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With Christmas properly celebrated and captured in memory, it’s onward with the 62 outrageous things to do for my 62nd birthday. As the new year approaches, bringing my birthday on January 9th, the number of folded papers in my jar dwindles. With the holiday in the middle of last week, it was a challenge to complete the daily birthday activities. And, as you are about to discover, not all went as I thought it would, requiring shifts. That’s okay. In fact, it’s more than okay. Adapting as I go is one of the ways that I learn and grow and go beyond.
Here are the week seven celebrations.
Week Seven Celebrations
As a reminder, I wrote 62 activities on slips of paper. I folded those papers up and dropped them into a jar. Every morning I draw out an activity and do what is written on the paper. I love this game, trusting that the activity I randomly select is the perfect one for that particular day. This is a game that I play frequently, for various reasons. My trust and playfulness have both deepened greatly as a result.
Adapting As I Go
Full confession….there were days I accomplished my activities…and days when I simply did not have enough time. So a couple of days, I did two activities at once. However, that did not in any way lessen the magic of playing this game. I marvel, truly, at the way that life unfolds, playfully, amazingly, when I open up and allow. One of the most important lessons that I’m learning during this game is to get out of my own way. Don’t overthink. Stay open and aware. Don’t try to control anything. Have fun.
Reach Out to a Brand for a Sponsorship
My original intention here was to reach out to a brand that I use and love. I considered the companies represented by the products in my home. And yet…as I turn over ideas in my mind, none of them stuck. That’s a sure sign to me that I haven’t hit on the right idea yet.
I finally realized I needed to think bigger, reach farther. Reach was actually my word for the year many years ago. And suddenly that word stood out on my slip of paper. Reach out.
I reached out to Amtrak, the cross country train service, with a sponsored post idea. This company is adapting the way that they market their services. They recognize the benefits of working with those who post frequently on social media. Even though there isn’t a stop in Joplin for Amtrak, I’d happily travel to where there is one and embark from there. How fun and educational a trip on rails would be. I’ll let you know how this activity turns out!
Order Business Cards for the Blogs
This activity seems easy enough. I even had an online graphic design company in mind to order from. However, looking through an endless assortment of biz cards and designs, nothing grabbed my interest.
And then I began to doubt. Does anyone still use actual business cards in this digital age? What would I use business cards for? Did I need business cards?
I played with creating my own designs and saved them while I do a bit of research to see if business cards are necessary or desirable. What’s your opinion? Do you still use actual cards?
Give Something Away Today
This activity beautifully coincided with Christmas Day. I’d already come up with a gift that I gave to several family members called a Giving Jar. What a perfect item to give away on this day and how amazingly synchronous.
My giving jars contain a Christmas Stove Top Potpourri with mandarin oranges, cranberries, cinnamon sticks, sprigs of pine and spices. As the ingredients simmer in a pot of water, the whole house smells like Christmas. Check out this post, which details how to make the potpourri.
I went a step further, turning the gift jars into giving jars. The attached card reads: This is a giving jar. After you’ve enjoyed the contents, fill the jar with something else and pass it on to someone else.
Receive and Give
The best part of this story is that once I decided on creating giving jars, events magically transpired to birth that idea into reality. I wanted to use mason jars and cover the lids with fabric. I’d recently uncovered a box in the attic that appeared to contain Ball mason jars. I retrieved the box, which came from the home of Greg’s parents after his father passed.
When I opened the box a few days before Christmas, for the first time since bringing it home, I discovered vintage mason jars as I expected. However on closer inspection I also found red, green and white material folded up. The square patterns were perfect for cutting apart to use as lid covers. I’d only need pinking shears. Do you know what else was tucked into the box? Yes, pinking shears. I can only guess that Greg’s mother created gift jars years ago and this old cardboard box contained the leftover materials.
When things like this happen, I feel so aligned with the flow of life, so connected to the Divine, so delighted in all that is. I expressed joyful gratitude for the discovery…and created the giving jars.
Work in a Different Spot
The convenience of a smart phone and a laptop means I can work from any room in my house. This activity challenged me to find a different place to work.
After the tornado ripped through Joplin in 2011, the city built a new public library on the corner of 20th and Connecticut. I love this beautiful space with its huge windows and comfortable, modern furniture. This became my designated “different spot” to work in.
I found a rocking chair and a small table near huge windows on the east side of the main room in the library. By the time I arrived, darkness curtained the window. However, I enjoyed filling out the month of January in my new planner and writing in my idea notebook. I’ll return to this spot soon when it’s daytime and I can enjoy the views out the windows.
Read a Book in a Different Genre
The library served a dual purpose, as I accomplished two activities at once there. Not only did I work, I also checked out a book in a different genre. I read widely, so when I considered possibilities, the first out of the ordinary genre that came to mind was political thriller.
Scrolling through a list of political thrillers on my phone, a title jumped out at me, The President is Missing. The authors intrigued me as well. President Bill Clinton collaborated on this story with James Patterson. I love when people step beyond who they are perceived to be and offer something new. I’m excited to complete the book. And in the same vein, I’m looking forward to visiting Crystal Bridges Art Museum in Arkansas and viewing paintings by another president who has discovered new creative abilities, George W. Bush.
Say Yes Ten Times During the Day
This activity proved interesting. I’ve always practiced saying yes more often than no, even as a parent and grandparent. However, when you have no idea what opportunities…or obligations…are coming in a day, saying yes can appear risky.
I love how this activity turned out. Briefly, the ten yeses broke down like this. Three yeses secured new clients, one brought an offer to learn more about cooking Indian food, three yeses connected me to blogging adventures, one provided an app to try out for a brand and two involved learning more about travel writing.
By the end of the day, I felt joyful, full of light and open to possibilities. That’s the power of yes.
Try a New Fruit
I’m sure there are fruits I have not yet tried. Living in the midwest limits what’s available though. I hoped to experience something exotic, like jackfruit. I knew I wouldn’t find a fresh jackfruit in the produce section of my market but I hoped to find a can of it on the shelves. No.
Back to the produce section I went, where it seems a plant based diet has exposed me to everything there. After all, I eat a lot of fruit. Walking around, thinking and adapting as I go, I spy a bin of whole pineapples.
Of course, I’ve eaten pineapple. I love the fruit. But….I’ve never eaten a fresh pineapple that I prepared myself. That’s how I adapted for this activity. I cut up a fresh pineapple, using the instructions on the tag attached to the fruit.
Now I’m wondering why whole pineapples intimidated me all these years. It wasn’t difficult to cut up and I’ll enjoy my fresh pineapple this week combined with other fruits in a salad.
Ten More Days
My birthday is ten days away. Ten more days until the game ends. This has been a fun and remarkable experience. I’m excited to share some of the lessons learned and ahas realized on January 9th. Thank you for playing along!
Check out the other weeks of activities here: week one, two, three, four, five and six.
Check out these finds from Amazon and create your own giving jars:
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