For 2024, I borrow the slogan of my home state, Wisconsin:
I. FORWARD
Along those lines, Penny Cooper says,
Get a Pencil, and Write Down an Action Plan.
And Spike on my fridge says, "Nothing for it . . . but to do it."
(Next to Pope John 23's "Just for Today" list that I love--most especially, "Only for today, I will not claim to improve anyone but myself.")
II. Catch and Release
Setting an intention helps me.
Yesterday I was back at work for the first time since I set my intention to Treat Work as a Part-Time Job.
Very quickly, seeing the usual stupid stuff going on, angry thoughts arose in me, or, thoughts of how I could change something.
I was able to catch these thoughts, and let them go:
"This is your part-time job, not your mission."
[Related to "I am not the savior".]
Re: health. I also announced to my coworkers in the break room as they carried in the boxes of donated day-old corporate-bakery goods,
"I am not eating any of these in 2024. They are so–"
"tempting," Big Boss filled in–
"–full of chemicals," I finished.
It makes me angry--they are such chemical sludge. Their ingredients lists are as long as your hand.
But yes, designed to tempt, for sure.
III. Short Bursts
Also--hill climbing! Here I am--my shadow--the other morning at the park near the store.
I was heartened to learn that SHORT BURSTS of exercise are beneficial:
"findings showed that accumulating several short bouts (about two minutes each) of vigorous activity at different times throughout the day might be especially beneficial."
IV. Presents
Catching up... Here are a couple Christmas presents that made me happy.
1. Marz looking through a View-Finder at a set of 1968 Star Trek slides (from the episode "The Omega Glory")--she'd never looked into a View Finder before!
2. Volunteer Becky gave me two boxes of ziplock plastic bags--I'm always scrounging for them to bag up little toys. She said it was a joke gift, but I was delighted, and I took one of the bags home for me.
My plastic bags are old and tattered, and it'll be a treat to have fresh new ones.
Happy New Year coming up, everyone!
sometimes the smallest gifts mean a lot! I'm one of those who uses their bags over and over also. i hear you about becoming stronger especially as we tend to lose strength as we get older. i think its not just the age thing but also we tend not to move or lift as much -- well some of us!
ReplyDeletekirsten
“I was able to catch these thoughts, and let them go”: yay!
ReplyDeleteSomething I’ve taken to in my head when reliably unhelpful lines of thought get going: “Old script.”
Oops -- saying in my head....
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