Excepting February Alone

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting February alone;
It has twenty-eight days' time
And, in Leap Years, twenty-nine.

I'm not ready for February to be over.  It passed much too quickly for me, and - although it seemed to be very full - I didn't do all the things I wanted to get done this month.  (Of course, my logical mind tells me that February is supposed to done more quickly.  After all, it has only 28 days.)

I can remember as a child thinking that a month was a very long time.  If someone told me that I had to wait a month until summer camp or Christmas or any other anticipated event, it seemed like  f o r e v e r .  Now, I can barely keep up enough to write the correct month and year when I fill out a form or write a check. 

As I approach my sixtieth birthday, I keep feeling like I want time to slow down.  I want to consciously live each day so that - at the end of each month - I can remember certain activities and experiences with some degree of clarity.  I don't like my month to seem like a 28-day blur.  (Or a 30-day or 31-day blur.)

I am reminded of a quotation that currently appears at the bottom of each of  my sister's emails:

I wish that life should not be cheap, but sacred.  I wish the days to be as centuries, loaded, fragrant.  (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Goal vs. Process

In preparing for a job interview today, I came across an interesting article about goal-oriented vs. process-oriented work.  Here's an excerpt:

"For goal-oriented people, growth is sometimes incidental; they grow only because their goal requires them to. Process-oriented people, on the other hand, attain goals because their process will take them in that direction anyway. For them, growth is not incidental, it is necessary, and goals are eventual. Because of this difference, the goal-oriented person will not necessarily be able to look past the goal to the next goal until they get there. The process-oriented person will instead already be thinking about future goals, since everything they do is focused to the process of improving; goals just give them a direction in which to move. To the goal-oriented person, goals are end points. To the process-oriented person, they’re simply mile markers."  (http://www.gnorb.net/ - 5 March 2007 post)

This reminded me of one of my very first blog entries back on September 28, 2010.  At that time, I was thinking of cooking as producing an end product - a dish or a meal.  It struck me that by paying more attention to the process - rather than just getting food on the table - I might enjoy the experience more.  I might even become a better cook.

I'm going back to my Twelve Month Plan to see how much I'm focused on goals and how much on process.

Stay tuned.

From the Heart

Last Friday, my sisters and I had a meeting at the Alzheimer's residence where our sweet mother lives.  They are moving her from Level 1 care to Level 3.  Her decline over the past six months has been such that she gets to "skip a grade." 

It was a sad day for us, but we are grateful she is in competent and caring hands.  Thankfully, her smile and sense of humor are still present, too.

Our family keeps a record of doctor visits and meetings with residence staff.  We also share our experiences with Mom in an on-line journal.  All of these are in a format that all family members can access from wherever they happen to be. 

So, I've been writing up the notes from the meeting, the notes from the doctor visit that same afternoon, and comments about our time with Mom.  My sisters will add their comments as well, and we will be able to refer back to our notes to prepare for future meetings and appointments.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone.  May we extend love not only to our sweethearts but to every life we touch.

What to Write

This morning, I looked at my blog and realized that I had not written anything since January 30.  I felt like it was past time for another entry, but I couldn't think of anything to write about.

In addition to my published blog, I also have my own personal journal.  I realized this morning, too, that my recent journal entries had become more perfunctory and less reflective in the last month or two.  (It wasn't that I wasn't reflecting at all; I just wasn't writing about it!)

The more I thought about it, the more I could see how the two might be related.  My personal journaling is what triggered the start of this blog for me.  As I began to blog, the one seemed to complement the other.  Some of the things I was journaling about, I also wrote about in my blog.  And vice versa.

I've been pretty good about challenging myself to write in the short-term (12 Days of Christmas is the most obvious example).  As I move forward in 2011, I challenge myself to keep writing as an ongoing practice.

Stay tuned.

7 Days of Gratitude

In talking with my friend Christine a week ago, I started to tell her about something good that had happened to me that day.  Then I thought of a couple of things that had happened during the past week that I also felt pretty good about. 

Before I was done telling her about those two things, I recalled something else.  Then, I remembered another good thing that had happened recently.  I lost count of how many good things I told her about before the conversation was over.

"I didn't realize how many good things I've been blessed with until I started talking with you," I told her.

The next evening, I challenged myself to write down 7 things I am grateful for every day for 7 days.  Because I was trying to avoid duplication, my list became a little more challenging as the week progressed.  What I ended up with - after finishing my 7th list of 7 - is a variety of entries.  My beloved son Eric, automatic washers and dryers, Native American flute music, and the flavor of basil in my soup are all things I am grateful for.

And, after writing 49 things I am grateful for, I am adding one more.  I am grateful for my friend Christine's call a week ago and the realization, as I talked with her, of the many good things with which my life is blessed.

Embracing New Technology

They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.  (Confucius)

(continuing from yesterday's blog)  So, what am I going to do?  Well, I may not be embracing new technology, but at least I'm giving it a pat on the shoulder.  It has provided me a convenient way to write and edit, to pay my bills, to research any topic, and so on.  I am thankful for the tools that technology has provided and how they support me in life in 2011.

I am also thankful for my fantastic computer tech who helps me to make certain that virus infections and security breaches are blocked.  He ensures I am protected against power surges, backed up in case of disk failure, and probably a lot of other things I can't even describe.

One of the best things technology has given me is an appreciation for some of the things that have been around for centuries.  The warmth of a hug or handshake or the energy of a live concert renews me like nothing I've seen on a computer or heard on a cell phone.  The texture of the yellowed pages in a book belonging to my grandfather or the thrill that I have felt for over 50 years whenever I walk into a library - these are things that technology has been unable to duplicate. 

Confucius said that change is necessary in order to experience happiness or wisdom.  I'm sure he was correct.  I just wish that technological change would walk or jog instead of sprint.

Slow Down!

Sometimes I wish I could say, "Slow Down!" to technology.  As in, "Please do not make cell phones do anything else until I catch up with all the features of my 2009 Samsung."  I realize it is now 2011, but technology seems to be advancing with the speed of an Olympic runner.

Not only do I have to understand the rudiments of how my cell phone works, but I have to be able to push little buttons accurately, read the small print on the screen, and hear the caller through whatever interference or background noise is present. 

For my twenty-something niece and nephews, this is no problem.  (And, let's not even talk about texting!  The speed with which their thumbs work the keys would make that Olympic runner sweat!)

Even when I use a cell phone and computer every day, they still sometimes upset my comfort zone.  Just when I'm becoming accustomed to a familiar piece of hardware or a frequently used software program, a problem arises that might require an upgrade, or more memory, or a different kind of port, or a replacement part (that may no longer be available.)

Slow Down!  Do you think if I yell it loud enough and long enough that technological change will decrease its speed?  No way.  So what am I going to do?

Stay tuned.