These are my intentions for 2010. They seem both like a lot and not enough. Some of it’s plain common sense. Some is just living better. At any rate, I’m saying it here. This is what I have.
Let the fun begin!
body~mind
- Heal my body. I’m still plagued by bouts of lower back pain, am starting to feel stiff in the knees. Want to be limber and energetic. Water, exercise, stretching. Would love to take yoga. More walks.
- Slow down. Be present to what I do. Don’t hurry. Take at least one retreat. Maybe two if Jim wants to do one. But one alone for sure.
- Early rise. Get my sunrise on.
family
- Take care of them. It’s OK to be a wife and mom. Love them to pieces.
- Take my girls abroad. Stop saying it, do it.
- Be present for their development. These are heavy times. Make them light.
- Get up and go. Movies, hikes, day trips. Be active together.
art~writing
- Get serious about Angels & Demons. Finish Axis of Evil. Plan other works. It’s a long-term series. Go as far as I can.
- Have fun with the other stuff. Pendants, bracelets, what else? Experiment.
- Doodle a day. Easy stuff. Keep doing complex doodles but let doodle-a-day be a scribble, if that’s all I can get to.
- Writing Group. Keep it up. Three times a week. Other writing? Nurture the books percolating. Leap on opportunities that come.
business
- I have a number in my head. It’s not huge. It’s a start. (Or, rather, last fall was the start. This is the first lap.)
- Figure out what I want to do and where I want to be. New shows? Get into a gallery? New websites? Don’t rush it. Slow and steady wins the race. And just the right amount of pressure keeps it doable.
- Stay organized. Get taxes done early. Keep my space to where I can work every day. Lists. I loves them!
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This post is the Intention portion of the exercise laid out in WRITING TOPIC — REFLECTION & INTENTION. Unlike resolutions, intentions are put out to the universe. (At least for me they are.) I log ’em in my noggin’. They have a way of coming to fruition. I can’t say exactly why it is that they work for me while resolutions don’t, but they do. I trust the process.
redravine.wordpress.com 
ybonesy, these goals seem manageable. And the great thing about writing down Intentions is that it clarifies the direction we want to go. We can fill the details in along the way. Your Intentions also seem well-rounded. I think that’s the hard part, balancing between all those things. It will never be perfect. But it sure helps to set the Intention! Looking forward to 2010.
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I like the idea of intentions versus resolutions. Something so final about the idea of resolutions and that finality would give me something to rebel against from day one. On the other side, one of my favorite quotes from my mother is “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” I’m sure a difference exists between intentions and good intentions. You sent intentions.
QM, Teri, Jude and I do a check-in on our goals twice a month. No pressure to achieve everything we set out to do, but a sort of accounting for how we are doing. I like that idea…the accounting. It makes me aware of what I am doing or not doing.
Sounds like you will accomplish a lot in the coming year. I’m surprised at all the family stuff because I always think of you as quite devoted to our husband and girls…a really good wife and mother…in addition to all the other fabulous things you are.
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One of the internal conflicts I’ve had really since I became a wife and later a mother has been about balancing time I use to be a part of my family entity versus doing my own works (writing, art, and my day job, which is also a night job since I often work at night in calls with Vietnam). The conflict comes out in the form of resistance. I’ll spend the time, but I’ll do it grudgingly and sometimes begrudgingly.
So, the idea again is to embrace all of that. It’s a process. I’ve been slowly embracing my life for the past six years, more so each year. I want to continue on that path.
Bob, what you, Teri, Jude, and QM have created is amazing. It’s a special thing. Now you all have enough time doing this that I bet you can look back and see how much progress you’ve made.
I’m a very forward-looking person. It’s important to me to see that I’m moving forward. Not everyone has that need. But for me it’s a motivator.
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Funny, isn’t it, how resistance pops up for everyone in some form or another. Mine comes from the resistance to actually sit down and do my writing, drawing, painting, photography, reading, whatever. I will spend hours watching the world outside instead of doing some creative project.
My intention for this year (one of them anyway) is to spend more time creating things, whatever those things may be. This piece and the one yesterday has caused me to stop and assess my life and where I am headed if I let the world carry me along. Do I take more charge of my life? Do I try to do the things I think/feel I want to do? Does any of it matter? I’ll keep you posted.
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ybonesy, interesting about you being a forward looking person and how important that is to you. Especiallly in regard to our last red Ravine meeting. It made me stop and pause for a second. I used to be more of a reflective person but that’s changed a little bit.
When I went to do my reflection/intention posts, I found I didn’t want to look forward or backward. I had a lot of resisitance at first to writing either of those posts. I wanted to simply rest and be in the moment over the Holidays.
Thank you for what you said about the Midwest writing group. It does feel like we have created something special with it. I really value that time. This April we are meeting in Minnesota.
But what I wanted to mention is that I sometimes have a lot of resistance checking in with the Midwest Writing Group. My check-in’s might be late sometimes, when in the beginning they were mostly on time. It changes and I have to fess up to not always getting them in there on time. The accountability is a glorious thing; and also a hard thing. It’s the same way with doing the photo a day practice. All that resistance comes up. I’ll ponder more.
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ybonesy, your intentions are so comprehensive, and yet it’s so easy to be sure you will pursue them all. I admire that about you. It’s a lot to balance, but even more to take on in the first place. It inspires me that you don’t shy away from the challenge. I shy away from a challenge all the time. It’s great to have your example out there.
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Hey Nat, how great to hear from you. Your comment reminded me of two interviews I did yesterday. I was the interviewer, and I always like to ask this question, which someone once asked me when I was on the other side applying for a job: List five adjectives to describe yourself. The question was sort of unexpected, so I had to then elaborate, and I said, well, for example, in describing myself I would say, “easily bored,” “likes a challenge,” “curious”…
Yep, I like a challenge, probably because I get easily bored. 8) Happy new year!
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QM, that’s honest of you to admit the resistance you sometimes face when checking in with your Midwest Writing Group. But what’s admirable is that you keep doing it in spite of the resistance. Hey, are you and Teri planning a fun time in Minnesota? I can’t wait to hear more about what’s on the agenda in terms of places to visit, things to see. What will the weather be like in April?
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Happy New Year, YB. Wonderful intentions and quite inspiring. I’ve been trying to think of some intentions, ideas, mindsets that I could embrace for 2010 myself. They’re percolating and haven’t quite bubbled up yet but they’re getting there.
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Thanks, Julian. Happy New Year to you, too. So you’re a percolator, too? I had to let mine bubble around for a while, as well. Best to you on yours.
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I like the word “intention.” It leaves enough wiggle room to not berate ourselves if we backslide once in a while.
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yb, easily bored? Ha! I have 5 different wedding rings…
You and I would make quite the pair on a vacation…There are few people in the world that can keep up with me. I think you may be one. And what with all the inappropriate laughter, hell, think of all the places we could get thrown out of !
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[…] that I’m an actualizer at heart. Of course, there are downsides to setting and realizing intentions. Jim long ago gave up complaining when I’d spend hours socked away in my writing room. But I […]
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