The 7 characteristics I'm bringing to my experiences this year

Last week, Joy the Baker wrote about the 6 ingredients she’s baking with this year and her post has been on my mind ever since.

She wrote:

With the new year coming into focus I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to play with in my kitchen, what I want my baking to taste like, and how I want to stretch myself and my ingredient list.

It got me thinking about applying this approach to my own life. What ideas do I want to play with this year? What do I want my experiences to be like? How do I want to stretch myself?

I wrote my answers in my journal, above. Thank you, Joy, for the inspiration!

How about you? What characteristics are you bringing to your experiences this year?

What did you appreciate today?

Today’s journal calendar entry:

On a very chilly January day here in Southern Ontario, I very much appreciated all the things that kept me warm — my cozy duvet, a steaming mug of coffee this morning and tea this afternoon, wool socks, my long coat, the heating in my car and home, and my lucky turtleneck sweater.

What did you appreciate today?

What did you make the best of today?

Today’s journal calendar entry:

Made the best of feeling under the weather by drinking lots of tea and wearing several fuzzy layers to keep the chills at bay.

What did you make the best of today?

What did you wish today?

I tend to wish for the same two things every day — time and courage — and today is no exception. Daily life is often a little too fast and a little too scary for my liking, but it helps to reflect on the things I can do to make the most of the time I do have and to face the stuff that scares me — like setting priorities and taking big projects and decisions one tiny step at a time.

What did you wish today?

Painted paper

Growing my painted paper stash for future journal pages . . .

Who or what (or where?) did you visit today?

My only visit today was to one of our local parks with the puppy at lunchtime. To be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to it. The park, while within walking distance, is part of our regular route. I’ve been there a thousand times and felt sure I’d be hard pressed to journal anything interesting about it.

So I set myself a challenge — to find one beautiful thing while we were there. It started raining along the way and the park was dull and muddy. I worried I wouldn’t find anything beautiful.

Then I looked up. The sky, while mostly grey, showed the slightest hint of purple and the trees around me, while bare and spindly, took on another quality when viewed from directly below. The shapes made by their overlapping branches reminded me of cracks in the ice on a pond or a system of rivers and their tributaries photographed from far above. It was mesmerizing. I snapped a quick photo from beneath the trees on my phone before returning home — a little soggier than before, but also kind of ridiculously happy.

I printed the photo on some copy paper, cropped off a little snippet and added it to my journal entry for today.

Who or what or where did you visit today?

What did you listen to today?

It has been such fun journaling the first seven days of January in my journal calendar. My gel pens are getting lots of exercise.

Today’s prompt is - listened to.

On my list: freezing rain dancing on our front window, an interview with Sandra Oh on CBC radio, a lovely cover of Elvis’s “Don’t Be Cruel” by Billy Swan (also on CBC radio), and school day recaps from my girls.

What did you listen to today?

What if you don't even feel that way anymore?

I read a passage recently about using reflection to be mindful of old emotions in new circumstances. I wrote in the margin and then my journal: what if you don’t even feel that way anymore?

It’s such a simple formula for letting go of an old hurt or insecurity. And when you do, it’s incredibly gratifying to realize you’ve grown to the point that something that might have ruined your day once upon a time, is now easily dismissed in favour of more constructive thoughts and experiences.

What did you make today?

Lines, dots, scribbles, and splats!

What did you make today?

What did you notice today?

Happy New Year, friends! I’ve just filled in January 2nd on my printable journal calendar and thought it might be fun to share my entries this month.

Today, first and foremost, I noticed the weather. It’s freezing! Thankfully, it’s not windy, so our trip to the dog park this morning was quite pleasant. While we were there, I noticed that our puppy, Sundae, seems much happier playing among many dogs than one on one. As more and more dogs arrive, she bounces from dog to dog, saying hello and making friends, hoping one or two will give her a good chase. It’s such fun to watch and after a few too many late nights, decadent treats, and out-of-town visits during the holidays, it’s lovely to get back to our usual routines.

What did you notice today?