This, the final day, is the hardest. I Googled a bit to see what kind of answers other people gave, and there is one common statement: I have no core story. I agree. That doesn't mean I have no life, it just means that there is no way to sum myself up. Actually, R and I were kind of discussing this last weekend after I said I'm just a normal person and don't have that one single attribute that makes people want to get to know me. We decided that no one really does - it's the sum of all parts that matters. If you play a lot of roles such as daughter and sister and friend and engineer and single woman, each one contains a completely different core story of yourself and is shared with the world in its own way.
Day 30 Prompt: Gift. This month, gifts and gift-giving can seem inescapable. What's the most memorable gift, tangible or emotional, you received this year?
I received four especially memorable gifts this year, all for my birthday, and they are significant to different phases of my life.
- The Past: my photo book
- The Present: a new phone from Ree & C and the matching right hand ring that R & I got
- The Future: a gift card from my parents to fly wherever my next adventure takes me
Day 29 Prompt: Defining moment. Describe a defining moment or series of events that has affected your life this year.
There was a period early in 2010 when I had a series of first dates. That's not a big deal in most people's lives, but it was a bit of a whirlwind for me. The rollercoaster of being excited and nervous and wary, having to decide what to wear and what to say and what to eat, figuring out how many chances to give them before I end things (because, let's face it, I almost always want to end it)...it was pretty taxing but oh so much fun.
Day 28 Prompt: Achieve. What's the thing you most want to achieve next year? How do you imagine you'll feel when you get it? Free? Happy? Complete? Blissful? Write that feeling down. Then, brainstorm 10 things you can do or 10 new thoughts you can think in order to experience that feeling today.
As much as I hate to say this because it's cliche and not "me", I'd like to regain a good body image. I'm not setting any measurable goals, but I just want to manage all of the changes that randomly came about, with no warning, as I turned 30. Hopefully this slow process will allow me to feel more confident in my appearance.
Day 27 Prompt: Ordinary joy. Our most profound joy is often experienced during ordinary moments. What was one of your most joyful ordinary moments this year?
Whenever my family gets together, we spend a good chunk of each morning sitting around the kitchen drinking chai and doing nothing. It's my favorite part of our reunions, the cozy part of the day before people go off in their separate ways.
Day 26 Prompt: Soul food. What did you eat this year that you will never forget? What went into your mouth and touched your soul?
In Athens, we ate at Erato like 3 times. We made friends with owners of the restaurant and they treated us like family, bringing dish after dish of things we might like, letting us taste their own meals, and literally spoon-feeding us fresh veggies and fruits from their garden. The best thing about the food was that it was so simple and fresh...homemade bread, olive oil, hummus, tzaziki, feta, souvlaki, watermelon...heaven.
Day 25 Prompt: Photo - a present to yourself. Sift through all the photos of yourself from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you.
Sorry, I have to refer to Greece again. This may not really capture who I am, but isn't it a cool photo? It was taken in Santorini by one of my traveling companions. I can easily come up with all sorts of symbolism about being in my natural state, looking up towards the mountains, and having the sun's rays beaming up, but I'll just let it speak for itself.
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