Elton John and writing.

22. Elton John concert. I had the distinct pleasure of attending one of these years ago and would like to repeat the blissful experience…

23. Meditate for 15 minutes a day, everyday. I have been lazy about this and promise to practice more.

24. Look for the joy in my daily routine. I have been really good about this, which is why I cannot put up with any kind of negative emotion.

25. Work on Geni. This is a family tree project that is ongoing. I have to upload photos for each person next.

26. Prepare a new recipe at least four times a week. I do this with great inspiration and appreciation.

27. Develop a daily writing practice. I love to write with my gel pens, so this is ongoing.

19 -21 jewelry and furnishings

19.Create more beautiful one of a kind jewelry. I have been wholeheartedly enjoying this one! I create when I am inspired and it’s always a thing of beauty. This year I’ve probably sat down about four or five times and within those times, I’ve had many hours of pure fun. I only go to my atelier when nothing could keep me from it – that’s how I know I am inspired and ready to do something amazing. It also takes just a few minutes to do something fabulous. If I have to convince myself to go there, it means I am not ready and whatever I create will be awful. Creating from a place of pure joy is the best feeling in the world.

20. Compile and publish a recipe book. This sounded good at the time I thought of it. Since then I’ve felt it to be quite a burdensome task. Instead I’m continuing with my foodblog as a record of my own creations as well as those of others I enjoy. I’m happy to tweak a recipe to suit me and to create new ones when I feel inspired.

21. Refurnish dining room. Since writing this I’ve added a dimmer switch, two new dinning chairs and some new cross stitch frames on the wall. I’m well pleased with this room for now…

18. Stay at a Castle in Scotland or Ireland.

This has been a lifelong goal of mine and I just thought I’d move it up to 201o and now 2011! Seriously, there is nothing more romantic or thrilling than staying in a Castle with a magnificent library! I could hardly wait.

I’ve been thinking of Bovey Castle or Dundas Castle in Scotland to name just two. Meanwhile researching them has been a real thrill and when I do go, I hope I am just as thrilled!!!

Photo Diary and meeting the President.

Goals 10- 17

10. Record a photo diary. I took the photos but did not formally organize them in a diary form as I’d hoped. Instead, I used them for my various blogs or just saved them on my computer. I do plan on trying out the photo diary one of these years!

11. Rendezvous with more friends. This year I met some friends I had not seen in more than twenty-five years and I made some new ones. I also reconnected with family members after a period of estrangement. It was all good!

12. Listen to a different XM station each day. This goal was so that I can introduce myself to a variety of world music. It didn’t work out because I could not be in the vicinity of the radio long enough. Also I enjoyed listening to audio books more of the time. I had other times where I would peruse the web for world music and found that it was more enjoyable to me then, as I was single mindedly focused on appreciating the music.

13. Ride in a hot air balloon. Ah I have yet to realize this particular pleasure!

14. See the Northern Lights. This too, as I have to be in Alaska in either March or September to fully appreciates the Aurora Borealis. I like that I still have this to look forward to for some reason.

15. Become more vibrationally attuned. This goal has to do with me paying more attention to the way I feel or tuning in to my own vibrations. I have been doing an exceptional job of this and I continue to do so, as nothing is more important that that I feel good!

16. Meet the President of the United States. After spending 14 hours watching the Inaugurations I was besotted with meeting the President and I still am. I look forward to this event.

17. Receive a postcard from every state as well as every country in the world. – Didn’t happen in one year, but it’s getting there!

9. Plant more vegetables

I did it!

I planted tomatoes, bell peppers, chive, scallions, rosemary, thyme, pumpkins and lots of edible flowers.

I was quite impressed with the bumper crop of cherry tomatoes I had this year. I've got a freezer full of them!

I'm also about to harvest the pumpkins!

8. Work out at least 4 times a week

I am really pleased to say I've been carrying out this resolution for more than ninety five percent of the year so far!

The exceptions would be when I'm on vacation or on a road trip.

I really enjoy exercising my body. I do a variety of different types of exercise so as to not to get bored with any one routine.

I always listen to an audio book when I am not following a yoga DVD.

Just yesterday, I spent the morning walking around Walden Pond. The above photo depicts part of the path.

7. Visit Parents

This felt like a really good idea at the time I wrote it.

It sounded like the right thing to do as in it’s my duty to visit my parents.

However the right thing for me to do is what feels good to me and not what duty dictates.

This year, it felt better for me to think of them as enjoying a peaceful life and allowing in the health and wellbeing that is always flowing.

6.Explore a different area of New England every other weekend.

You bet!

I've been going to someplace other than my own backyard for most of this year.

New England is truly beautiful in all seasons and so there is much to see and experience in a short time.

I haven't yet run out of places to visit and that's a good thing!

5. Take an annual cruise

For the last five years we have been going on annual cruises. For us it's the perfect way to totally relax and not have to do anything we don't want to do. I appreciate the wonderful cheerful crew, the interesting destinations we choose, the food, language, culture, climate, architecture and customs of the places we visit.

Perhaps the best thing about cruising, is that I get to see a place first hand and determine if I want to return for a longer period at a later date.

4. Watch more feel good movies.

I watch movies purely for the entertainment value, specifically to laugh and feel good. As with my reading habit, if the movie does not feel good within twenty minutes, I abort the process.

Life is too short, for me to waste it on being terrified out of my wits, or getting dragged into an emotional wasteland of tragedy and sadness which feels really bad to me.

3. Read the rest of Ursula Le Guin’s books.

My first book by Ursula Le Guin was The Left Hand of Darkness.

I was quite intrigued by her writings and since then have read a number of her books. I adore her imagination and it was in A Wizard of Earthsea that I first read about a school for wizards.

This year I acquired a few more titles, which I will be reading next year :)

In the above photo you can see two bookplates Ursula gifted me with.

Thanks Ursula!

2. Read a book a week

So far I’ve read over 44 books this year.

I’ve started many more, but stopped at page 50 if the plot wasn’t interesting to me.

It’s not that the books were poorly written but mostly because the subject matter wasn’t appealing to me.

I read only for pleasure now.

I have at least fifty or sixty unread books in my personal library at the moment and this has caused me to set a new reading goal for next year.

I am to read only the books that are currently in my possession. Next year I will not be buying any new books. Of course gifted books are the exception to this rule…

1. Make a list of 100 things to do in 2010

I will be spending the next couple of weeks going over my list of 100 things I wanted to accomplish this year.

So far, I've got #1 checked off!

I managed to complete the list making in January 2010.

I had forgotten about the list, until today. I just migrated to a MacBook Pro and as I was going over my documents I saw this and decided I ought to blog about my progress.

In reading over the list, I realized I had a lot of fun creating it. I can still feel the excitement of thinking up some of those aspirations.

Of course a lot of it I didn't do yet, while I did do a lot of things which were not listed.

I know we are only in October, but I have to say I had heaps of fun this past year.

Welcome fall

Wow! I can't believe I haven't posted here for months.

I have had a very adventurous summer.

I am sitting here enjoying the breeze from the over head fan and music coming from the numerous wind chimes outside as winds pick up tonight.

It is wonderful to sit here and just enjoy the sounds of nature as she dances her way through the evening.

Are you undermining your own happiness and wellbeing?

The other day I heard something about me that really pissed me off.

It wasn't the thing about me that pissed me off, it was the person who said it.

I was pissed off because it was such a waste of a good human life.

Imagine you are the owner of the car of your dreams.

Now imagine you abandoned it in a parking lot, or pushed it off a cliff.

You are probably asking yourself, "Why would I do that?"

Well that's what this person has chosen to do with her life.

Yay, I know it's none of my business, so I will talk about how I cultivate my own happiness and wellbeing.

I choose to talk about the happy events from the past and about my expectations for the future while always appreciating my now.

I have zero tolerance for those who want to dredge up the past and speak of it from an attitude of victimhood.

I stay away from those who think that someone owes them something; either their boss, kids, parents, friends, government or me.

I spend a great deal of time cultivating the art of laziness which is to say, I do only that which feels good.

I use any process I can think of to move myself into a better feeling place.

Tired of speaking sweetly - Hafiz

TIRED OF SPEAKING SWEETLY

Love wants to reach out and manhandle us,
Break all our teacup talk of God.

If you had the courage and
Could give the Beloved His choice, some nights,
He would just drag you around the room
By your hair,
Ripping from your grip all those toys in the world
That bring you no joy.

Love sometimes gets tired of speaking sweetly
And wants to rip to shreds
All your erroneous notions of truth

That make you fight within yourself, dear one,
And with others,

Causing the world to weep
On too many fine days.

God wants to manhandle us,
Lock us inside of a tiny room with Himself
And practice His dropkick.

The Beloved sometimes wants
To do us a great favor:

Hold us upside down
And shake all the nonsense out.

But when we hear
He is in such a “playful drunken mood”
Most everyone I know
Quickly packs their bags and hightails it
Out of town.

~ Hafiz ~

(The Gift – versions of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky)

Delightful thoughts

A pot of orange pekoe tea.

Completing a purple and gold necklace.

Sitting out on the deck in the late evening, watching the stars come alive.

Reading White Teeth.

Sleeping between crisp, cool, clean white sheets.

A new fountain pen.

A long walk on the beach this weekend.

Crab cakes.

Red nail polish.

Afternoon naps in the hammock.

Consistent joy

Surely joy is the condition of life - Henry David Thoreau

I really do get it that I am not going to feel good unless I am in alignment with who I am.

When I have to go out and water the plants in ninety degree temperatures, I don't say to myself, "I don't feel like it". Instead I focus on how the plants would appreciate this drink of water and how I won't mind getting a few sprays on me as well. I focus on the wellbeing of the plants as I make my way around the garden.

When I ask others to accompany me, I usually get, "In this heat?" or "I don't feel like it." Or "Not right now."

But the plants doesn't know of those answers, and if I were to think like that I won't ever go out and tend the garden, in fact I shouldn't have a garden at all, if I were to harbor this kind of self-limiting thinking.

Therefore a shift in perception is self empowering. I am happy to be tending to the plants because the thought of me quenching their thirst is a happy one. I feel joyful whenever I think of my plants, whenever I look at them or tend to them. All aspects of gardening brings joy in one form or another and even when the chores are burdensome and inconvenient, I deliberately focus upon the wellbeing of the plants so that I may continue to carry on with the chores without resistance.

Consistent joy and happiness requires only a shift in perception.

Wildflower garden

Lately, I've been spending most of the time in the garden.

The wildflower meadow is abundant with flowers. It is the most wonderful place to see and feel the wellbeing that is flowing to us at all times. When I am in this garden I know that all is well, all the time!

Talk about joyous experiences and leave out the rest.

I enjoy phone calls and email from friends who just want to share their wonderful life with me.

I heard from a friend on Sunday, after months of silence. She explained that she wasn't in a good feeling place to call before. I cannot tell you how much I loved her in that moment. She was brilliant enough to realize that she can only be of value to herself and others when she is feeling good. We talked about the good stuff she is now experiencing and the wonderful ways in which the Universe is responding to her.

We both felt uplifted and inspired at the end of the hour. I know this is how I want to feel at the end of every single interaction I am having with others.