Sum Kind of Wonderful, 2011

By
Mel
 – January 2, 2012Posted in: The Wayfarer
Second only to Halloween, New Year’s is a favorite of mine. The ritual self-assessing gets me literally giddy as I look ahead at a new year with a clean slate and infinite possibility. I realize we could do this at any time, but having it closely follow the hope and joy of Christmas, New Year’s reflection seems so apros pos in the quiet stillness of the winter season, a precursor to the renewal of spring (for those of us in the northern hemisphere at least).
This year I added a new tradition in an attempt to find a way to sum up my year and take along all the good from it. I compiled my own Top 10 list, but found only including 10 moments difficult. Should my family need to be present for each? Should I be the actor in each of them or is it okay to watch others accomplishing something amazing? Are only acts of bravery worth noting or is a quiet moment experiencing a child’s snuggle or big belly laugh acceptable? When I was done, the very fact that Halloween was not included indicated it was a damn good year.

1. Big Leap from bridge in New Zealand: Honestly, the entire trip to New Zealand could be its own top 10 for the year, possibly lifetime. It was the first time in my life I packed whatever I wanted for a trip, without the sounds of others in my head telling me it wouldn’t be a fashion show or I would want practical shoes, blah blah blah. But jumping from that bridge showed me a side of bravery and ability to take risk I hadn’t seen yet in myself. It reminded me of the quote from We Bought A Zoo — it only takes 20 seconds of insane courage . . .

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2. Sound of silence, New Zealand: Experiencing the intense silence and remoteness of the Doubtful Sound reconnected me with nature. I felt more of God in that moment than I probably did the rest of the year combined.

3. Playing Valentine post: Putting up my Prop 8 video was a last-second idea for me, but boy did I test whether I really wanted to say good-bye to my approval whore. I had no idea how much attention it would draw, but it felt like a way I could right a wrong. I am most proud because I wanted to remove it as soon as I saw its publicity, and yet I didn’t.

4. The Book of Mormon Musical on Broadway:  I feel so lucky to have participated in this piece of Mormon history. The sentiment and story had both an irreverent yet admiring attitude, one I experience so frequently.

5. Gogol Bordello covering The Pogues: Neither of these bands is my favorite, but my husband loves them both and we saw them both in 2011. On the last song of the 2nd encore by GB, something went wrong it seemed with one of the guitars, and they covered “Dirty Old Town,” saying they had sung it in Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day. Most of their fans weren’t as familiar with it, but I love it when a band honors someone who inspired them. It signifies all the live music I got to hear this year, including The Avett Brothers, Mumford and Sons, Erasure, Yelle and Tori Amos among my favorites.

6. My son’s black belt karate test: I usually don’t get overly involved in my children’s accomplishments, but there was something amazing and inspiring about watching this child who is incredibly intense and difficult to parent, work so hard. I saw him focus and channel his intensity into something positive. He taught me so much about focus, will, preparation and gusto in those 4 hours, proving that our weaknesses can really be our strengths.

7. Korean spa adventure: This “no bathing suits” spa experience marked the beginning of the end of my war with my body. I went to the spa with several friends, and was acutely aware that I carried many more pounds and years than they. But I quickly forgot all about my flaws and faults as women of all ages, shapes and sizes were there, soaking, scrubbing, resting, rejuvenating, loving and caring for their bodies and spirits. I saw with divine eyes the astonishing beauty of the feminine form, and I learned more about my body being a temple than from the numerous lessons I’ve experienced fully clothed.

8. Turning 40: I experienced a great outpouring of love, from my birthday post to Randy collecting memories from friends for me. My dad flew in for a lunch date, my children baked me a cake and I ended with a gathering of friends at a quaint French restaurant in my town. It was perfection in every way and exactly what I needed.

Photo from my first day at this job

9. Leaving a job I love: About mid-year I came to the conclusion that my job was fun and exciting, but not the right path for me. At one point, I had wanted this job more than anything else on the planet, so choosing to leave it behind without another in hand required a huge leap of faith in myself, my worth and my talents. I don’t yet have a happy ending to this story, other than a deeply-held belief that the end results are not the determining factor for whether it was a good decision.

10. December 30-30-30: I am running a Ragnar race this year and our team decided on a group challenge of 30 runs in 30 days for at least 30 minutes each. Day 1 was 26 degrees, and I had heretofore had an “above freezing temperature” requirement for a run, but I went nonetheless. I only achieved 26 of those days, but ran more than I’ve ever run in December and experienced the saying by Harriet Braiker”Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for  perfection  is demoralizing.”

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What’s one of your best moments from the past year?