Day 2.

It would be pretty easy to wrap up today feeling a bit discouraged. After all, my day has consisted of a fight over house cleaning, house cleaning, exercise (blech!), and a really annoying cat who would like to be fed his midnight snacks rightnowthankyouverymuch.

In fact, in days past, I would be dwelling right now. But that's the point of this blog, inn'it? To keep me from dwelling and to remind me of the good from today? So here it is--the stuff that made me happy over the last 24 hours.

#1 Sleeping In
I think sleeping in is the best thing ever. I have sleep apnea, so my sleep is rarely quality; I have to make up for it in quantity. This week of holiday vacation has been especially good for that, and today was no exception--I slept until 11 and then took an hour nap later. So good.

#2 Friends
I met up with a friend this afternoon for a coffee and crochet session at Panera. It was a ton of fun to catch up with her--I haven't seen her since before the holiday. This leads to...

#3 Coffee
God damn, do I love me some coffee. I was recently reminded that back in college, I never drank the stuff, but those days seem so long ago now. My day will never be complete without a coffee. Or maybe it would be complete, but it would be a little less--shall I say it?--joyful.

#4 Amigurumi(photo from http://www.wishlist.nu/knit-and-plushes/)
I got into crocheting last year. I'm not much into doilies or afghans--I prefer to make little cartoonish animals and vegetable with faces. It's a style of crocheting called Amigurumi that originated in Japan, and it's too cute for its own good. I am happier at the end of the day knowing that such cuteness exists in this world.

#5 Mr. Spriggs BBQ

Day 1.

Happy New Year, all! My year got of to a rollicking start with the formation of the traditional human pyramid, and spiraled right into a sinus migraine to start off my morning.

Needless to say (yet I shall say it anyway), I wasn't feeling much joy.

A sinus rinse, brunch, exercise, and movie later, and I'm feeling pretty good, really. Good enough that I have managed to come up with a handful of things today that are making me feel pretty joyful about it all.

#1. My household


It's probably a good time for me to introduce you to the nutters I live with, as they will likely be making an appearance on the blog sporadically. I live with Mike, my boyfriend of two years, our dog Maggie, a 9-year-old shiba inu, Skeletor, our all black female cat, and Pocket, the baby of the family (and a a tri-color domestic shorthair). While all of them can get on my nerves from time to time, they can also make me smile more than just about anything. Right now, we're all gathered in the living room for some quality laptopping/napping. Things are good.

#2. Fuzzy Sweaters
The first day of January in Michigan wasn't taking prisoners today, so a trip to Target for necessities resulted in the splurge purchase of the above sweater for $5. Mike says I look like a polar bear. All I know is I feel snuggly.

#3. EA Sports Active More Workouts
I received this as a Christmas gift last week and I am already obsessed. Pre-programmed with a bunch of workouts, this software is like having a personal trainer at your beck and call. I convinced Mike to test it out with me and he enjoyed it (and broke a sweat) as well. The software offers a 6 week challenge that they set up for you (including rest days), or you can check out any of their other workouts (and even create your own), all set to a stylishly fake island background.

I had the original EA Sports Active and liked it, but this version definitely seems superior. They've added warm ups, cool downs, and ab work. My only complaint is this: the original version had a white female trainer and a black male trainer throughout the marketing materials, the box cover, and the software itself. I was surprised when I unwrapped the new version and found a white dude had taken the black man's place. Yet the black trainer is still the male trainer available on the software itself. WTF, EA?

#4 Sinus Rinses
OK, now, let's get serious for a second. I have had allergy trouble all of my life. I have had sinus headaches all my life. I have gone to doctor after doctor, seeking relief. Does it make any sense in the world that I should have to wait until I am 32 years old for a doctor to say, "hey, you might want to try washing all of those allergens out of your sinuses; it's been helping people for centuries!"? No--it does not. But alas, 'tis what happened. A little saline rinse and a couple ibuprofen do what no amount of allergy medicines ever could. Though I still have to take those. Bah.

#5 Timely Links
It's probably not surprising that the search for happiness is a big topic right now (I'm certainly not the only one seeking it as a resolution), but it seemed especially fortuitous when I came across this article on Huffington Post:

A Year in the Pursuit of Happiness

Which references the Happiness Project, which I'd surprisingly never heard of. I haven't gotten a chance to explore it much yet, but it seems like a terrific resource. I'm sure I'll be writing more about them in the future.

Well, I'd say that 5 is a pretty good list for only the first day of the year; I'd hate to wear myself out too quickly. I'll sign off for now as I go take advantage of bonus #6, reading in bed.

xo

The Goals.

So here they are, in all their glory: my goals for the new year. I've never before set them up so rigidly, but I've come to realize that I need structure even though I don't do it naturally. Planning ahead seems to be my best option. If I know what I am supposed to do, I'll do it (for the most part); left to my own devices, well, I'm more apt to go with whatever's easiest.

Goal: Trying to live more in the moment and appreciate the simple things.
Habit: Begin meditating
Actions: January - Meditate for 10 minutes every morning
February - Meditate for 20 minutes every morning
March - Meditate for 30 minutes every morning
April - Meditate for 40 minutes every morning
May - Meditate for 50 minutes every morning
June - December -
Meditate for 60 minutes every morning
July - Attend meditation services at Jewel Heart
Habit: Keep blog of things that make me happy and content.
Actions: Write down at least 1 item in blog every night.

Goal: Eat more mindfully
Habit: Stop reading while eating
Habit: Plan meals, shop, and prep foods on Sundays for the rest of the week.
This includes hardboiling eggs, slicing veggies for snacking, and
boiling grains/pasta for salads if necessary.

Goal: Become a regular exerciser
Habit: January - February: Complete the 6 week challenge in EA Sports Active More Workouts on low intensity
February - March: Complete the 6 week challenge in EA Sports Active More Workouts on medium intensity
March - April: Complete the 6 week challenge in EA Sports Active More Workouts on High intensity
April: Begin the Couch to 5k training; continue with EA Sports Active training
October: Compete in the Big House, Big Heart 5k
Habit: Track exercise in the blog

Goal: Become more relaxed
Habit: Practice yoga every night before bed
Habit: Meditate (as outlined above)

Goal: Read more
Habit: Read at least one book a month.

Goal: Volunteer more often
Habit: Volunteer once a quarter (or more) with one of the following organizations: Food Gatherers, Growing Hope, Ann Arbor Art Center.

Goal: Become a food blogger
Habit: Write a post at least once a week over at Making Myself at Home regarding cooking/eating.

So there were are--my starting points in my year of finding joy. I'm sure they will grow/morph over the coming months.

Stay tuned for my first joy post of the year!

And so it begins...

2010 begins in just over 12 hours. To commemorate this, I am taking a moment to share a bit of myself at this moment, a snapshot of the person who has decided to spend the next year chasing the most immeasurable of goals, joy.

If nothing else, 2009 has been the year that has proved to me just how much I sabotage myself. I eat too much. I dwell too much. I sit too much. I sleep too little. I do all of these things because at the moment they occur, they seem insurmountable. I must eat, because it is the only thing I can think of to stop the dwelling. I must dwell, because I am already dwelling and it seems too hard to stop. I must sit, because I am too tired because I slept too little. I slept too little because I dwelled too much.

Life broke in, however, with a couple glaring warning signs to tell me that these patterns must stop. My boss talked to me about my absences from poor sleeping, and insisted I see a doctor. The doctor told me that I must reduce my carbs and sugar, because my cholesterol is too high--and to go get a sleep study. I responded by gaining another 10 lbs before I finally made it into the sleep clinic, where I got the dreaded diagnosis--sleep apnea.

So here I am, 32 years old, female, having just broken 200 pounds for the first time in my life, exhausted, achy, and depressed about where I've ended up.

I am determined to change this.

This is not a typical "Weight loss" resolution--though, yes, weight loss will have to be part of it. This is about me realizing the potential in me for happiness. Because there's a whole other side of me that isn't represented in the statistics. That side of me has an amazingly supportive boyfriend, three hilarious animals, a great house, a good job, interests and opinions and, most importantly, the desire to be a peaceful, joyful person.

To that end, I am establishing a set of goals and habits to work on for the year to come. Once the list is finalized, I will post it here.

Here's to a year of joyful living!