Day 365: The Top Ten Hits of 365

To recap, in no particular order, here are my reflections on the year that was. Many, many thanks to those of you who followed the blog, for your comments and support. Although I did this for myself, it was really nice to know there were people following along or dropping by from time to time.

Adieu. Be well. Be happy. Be you.

1. I am happiest when I focus without
2. People following and commenting on my posts made happy
3. I have neither a more nor a less positive outlook on things today than I had a year ago
4. The great satisfaction this project has brought is having done it at all
5. I am looking forward to ending this project and will miss it when it is gone
6. I forgive myself for forgetting to post some days
7. I am happy to have this written record of a year in my life
8. Hebrew is my native tongue
9. My greatest coping mechanism is a sense of humor.
10. Planning in things that make me happy makes me happy.

Day 364: The way forward

People have been asking if I will continue the blog after Day 365 and the answer is no. Looking ahead, my plan is to focus more energy without and less within. I'm happiest when I do. And see. And move. Still, I have enjoyed having a project and 365 days is an ideal time span for me. Long enough to feel like a real commitment and short enough to feel do-able.

There are shelves of unread books, a list of undone projects, files of untried recipes, stacks of unsung songs...the possibilities are endless. When one door closes, another opens nearby.

Day 363: Neither here nor there

The natural question on everyone's mind is whether the experiment worked. Do I have a more positive outlook on life today than I had a year ago? The answer? Nyes. That is, yes and no. As I wasn't a particularly negative person to begin with, I'm not sure that there was all that much room for improvement. So in my case, I think this project was (as I wrote yesterday) all about the doing. I liked having a focal point every day. And I like having a stored history of those focal points now.

So, no regrets. :-)

Day 362: Commitment

In retrospect, the best part of this project is having done it at all. It gave a focal point to each day that was both easy to achieve and important to do. It also inspired at least two other people of whom I am aware to start 365 day projects of their own, with one more on the cusp.

Sometimes it's in the doing. Early on I realized that my entries did not have to be profound. That writing an entry was at least as important as its content. That insight served me well here and in other aspects of my life as well.

Day 361: The best laid plans

Five: Planning in things that make me happy makes me happy. When the plans finally come around, I'm not always keen on following through. I've learned to trust the inner planner though and believe wholeheartedly that she knows I will be so happy if I just follow her plans.

That's how I wound up driving to a farm in the country today with two friends and my Sweeties to see the cows being set free to graze after a long winter cooped up in the barn. Trust me, I had no desire to climb out of bed when the alarm went off early, early, early this morning. But I trust the planner so off I went. It turned out to be such a relaxing, different way to spend the day. We made a picnic of it and the cows delivered with quite a bit of hopping around, munching on grass, butting heads and mooing to their hearts' content. As a bonus, the Sweeties got to see an ambulance helicopter that landed in the field to airlift a someone who was having trouble breathing to the hospital.

My bonus was a Sweetie spontaneously plopping himself down in my lap. He then asked for an apple, leaned back against me, ate and chatted with me for a good 20 minutes or so. Heaven.

Yup, the planner knows what she's doing!

Day 360: Cloudy with a chance of Canasta

After a week of glorious summer weather, the clouds are back, but not in my way. A perfect afternoon for a Canasta klatch who'll be arriving shortly. Coffee's on!

When I think about my final words for this project, inevitably the critic in me pipes up with "But you didn't post every day!" Actually, that is a voice I chose to ignore throughout this journey which in and of itself made me happy. So there, is number 6 in my countdown.

Ah, the klatch is here...with scrumptious snacks! Later...

Day 359: LOL!

My best defense against anxiety, fear and general down-in-the-dumpness? Joking. It's what got me through medical and dental procedures and many a loooong business meeting. Every once in a while, I lose my sense of humor and this year has shown me how much better off I am when I find it.

So, here's a cute one:

"Did you hear about the person who got the whole left of his body cut off?"

"Yeah, but he's all right now."

Day 358: Going, going, gone

Day 365 is like a beacon that's finally within sight, guiding me to the conclusion of this year-long experiment. It blinks oh so steadily as I make my way, one day at a time toward the inevitable end. A day I long for, bringing this chapter to a close. A day I dread as I suspect I will also miss this daily obligation.

And so it goes. Longing. And dread. Two sides of a thin coin.

Day 357: Hebrew is my native tongue

Tov, davar achad sh'ani lo asseetee ha sha'na ha zu ze l'chtov be ivrit. Chaval, biglall sh'ze gamm kef ledaber ivrit ve ze gamm chelek kaze gadol haya be yalduti. Im hayiti kotevet be ivrit hayiti messaperet all mishpacha.  Sh hitzilah oti. Ve ometz. Ve ahava. Oo-lie ze bidiuk ma sh'asseetee achshav.

Chaval sh'yeter ha olam lo yachol lihishtamesh be

גוגל

lehavin. ;-))

BTW, (ve ech homrim et ze be ivrit chevreh?), me'anyen sh'katov be google.co.il yesh "gamm be anglit ve gamm aravit". Ba'atar ha aravi shelahem katov gamm anglit gamm aravit. So there!

Day 356: The final countdown

This is it folks. Ten days left and counting. Naturally, I find myself reflecting over the year that's passed and is almost over. So, here come ten discoveries I made during this journey, one per day, in no particular order.

One: I am happy to have this written record of a year in my life. At various points in my life, I have tried keeping a journal or diary without much success. I found the effort not very gratifying and could never keep it up for more than a few days at a time. So this is the closest I have to diary. It is my intention to convert the entries, including the photos, into a PDF to keep for posterity. It will be interesting to read in sequence when the year is over and to re-read in, say, 10 years time.

Today's image is from the Math Center super duper study circle that took place in three huge tents at Kungsträdgården (of cherry blossom fame). So much fun. So much energy. And once again I met my personal goal...to learn something new myself.

Day 355: Surround sound

At the language café. An extra volunteer showed up today so I do not have a group of my own. Instead, I spent my time doing reviewing some math in preparation for tomorrow's Math Center super lab, answered a bunch of e-mails and caught up on FB. All in the midst of the happy babbling of participants all around me.

Nice to be able to hang out and do work in the company of others. On the way over here, I took a photo of Kungsträdgården where the cherry blossoms blossomed just a few short days ago. This as a reminder of how important it is to live in the moment. Would have been so easy to miss the beautiful sight (see Day 349).

Day 354: No pain's the gain

My dentist warned me that the tooth behind the tooth that he just did a root canal on was loose and should get extracted. I am fond of my teeth and was not so keen on the idea. Plus, who can afford all these treatments? So I decided to wait and see.

That was on Monday. Let's just say I did not have to wait very long. By Thursday, the pain was noticeable. However, Thursday was a holiday here and Friday a bonus day so I can first contact the dentist tomorrow. Which is why I am so very grateful that I still have some pretty strong post-surgery pain killers left from last year. It would have been a miserable day without them. :-)

Day 353: Rest is more

Came across this image and just loved it. Pretty much sums up my Saturday because sometimes I just love to veg out. Today it was reading, playing and eating with a bit of TV thrown in for good measure. Oh, and preparing for the math convention on Tuesday (my idea of relaxation).

Very tired after all that resting...time to go to sleep!

Day 352: Rare find

Sweden is many things, among them a good coffee country and the second highest per capita consumer of ice cream in the world. So you would think coffee ice cream would be a given. Nix. That's why I am always on the lookout for it, in grocery stores and ice cream parlors. Every once in a while I get lucky and today was one of those days! Yummo!

It really does not take all that much to make me happy...

Day 351: Meaningful conversation

A long, long walk in great company. Talking about things that matter. Laughing. Sunshine.

Not bad for a Thursday in May.

Day 350: Dramaten

One of the great things about being full-time funemployed is being able to take advantage of last minute daytime opportunities such as attending a dress rehearsal at Sweden's Royal National Theater, Dramaten. Just stepping inside this building is a joy in and of itself, although one I did not get to experience today as the production was in the theater's so called Little Stage.

How cool is this? The invitation came via the theater's FB page. All you had to do was to write Yes in a comment and your name was added to the guest list. I cannot imagine such a thing at a Broadway theater, inviting the general public to a dress rehearsal. Gotta love those Swedes ;-)

Day 349: The flowers that bloom in the spring, tra la

What a sight on my way home from the library today! The cherry blossoms in Kungsträdgården are in full bloom and people are out in droves. Magical!

Day 348: Walking in sunshine

Every once in a while I am overwhelmed with the beauty of Stockholm. It is usually on a pristine summer day, clear skies and sunshine. Today was no exception and a great opportunity for an extra long walk. Met up with a friend after my last stint (for now) at the dentist and we took a long walk around Djurgården, the island that once was the royal family's hunting grounds and now is home to a variety of museums, an amusement park and a rather large gardening business. We stopped there for lunch and I was so very impressed with the trees they're growing into standalone sunshades.

Cool, don't you agree?

Day 347: Music to my ears

Sometime in the next few months, ALLA KAN Institutet, where I led singing circles for a number of years, will be moving. Today, I made my way over there for one last end of term celebration. I could only stay for the first hour, and what an hour it was! Singing filled the room. Familiar songs, songs new to me, solos, sing-alongs. It was so much fun.

Then off I went to a very different type of musical event, to listen to the fruits of a weekend workshop on composing for the theater. Six musicians worked with a couple of scenes from Macbeth  to which they each composed the beginnings of a score. Fascinating to listen to their very different interpretations. Inspiring too to imagine a stage production of Macbeth with a soundtrack.

There is is so much creativity in the world.

Days 345-346: Anticipation

Canasta after a long, long hiatus. And the sun is shining (perhaps we will play out in the garden?). Plus, I have to clean the place before guests arrive (dishwasher already running), which means I get to enjoy a clean home even afterwards.

Not bad for a Saturday in May. Enjoy your day whatever it may hold!