Thursday, April 21

Looking back…

…on my optimistic January post I can’t help but feel a little disappointed at my lack of progress.

Here’s an update…

Simplify

Not a complete failure here, I have been quite ruthless about simplifying some areas of my life. The ridiculous amount of online activity for a start. I now have Facebook, Twitter (which is still under review) a couple of forums I contribute to irregularly and the very few blogs which I now read from Google Reader*. My own blog was never on the hit list for online simplifying but it seems to have been an unintentional casualty anyway.

There are many other areas that I have not yet simplified. I did write a ‘20 things’** list and I probably need to revisit it. 4/10 for simplifying.

Enjoy Peace

Hmmm, well I do still attempt this and have had some success. My meditation practice is erratic but at least more regular than it has been for a couple of years. I attended our Parish Retreat a couple of weeks ago which was a wonderful day of peace and intend to more of those this year. I am being more conscious of my busy-ness and stress levels, trying to breathe more. I’d give this 3/10.

Create

Fail. Absolutely no creative work has taken place, some of my job type work requires a certain amount of creativity but that’s not what I had in mind here. No art, no craft, no knitting or even interior decorating to express my creativity. 0/10

Write

Reports and project work yes – and that has its place. The kind of writing I want to do. No. 1/10 (because those reports require effort).

Hug trees

This is meant to encompass any communing with nature. I’ve planted some flat leafed parsley. ‘Nuff said. ½ /10

Rest

I wish. 0/10

Clearly I was either over-optimistic about what I can achieve or I’m just not trying.

* The downside of viewing in Google reader is I can’t comment which I find a bit frustrating. The alternative is to click over to the blogs and comment…which defeats the purpose of reading them in GR. I need to think more about this.

** I use a ‘20 things list’ for all kinds of projects. If there’s something I want to do, some project I want to complete or a goal I want to achieve, I quickly jot down 20 things I need to do – without thinking too deeply about it. Sometimes there are more than 20, but I always start with 20 or I get overwhelmed. It’s just something that works for me. Usually.

5 comments:

Dave said...

Do read blogs properly. Blogging is about interactivity. If you don't comment you're not doing it properly (and we miss you).

Do keep trying to breathe too.

Z said...

I've still got a lot of blogs bookmarked in Google Reader but always click through to some blogs and sometimes to others. However, my simplification is that when it gets too much, I click on 'all items' and then 'mark all as read'. I don't do that when there are friends' posts to be read though, I quickly scan through them first - and I still click through if I want to comment.

I've got limited time to enjoy peace, but I've finally learned to unwind quickly and totally when I have a chance.

Anonymous said...

I shall do my best Dave. With the reading, commenting and breathing. Especially the breathing, I suspect that's quite important.

I think I need to follow your example Z. Some blogs I 'read only' and they're often the ones that average 600 comments on every post and they don't know I'm alive anyway. Others I consider friends and they should therefore have to put up with me putting in my ten cents (pence) worth.

Dave said...

Jolly good.

Miss Robyn said...

hey Caitlin, I emailed you.. new email address so may have gone to spam :(