not a luxury item.

We also put a lot of emphasis on the idea that self-care should cost money. Whether we’re talking about yoga classes, spa days, shopping sprees, or whatever other “buy this and feel better” message we are inundated with in our daily lives. In reality, all that is needed for self-care is a thing you love to do, which can be as simple as a snuggle with your dog, a quiet moment in your car before you head to your next shift, going for a walk with your friend or partner.

We don’t do a good job teaching people how to engage in self-care, but we are a capitalist society so we are really good at telling people to buy things and putting a monetary value on everything. And as an extension of that, putting a status marker on it.

Taking time for ourselves – especially as women, especially in a society that (over)values productivity and work, especially in a society that tells us that as women our role is to serve and care for others – is a radical act, because it is not valued unless it is done within approved societal parameters. That is, unless you buy something, or reinforce your role as worker or as caregiver.

And yes, I realize that I am snarking on capitalism over here, at the same time as I am recommending an app BUT why not use the tools of our oppression to break those chains?!

Okay. That got a little heavy at the end there. Many people have explored this topic more eloquently and in more depth than I have here. I have posted links to some of those articles below. Please feel free to add more in the Comments! I am also on the lookout for more info on the intersection between self-care, politics, feminism and oppression!

xo

Further Reading:
Caring About Self-Care
Self Care as "An Act of Political Warfare" (exploring a quote from activist Audre Lorde)
The Politics of Self Care
For Black Women, Self-Care is a Radical Act

One Little Word 2017 - Action in Action

What am I doing?

Why am I doing this?

What do I want to get out of this project?

What do I want to do with my word?

What does ACTION mean to me?

These are questions I have been trying to answer since I started the One Little Word (OLW) project in January.

They aren't answered yet, but I am sitting easier with them.

Some days they are impossible and I can't tell if I'm doing anything of value with/for my word.

And yet when I sit down and think about what I have been doing, I can see my word influencing me everyday.

Funny how that works.

This month in Ali Edward's One Little Word workshop, we are creating questions that explore our word, writing them down on sticky notes, and posting those notes somewhere super visible in order to best mull over these questions for the rest of the month/for the rest of forever.

These are my questions to myself so far. Right now, I have them posted in my work notebook so I can add to them throughout the day as I think of things. They are already helping me see where I am succeeding with my word, which I hope will lead further into how I can expand and improve upon my OLW habits.


xo

image sources: 
TOP is from Get To Work Book
bottom is from Instagram and is attributed to Gandhi, but I am NOT a fan of Gandhi, so I just cut that part off...