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I’ve entered the home stretch, doing outrageous activities, as my 62nd birthday is this week. What fun these celebrations sparked. And, not surprisingly, opportunities for growth and going beyond my comfort zone appeared as well. That was the primary intention, playing this game. I’ll be a bit sad to see it end, however what a wonderful way to begin a new year.
Check out last week’s activities as the count down continues.
Week Eight 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 deepened greatly as a result.
Home Stretch
With my birthday so close, the jar is almost empty. I’m posting last week’s activities today and I’ll do a follow up post Friday to wrap up this two month long event. Here are the last seven activities…with an explanation. I had clients to take care of and non-celebratory but important tasks to do such as creating a vision board for the year. This past week I didn’t complete every activity although I at least began each one. I’ll follow through and finish them in the upcoming weeks.
Create Art Piece for This Year’s Symbol the Key
I started this practice last year, creating a work of art that features my symbol for the year. The idea of creating such art yearly appeals to me. Thus I began my second sketch in this series. The key is my symbol for 2020, representing how curiosity “unlocks” doors of adventure and opportunity.
Because I felt drawn to the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, I drew him holding a key rather than a pocket watch. The rough sketch is pictured here. I’ll tidy it up and then use colored pencils to complete the art piece. And, looking at it here, I think I’ll make that key larger. I possess a BIG sense of curiosity.
Visit a Local Store I’ve Not Visited Before
I frequently drive by Plato’s Closet, located on S. Rangeline and yet I’ve never visited this consignment store. Plato’s Closet buys and resells gently worn name brand clothing. Although they primarily cater to teens and twenty-somethings, they carry a wide variety of brands and styles, in a full range of sizes. Prices are generally 70% off what you’d find at the mall.
When I stopped by, the store was full of shoppers looking for bargains. I didn’t have much time, however I enjoyed browsing through well organized racks of tops, pants and dresses. I saw several women carry in bags of clothing. While they shopped, employees sorted through the clothes, made selections and presented offers. I believe you can receive cash or a store credit.
I’ll certainly return to Plato’s Closet when I have more time to look.
Change Themes on the Blogs
I wrote these as separate activities and drew them the same week, which actually worked out well. It’s time to change the themes on my blogs, prompting me to look through possibilities for Cindy Goes Beyond and Journey With Healthy Me. I felt drawn to blog themes created by Solo Pine, on the site Theme Forest.
My criteria for new themes includes compatibility with WordPress, responsiveness, mobile friendliness and a clean, uncluttered layout. I selected the theme Rosemary for Beyond and the theme Alder for Journey. Watch for the blogs to freshen up their appearances in the next week or so. Because technology is one way I am forced to grow, I will spend time over the weekend uploading these new themes and making necessary changes.
Try a New Vegetable
I’ve noticed these small green gourds in the produce section at the grocery store. Is it a fruit? Is it a vegetable? When I drew this activity I checked out these new to me foods to discover what they were exactly.
It turns out they are chayote, a type of squash that is common in Mexico. And while this produce is technically a fruit, it is prepared and eaten like a vegetable. The meat of the chayote is used much like zucchini. It can be added raw to salads or stir fried, boiled, mashed or baked.
I purchased a couple of chayotes and found a recipe online to adapt. Although I haven’t prepared my new “vegetable” yet, I will tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Have an Afternoon of Silence
I welcomed this quiet activity. However, I didn’t get to experience it on the day I drew the slip of paper from the jar. Instead IÂ partnered this one with the next day’s activity, Record Video One in the Believe in Yourself Series. It was an interesting combination…silence for a time then take after take recording a video.
I am at heart a solitary person. When I’m by myself, I tend to speak very little although I may burst into song occasionally. Typically music plays in the background when I’m home alone.
For this activity, I chose complete silence, with no speaking, music, or television. The absence of noise allowed my muscles to relax and my breathing to deepen. I found myself smiling several times, as I worked in my studio. I’d like to practice this activity more.
Record Video One in the Believe in Yourself Series
I followed my time of quiet with a burst of speaking. I ended up doing at least a dozen takes before I got a decent video for this activity…and it was only a five minute recording!
Here’s what I learned. To properly do a series of videos, I’ll need a dedicated space to create in and some essential equipment. I propped my phone up in my creative studio, which seems appropriate enough. However I dealt with too much sunlight filtering in through the closed blinds, my iPhone falling over while I recorded and a cat that just had to check out what was going on. And then there were the flubs as I spoke!
It’s all valuable experience that I’m grateful for. I’m encouraged to keep trying and keep going. I know there is another video related activity still in the jar. I’ll see how that one goes compared to this initial attempt.
Happy Birthday to Me
Thursday is my birthday. It’s already been a unique celebration, or series of celebrations rather, that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. I’m grateful that my granddaughter suggested this idea to me. She’s very aware of what I’ve been doing and that precious girl has been my biggest cheerleader the last eight weeks.
I’ll finish this series on Friday, although I expect that the impact from this imaginative game will continue for some time. I’ve given myself a remarkable gift.
Check out the other activities during weeks one, two, three, four, five, six and seven.
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