Tag Archives: timeline

All of the best things that happened in 2017

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  • Finished all my coursework and applied to graduate for my master’s program
  • Identified a capstone paper topic so that I can graduate
  • Learned three new software programs (Tableau, Excel, Stata)
  • Became attuned to reiki level 2
  • Shared reiki
  • Took the best, most memorable, so-perfect-I-kind-of-can’t-believe-it-happened vacation with my mom, dad, and sister through England and Wales.
    • Met Phillipa (London). Met Paul and Pauline (Wales). Met Dave (Liverpool). Met Judy Chicago (also Liverpool).
    • Dad got his approval for faculty emeritus status at the Lion Inn in Winchcombe, the Cotswolds. Was slightly cranky that we dragged him to both Cardiff and Bath, but I think it was worth it in the end.
    • I think Nora was cranky that we didn’t let her walk to Bath. I never knew the woman liked to walk so much.
    • Mom had the best time at the beach in Tenby, where we had arguable our best and most cozy-feeling-family meal of the trip, a seafood and lamb dinner.
    • Saw Beautiful, the Carole King musical, in the West End
    • Got to see one of my best friends in South London, and visit her and her husband’s new apartment
  • Caught minimalist fever and rid myself of 600 items (and counting)
  • Composted almost all year
  • Got to talk with renowned climate scientist pioneer Dr. EMT
  • Went to Skull Session and the football game the day my dad was recognized on the field as a Distinguished Professor
  • Worked graduation the day Marla got her MA; got to find her and say hello
  • Maintained a curly bob until autumn
  • Planted a couple of trees in front of the apartment with Mom and Dad
  • Helped plant the south side fruit park
  • 29th birthday dinner in Grandview with a serendipitous running-into old neighbors
  • Joined and performed with the Harmony Project Spirit of Columbus choir
  • Got sense knocked into me and dropped out, because I don’t need another extracurricular
  • Performed live music with a friend at a bar in Clintonville (why not? say yes!)
  • Flew to Florida for a wedding
  • Drove to Nashville to see a friend (cue night at the honky tonk)
  • Flew to Atlanta to see a friend (and SZA) (and Ria’s Bluebird Cafe. Twice.)
  • Drove to DC with a friend for the Women’s March on Washington; got to see a friend’s bachelor pad, a college friend, and a friend from Berlin
  • Hosted ward meetings. People came.
  • Saw so many friends who live in or visit Columbus, from the top of the year to the bottom
  • Watched the eclipse with the office crew
  • Saw a friend’s Russian art collection at the museum, and attended his guided tour
  • Heard Valerie June play live
  • Surprised mom at her retirement party
  • Mom beat cancer
  • Went vegan and gluten free for 30 days and loved it
  • Did a bunch of weight training and loved it
  • Had a solo weekend in Hocking Hills
  • Had a weekend with a friend to Songbird in Hocking Hills
  • Had a family Thanksgiving in Hocking Hills
  • Enjoyed enthusiastically pushing my diet on my family by making green smoothies for Thanksgiving breakfast. They played along so they are keepers. The dog refused her portion.
  • Went to the Ohio State-Penn State nail-biter of a football game
  • Got to see two friend’s new homes (friends! who are homeowners!)
  • Learned to make tinctures
  • Nora started a new job
  • Continued to value work and all the incredible things it teaches me
  • Did some top-notch neighborhood dining out

Feeling very grateful for 2017. Happy for life. Inviting compassion, gratitude, and focus to 2018. Thank you for reading!

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February 2017

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Without regard for my feelings about the too-quick passage of time, February arrived. I looked back over my January goals. What did I accomplish and what fell by the wayside? Writing here wasn’t a priority for January, but it happened anyways, so I’ll own it this month. My priorities list is part aspiration, part assessment. Work and school take up most of my time; they’re on the list. In service to our daydreams, we can put up almost comical blinders around our active, usually positive commitments. I constantly relearn the lesson that ignoring commitments doesn’t magically make time for extra hobbies. Oh, that’s just me?

Out of nowhere, house-hunting has emerged. If you’ve met my family, perhaps this is not ‘out of nowhere’ — my dad and I would often go to open houses for fun. We would talk to the realtor about likely bids (my dad), examine the floors, furnace, and fixtures (both of us) and assess the number of rooms with south-facing sun (me). I saw a beautiful house in Clintonville in January, up the street from a friend. I arrived late but the realtor said that at least 40 young couples had been through the house already. Two more arrived while I was there. I bypassed a look at the furnace.

In large text in my planner, I wrote, “TIME TO START SEWING AGAIN,” but when I wrote my monthly priorities list, it didn’t make it. For all that I’ve done, I’m still learning, and I need blocks of uninterrupted time for those types of craft projects. This is the hobby where I badly want my ideas to flow smoothly into real life. I penciled it in for May, as a reminder that if I want to set an intention and goal, I’ll need to make space for it to flourish.

In this spirit of intention setting: this February, wishing you warmth, practicality, consistency, and care.

All the best things that happened in 2016

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  • Finally found a furniture arrangement that works for my apartment
  • Got elected!
  • Gave up gluten, loved it
  • Did a month of yoga
  • Spent time with my mom, dad, and sister
  • Dug into work
  • Learned a bunch about posture after a number of appointments for medical massage (a win in the end)
  • Visited New Orleans, LA; Tivoli, NY; Nelsonville, OH; Hocking Hills; Atlanta, GA
  • Spent time with rad friends
  • Meditated for the first time
  • I took the GRE!
  • Sold the Jetta and bought the Civic
  • Realized a movie theater near my work has $5 Tuesdays
  • Crafted some great and empowering mantras
  • Read tarot
  • Matriculated 50% of the way through my MA

Thank you, 2016. Ready for 2017.

All the best things that happened in 2015

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  • Swam with a sea turtle and lots of other amazing, beautiful things in Puerto Rico, like going to a coffee farm and hiking a mountain through a tropical thunderstorm
  • Built the cabin with my dad, wrote the newsletter to go with it, and opened it for rent
  • Got a vocal coach
  • Transitioned to a new job
  • Got into grad school, got a first semester 3.7
  • Said yes to being on a board and a YP groups, said yes to running for a local government position, said yes to getting back to the gym
  • Embraced my apartment and started redecorating
  • Bridesmaided and bachelorette partied
  • Loved a lot of people a whole bunch
  • Read a bunch of books, finally
  • Took two trips to California, and one to Miami, and one to New York
  • Ran a treadmill 5k
  • Felt different and better about the way I consider the mind-body, about priorities, about life balance
  • Turned 27, liked it
  • Spent quality time connecting with and understanding my sister
  • Tried to come home for dinner more

It was a really good year.