Friday, December 16, 2011

2011 Wrap up...

It feels to me like 2011 was a cocoon that I'm emerging from.  Not that it was a bad year, hell, not that it was a good year.  It just feels to me like some kind of used up skin that is sloughing off.  It was a year I started out, not with resolutions, but with intentions.  I intended a lot of things, quite a few of which I got - not overnight mind you, but through some planning, some flexibility, some give and some take.  Mostly I intended to do some deferred maintenance on my health and well being - body, mind and spirit, the rest happened, as they say, while I was making other plans.

Body - I had several gatherings to attend this year with people who hadn't seen me in a while, (or ever).  You'd think I would have gone on some kind of strict diet or exercise regime to lose weight for these events.  But I didn't.  I didn't want to disappoint myself, and frankly, was more interested in connecting with the people, than comparing waist size.  I did however embark on a journey of healthcare, having my hormone levels checked, the inside of my colon checked, and my skin and teeth checked.  I'm happy to say that for having grown up frying myself in baby oil on foil paper, and eating a diet of Doritos and Coke, I was pretty lucky to only have one cracked filling that needed a crown, one instance of a relatively slow growing skin cancer, and a benign colon polyp, both of which I had removed! I'm also happy to report that while I now take a handful of supplements and plant-based, bio-identical hormone pills, potions and lotions, I am thinking much more clearly, and I am hot-flash free for the first time in about 5 sweaty years!  I also made the decision to stop covering the grey in my hair.  I noticed one day that the strands were a particularly shiny and pretty color, so slowly but surely, I'm working with my hairdresser to cut off the old unnatural colors and grow in the healthy salt and pepper, with a sassy style!

Mind  - While I was happy as a little clam working at the Symphony with a covey of women my own age and temperament, and who loved to drink wine as much as me - it was only part time.  I managed to add a second sweet part time contract job at the local healthcare corporation where Downtown Dad also works, with the Marketing Department's Digital Care Team, proofreading, and editing the website.  This was a group of people quite different from my Symphony Babes.  Mostly 30 somethings with decidedly healthful habits, like working out.  I was able to hold down the two part time jobs for most of the year, but the hours, not to mention the wild mood and personality swings, were starting to take their toll. A few months ago I accepted an offer to become a full time member of the Digital Care Team, and quit the Symphony.  I'm not quite what I refer to as a "real boy" yet, I'm still on a contract basis, but its getting closer every day!  Benefits, retirement, and peer pressure to be healthy - YAY!  I've also signed up to participate in a 13 month, non-surgical, diet and exercise program that is largely funded by the company.

Spirit - Through a series of events I would have never expected, I have had the opportunity to have some deep and meaningful conversations with my family and friends and the chance to look at my life quite differently.  I learned that I like hoppy beer, and the mountains behind Goleta, almost as much as the beach. I learned a lot about classical music, and the people who play it, and that after all these years of dreading the winter, I find I miss the snow when it's not here.  I've learned to speak and write in HTML, and to "dance with the digital natives," as well as that the emptying nest is not as bad as it seemed.  I also learned that I am not a Baby Boomer, but a Generation Joneser; and that I should trust my gut, because I am a very intuitive person.

This probably won't be my last 2011 post - I just wanted to capture some of this in writing.  I'm looking forward to blogging in 2012, and my intent is to post more regularly, with something worth reading. My 13 month program and progress (or lack of) should prove interesting.  I will be making a few "organizational" changes to my blog as well.  I want to add my 'bucket list' items, mostly as goals, but also as fodder for things to write about.  It is also my intent (as always) to make time to read and comment on other people's blogs.

So, here's to putting the finishing touches on whatever you hoped to accomplish this year, and to whatever you hope the new year holds for you!

1 comment:

smalltownme said...

This sounds like a good year to me.