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Explore 2013: The First Month

January 29, 2013 by Farewell Stranger ·

My one word for 2013 doesn’t require me to draw hard on my will power. It doesn’t ask me to break out of comfort zones (much) or give up anything. It just pushes me to get out there and to try new things. So that’s what I’m doing.

See

One of the things that drew me to my word for 2012 was that we had just moved to a new city (and a new province) and I wanted to see some of the amazing things this area offers. We did a little bit of it, but not as much because, as mentioned in my post reflecting on 2012, I was experiencing the “vibrancy” of morning sickness for the better part of the year, which didn’t make me feel like doing much of anything. That hankering has carried over into 2013 and I’m going to explore, even if I have to drag myself (and my family) out there.

We’ve done a few things already this year, including a favourite event that we did get to last year before I started feeling icky. The Ice Magic Festival in Lake Louise makes for a perfect day in the Canadian Rockies and Connor was much better behaved this year, so I thoroughly enjoyed it. The ice sculptures are incredible and the scenery is breathtaking. Many of the photos in this post are from our day out there on Saturday.

This one, however, isn’t.

Do you ever come across a view or a sight that makes you pause, except you don’t actually pause? I’m trying very hard not to make this a blog in which I spend all my time gushing about how beautiful it is here, but it is and I definitely appreciate it. Every once in a while I come across something that asks to be captured, but often I’m rushing around trying to take a kid somewhere or get some things done before the little one needs feeding again. On Saturday as I was going to pick up my dad before going to the festival I caught a glimpse of a stunning view. And despite the fact that we were leaving the house almost an hour later than planned, I pulled off the highway and took a side road, not knowing where it would lead. Well, it led here.

It’s a bit tough to tell (because this was taken with my phone and I used a filter that blurs it a little bit) but the mountains were crystal clear that day. I didn’t know this little barn was here, but it just looked so cool from where I was, so I stopped to take a picture before returning to the highway. Totally worth it.

Do

To me, “explore” isn’t just about physically going places. It’s also about doing things I might not otherwise have chosen to do – or have even known I want to.

One of those is my challenge to myself to exercise for 30 days straight. It was a weird, random thing that I put on my life list and when a friend suggested we do it I figured there was no reason not to. Today is day 29, thank goodness, and I’ll share some thoughts next week about how it’s been. (I have caught some incredible sunsets, for one thing.)

Another thing I’m doing is taking an online course called Create 2013, which is about trying to guide your intentions for the coming year. It has brought about some interesting insights, the most profound of which relates to doodling. (More on that later too.)

Try

And finally, exploring is about trying new things. Like saying, “Hey, I want to write for Huffington Post” and making that happen.

And teaching my biggest boy how to skate.

So yes, I’ve been exploring. And so far it’s been good.

Linking up with Just.Be.Enough. Do you have one word or some goals for 2013? Come share your update with us.

Filed Under: Happy things · Tagged With: #30DaysStraight, family, favourite activities, living life, One word, photos

Life Well Lived

January 18, 2013 by Farewell Stranger ·

There’s a group of bloggers livin’ it up and sharing stuff about their lives. They started with a life list link-up and have now moved on to a “life well lived” link-up, which involves making a list of things you’ve done (cool stuff, accomplishments, you know the drill). I’ve done some cool stuff, so I figured I’d play along.

Here’s the list of things I’ve done. (And if you read this blog with any regularity some of this will not be news to you. But some will. Trust me.)

I have:

Played a Muppets song at my wedding

Sat on a boat in the middle of the ocean with no land visible

Gone snowshoeing

Kissed the Blarney Stone

Dyed a blue streak in my hair

Sigh. I miss the blue.

Been published on Huffington Post

Lived and worked in Australia

Driven across the Australian outback with a group of truckers I had just met

Gone on two solo backpacking trips

Gone to the Olympics

Driven halfway across Canada with my parents and siblings (when I was an adult)

Quit my job when I didn’t have another to go to because I knew I needed a change (twice)

Done a TEDx talk

Learned to read and write Russian

Had a C-section

My first baby

Had a natural birth

Sung a lullaby to a baby

Gone skinny dipping

Spent a weekend in Vegas

Completed a master’s degree

With my mama

Seen Lionel Richie in concert (What? I was, like, 9)

Worked as a telemarketer

Driven an ice cream truck for the summer

Confessed to embarrassing things on my blog

Trained a puppy

Wasn’t he cute? (Yes, he does have eyes.)

Very painfully learned to drive a stick shift

Kept a major secret for 18 years (so far)

Lent someone money

Driven through a tunnel that’s 25 km (16 miles) long

Said “I love you” to someone

What would be on your list?

Filed Under: Happy things, Randomness · Tagged With: favourite activities, lists, living life

Explore: Life in Pictures, Vol. 1

January 7, 2013 by Farewell Stranger ·

I wrote a post just about exactly one year ago about all the things I wanted to do in 2012. It was part of wanting to live in a vibrant way and I was totally excited. And then about a week later I got pregnant. And I spent about, oh, 8 1/2 months feeling like crap. So we didn’t do all the things I wanted to do, which was okay because we did some of them and the rest are there waiting.

Some people might think we’re crazy for moving to a place with the fabled Canadian winter, but I love it. I love snow, and we get a lot of sun, and it’s not as cold as you might think and when it is we just dress for it.

It’s exhilarating.

Lately we’ve been driving around doing things and I keep thinking, “I’m so glad we moved here. I belong here.” And I feel so lucky and grateful.

This year I want to revisit that list of things I want to do. I want to EXPLORE.

We’ve started already.

One day it was a visit to a tower that I’ve had a fondness for since I was a child.

Looking up.

We looked way out past the buildings, past the river, past the houses to the mountains. And we looked down. Way down.

Looking down.

I’m going strong on my latest life list quest — exercising for 30 days straight — and have been treated to some wonderous things in the process.

Winter sunset

And we’ve ventured a little farther from home as well. To the mountains, of course.

In Banff

Just out of the frame on the left were some elk. Big ones, with big antlers (just far away enough that I couldn’t get a decent picture with my iPhone). And my husband smiled at me and said, “I love that you get so excited about seeing stuff like this.”

I do get excited about things like this and I’m not afraid to admit it. Choosing to get excited about seeing elk at the side of a frozen river is just one of the things that makes life interesting, don’t you think?

But sometimes the things I get excited about are right there on my very own couch, and I feel so lucky and grateful for that too.

Ethan and my dad

Linked up with:

Filed Under: Happy things, Photos · Tagged With: #30DaysStraight, family, favourite activities, gratitude, Life list, living life, One word, photos

30 Days Straight

January 2, 2013 by Farewell Stranger ·

Today is January 2nd (for a little while yet, anyway), which means yesterday was January 1st and therefore the 2nd anniversary of this blog. I didn’t have a post about that yesterday because, frankly, I always feel that if I write something on the first of the year it should be profound. And yesterday I wasn’t feeling very profound. So instead I’ll now say the usual things, like I can’t believe it’s been two years. And I‘m grateful to have this space and the people I have encountered through it. Truly – I thank all of you who read and comment and share. My life is undoubtedly richer because of you.

How’s that for a cursory celebration? I do like to acknowledge these things, but right now I’d rather just get on with living life instead of writing about how I write about living life.

The living I’m doing right now relates to my post about taking on a challenge to exercise for 30 days straight. When my friend Melissa first challenged me to tackle that item on my life list I started to regret having put that silly idea on there. But as Christmas crept past and the food kept coming and the couch kept calling I decided it was a good thing someone was willing to push me. So I began to psych myself up for it and figure out what variety of things I wanted to do over the 30 days, both so I could manage it after being less than active for the last while and so I wouldn’t get bored after a week.

And then the day came.

And I started!

I started the 30 days by going for a run yesterday. It was beautiful – I went later in the day than I had intended (entirely due to small people’s needs and not at all because of lack of motivation) but in doing so I caught the sunset. And I looked out over the roofs of the houses in our community and was treated to a gorgeous glimpse of the Rockies, which fill up my soul every day.

I ran alone, with no agenda other than completing 30 minutes. I zigged through our neighbourhood and zagged down trails just to see where they went. I passed people sledding as the sun went down and the lights in the houses behind them came on. I encountered two other solo runners with whom I exchanged The Look. The one that says, “We’re alive and we’re out here and isn’t it beautiful?”

I kept running, knowing I was taking myself father than a 30-minute out-and-back required. I turned onto one street because I hadn’t been down it before and chose another because it had pretty Christmas lights. And when my 30 minutes was up I stopped.

I ended up a little way from home, which was ultimately sort of deliberate because I figured I could use the cool down, but I so enjoyed the alone time. It was cold enough that I could feel every breath deep in my lungs, and early enough in the lateness of the day that the sky glowed.

And that’s why I put this item on my life list in the first place. Because when I get out there it’s good for me and I notice things and I feel happy.

That’s why I wanted to do it, so I’ll keep doing it. For 28 more days. And probably more.

I’m using the hash tag #30daysstraight on Twitter and Instagram if you want to follow along. As well, another friend has joined in starting today, and if you want to try this too I would love to hear about it.

Filed Under: Happy things · Tagged With: #30DaysStraight, favourite activities, Life list, living life, running