Reverb10: Wonder + Let Go

December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)


I cultivated my sense of wonder this year by trying to watch the world, particularly new experiences, through Maggie's eyes.  Ordinary things to us are often new and wonderful to her as she moved this year from 5 months to 16 months old.  She learned all about sitting up, new foods, walking, talking, sleeping all night, kisses, hugs, high fives, the parts of her body,the parts of our house, she learned about friends and family and our expectations of her.  Everything is new to M in this early phase.  She marvels at it and investigates with phenomenal curiosity.  I have tried to step back and experience some of that sense of discover with her rather than being frustrated that she is "in" everything.  She constantly is exploring, learning, marveling at her world and I've been trying to marvel with her.  


December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Author: Alice Bradley)


This one is tricky... Let's try this -- I have let go of the idea that I am  not and can never be an athlete/dancer.  I will never be a professional and will likely never be truly thin (although I have not let go of attempting the later), but can be fit.  I am banishing the ideas that because I'm not a size 2 I'm not or won't be "fit".  At this precise moment, I'm less fit than I was four months ago, but for the first seven months of the year I focused hard on reshaping the image of myself as sedentary and embraced movement, dance, and reshaping my body.  It is a journey I plan to continue on and continue to work to let go of the negative self-image of my fitness ability that came with me into 2010. Here's to dancing and moving and believing my body is capable of more even though today it is feeling sore and a little more squishy than it was a couple months ago.  A set-back isn't the end it is just a chance to start again tomorrow.