02 December 2010

reverb 10


Reverb 10 encourages us to "Reflect on this year and manifest what's next" by providing writing prompts for each day of the last month of the year.  I first read about it on PoMoGolightly's blog, and it intrigued me - not enough to start it on time, of course, but enough to give it a try.



December 1 One Word.
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you? (Author: Gwen Bell)

My word for 2010 has to be "endurance." It was a year to be endured. It was, I knew, the last year of my brilliant career as a librarian, and the nine months of 2010 that I managed to hang on were some of the most difficult of all. I had health issues, diagnoses that will affect the rest of my life, possibly shorten it, and will definitely change the amount of energy I have to life it. Both of my lovely in-laws died, one unexpectedly (although it was clear he would not live much longer) and one in the brutal clutches of dementia. Etc. It was, truly, one damned thing after another.

For 2011, then, my word has to be "regeneration." I have to re-grow a Self out of what's left. I have a lot: husband, friends, family, knitting, reading, spinning, writing, and undiminished curiosity. Let's see what I can do.


December 2 Writing.
What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?
(Author: Leo Babauta)

The things I do that don't contribute to writing also don't contribute to knitting, spinning, reading, and all of the other things that define me. I fret a lot, I second-guess myself, and I stall if I don't think I have perfect conditions to do what I want to do. These three things are personality traits and habits. I can't help my wiring (much), but I certainly can try to become more mindful of the THUDS when these things (literally) kick in. Even becoming mindful enough to say OW! would be helpful!

8 comments:

Beverly said...

Glad we'll be doing this together!!

Julie said...

Mindfulness is an enormous asset but it's also one of the hardest things for me to attain.

Donna Lee said...

I saw that on someone else's blog and thought it was such an interesting idea. One word for the entire year. I think my word for this past one would be loss. Six family members in 12 months. For 2011, it's resilience. I want to cultivate more resilience to bounce back with less angst and stress.

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry to hear about your year. I knew some of it from your blog. Dementia is ugly, isn't it? My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's this year.

Nicole said...

"What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?" Oh dear. Um... Facebook. And yes, I certainly should...

Carrie K said...

Sorry about your year, one damn thing after another pretty much sums it up along with endurance for me too. Regeneration. Excellent word choice.

Intriguing - meme? exercise?

Bridget said...

This is a really interesting concept, and I like the challenge of it.

I hope you can fulfill your word for 2011.

Nana Sadie said...

I love this! What a great idea. Since blogging is becoming more of a challenge to me (probably because it's the time of year it is, as much knitting stuff is top-secret!). I must think on this a bit.
Day 7 so I need to think fast, eh?
I LOVE your word for next year. And send many of these...
(((((hugs)))))
to help you deal with the challenges of this current year.