Things I Like About Me

July 13, 2011 by ·

The lists are appearing everywhere – in one friend’s blog, then another, then another. “Things I Like About Me.”

It’s a link-up hosted by Elena at Ciao Mom, who I first met when I told my Reclaiming Me story.

I think this is a great idea. We need to acknowledge the good things about ourselves – the things we like, and that make us who we are. And doing it out loud is even better.

I’ll admit when I first saw this I thought it would be a pretty easy list for me to make. Despite a blog full of evidence to the contrary, I’m okay with who I am (and here’s where I give credit to my parents). I have my faults and things I would change, just like everyone does, and I’m not perfect 😉 but I do generally like me.

So I’ve been thinking for a couple of days about what I would include on this list. Some things come easily to mind, but I want to include the things that have made my particular struggle so hard and that I’ve learned to embrace about myself. So with that introduction here is my list of things I like about me:

  1.  Damn, this is harder than I thought. That’s what I get for being cocky.

Take 2:

  1. I like that I’ve found the strength to be open about my experience with postpartum depression. That has been really empowering.
  2. I like that even though this whole journey has been a gigantic pile of crap, to put it mildly, I am finding meaning and purpose in it.
  3. I like that I have big dreams and I’m brave enough and confident enough to pursue them, even if that’s not the usual path and what I “should” do.
  4. I like that in my professional career I have never taken a job and just done what’s expected. I’ve always aimed to do more and do better and I think it’s something that’s just in me – I never realized it until I looked back on years of this pattern.
  5. I like my writing style. After 7 months of an onslaught of other voices in the blog world, I have stayed true to who I am and to my own voice. And I kept writing, even when some of the stuff was so personal I worried what people would think when they read it.
  6. I like that I’m a fatalist – I believe what’s meant to be will be. But I don’t just accept what happens (see: last 3 years of denial and stubbornness), I look for meaning in things because I believe it’s there and my life will be better if I keep learning.
  7. I like that I don’t hold grudges.
  8. I like that I am really, really good at being diplomatic when it’s necessary. Seriously, I rock at this.
  9. I like my eyes.
  10. I like that I can get totally into something and let it inspire me (see: horrible vlog about my obsession with birds).
  11. I like that one of the things I spend a lot of time thinking about is how to support others. I don’t always know how, and sometimes I can’t do it, but it’s hugely important to me. If I can find a way to do that and make money, I’ll be set and happy for life.
  12. I like that I’ve kept running, even though it was brutally hard in the beginning and I thought I was going to die when I ran my first 10k. And two months after I had a really bad training stint where I could have given up I decided not to and instead trained for (and ran) a half marathon. And then two more back to back.
  13. I like that in many circles I’m known for my love of chocolate.
  14. I like that I can say “I love you” to people I’ve never met and mean it.

Filed Under: Happy things · Tagged With: , ,

A-Z and Back to Bed*

April 25, 2011 by ·

So I’m trolling around the Interwebs today and I come across this meme. I normally don’t do memes, but I kind of like this one. (*Note that you have to be Canadian for the title to rhyme, so just humour me and read it that way.)

To give credit where credit is due, I stole this from Just Plain Jayne who stole it from The Sweetest who found it at Mean Girl Garage. She stole it from Lex at Lex in the City who stole it from Jen O. from My Tornado Alley who stole it from Bored Mommy who found it at… Oh, forget it. I love following a trail but I suspect this one could go on forever.

A. Age: I always have to think when people ask me this question. I’m going to go with 36. I think.

B. Bed size: King, but lately I mostly sleep in a double in my sanctuary room.

C. Chore you dislike: Cleaning tubs and showers. Floors. Except vacuuming. I love vacuuming.

D. Dogs: We have a 5 year old Wheaten Terrier named Finley. He’s totally a daddy’s dog, but sometimes he comes and cuddles with me. Puppy therapy is the best.

E. Essential start to your day: Brushing my teeth and checking email and Twitter, which I now do before eating breakfast. Most unusual.

Alphabet on Sand by Stephen Rees

F. Favorite color: Used to be blue, but now it’s red. A really deep red.

G. Gold or silver: White gold. Or silver. But I don’t do yellow gold.

H. Height: 5’9”, most of which is in my legs making it a giant pain to find pants that are long enough.

I. Instruments you play(ed): I took piano and flute lessons when I was younger and then I think my mom accepted that being musical is not one of my many talents. <sarcasm> I think I also played the recorder for a bit. Oh, and I played the triangle for a school concert once. That was truly a high point in my musical career.

J. Job title: Internal communications director. Mama.

K. Kids: One feisty almost-three-year-old. There’s another one lurking in the metaphorical wings if I can ever kick this PPD crap.

L. Live: Is this “live” as in “live life”? Or “live” as in “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” Either way, I like to live life when I’m not battling something that makes me not want to. And I’m not really big on live shows. Plays, yes. Concerts, not so much.

M. Mom’s name: Mom. Mama. Momita. Grandma (which used to be Gandala).

N. Nicknames: Robs. Bobbin. Mama. Daddy. (Sometimes he gets confused.)

O. Overnight hospital stays: Two. Appendix when I was about 11. C-section when C was born. How come I get all the horrible abdominal stuff?

P. Pet peeves: People who chew with their mouth open. People who pay no attention to anyone around them and stop suddenly right in front of you. People who hit “reply all” to emails when it’s really not warranted.

Q. Quote from a movie: “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” – Dead Poets Society

R. Righty or Lefty: Righty. Except when I’m shuffling cards.

S. Siblings: Brother and 2 sisters. I’m the oldest. 2 half sibs also (older than I).

T. Time you wake up: Whatever time the toddler tells me to wake up. Except lately because I’m all doped up on sedatives and am finding it incredibly easy to sleep until past noon. And then want to go to sleep some more.

U. Underwear: I do wear them, but my son’s insistence on going commando makes me wonder if underwear is overrated.

V. Vegetables you don’t like: Um. Hmm. I like most of them so let’s go with the old standby: Brussels sprouts.

W. What makes you run late: The kid. Apathy. Losing my car keys. Always forgetting that traffic on a certain part of my route is ridiculous and there’s nothing I can do about it because I don’t own a car that can drive over all the others.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Teeth. Hands. Broken toes. I’m sure there are others… I tend to be clumsy.

Y. Yummy food you make: Good curries. Pretty good chili. I’d love to make more soup (yum) but my husband doesn’t eat soup. I know. He’s a freak.

Z. Zoo Animal Favorites: Giraffes. When I saw the petite lap giraffes and realized they weren’t real, a part of me died.

Filed Under: Happy things · Tagged With: ,

My Life List

March 23, 2011 by ·

Certain people are probably getting sick of me referencing Chookooloonks, but it’s my favourite blog. It lifts my spirits, always. It calms me, always. And something like that deserves a special place in my life.

Karen Walrond is the beauty behind the blog, and about a year ago I read her life list. I love this idea. I also love her tips for creating your own life list. Maggie Mason, aka Mighty Girl, who inspired Karen to do this, suggests that everyone should create a life list. I thought about doing this for a long time. It percolated. It existed as fragments in the space where my mental lists live. And then one day in early January 2011 I wrote it down.

I’ve since pondered this list some more, though I haven’t done a whole lot with it. I intended to post it here much sooner, but other stuff took up space in my brain.

Well, now I want to take my brain back.

This list isn’t complete – a couple of things might come off and lots more might go on. You’ll see some themes here, and I’d like to expand the variety a bit. I’d like to do more with some of Karen’s great tips, like doing something you love many, many times. But that will come.

For now, this is my list of things I want to do during my life:

  1. Go on an African safari/photo tour.
  2. Spend a month in Hawaii.
  3. Volunteer again.
  4. Attend a bloggers’ conference for strong women. – BlogHer ’11, August 2011!
  5. Speak at a blog conference.
  6. Attend a TED talk.
  7. Spend a month somewhere tropical (other than Hawaii) by the ocean.
  8. Take a photography course. – June 20, 2011. Read about it here.
  9. Get in the habit of taking more photographs.  – I’m going to count this as done thanks to my iPhone and Instagram.
  10. Live in another country for a year.
  11. Visit Ireland again.
  12. Visit Bad Neuenahr/Ahrweiler (Germany) again.
  13. Take language classes for a new language.
  14. Run a marathon.
  15. Cut my hair really short. Done! July 13, 2011. Short blurb here.
  16. Create a philanthropic fund.
  17. Do a public speaking engagement about postpartum depression. Done! Read about my radio interview here and my TEDx talk here. 
  18. Travel across Europe.
  19. Celebrate New Year’s Eve somewhere fancy.
  20. Really learn how to use a graphics editing program.
  21. See the Northern Lights.
  22. Ride in a hot air balloon.
  23. Get another master’s degree.
  24. Take Connor and Ethan (and Rich) to Disneyland.
  25. Write something and have it published in a major magazine.
  26. Win an award from a well-known professional organization for my work.
  27. Teach a course.
  28. Write a children’s book.
  29. Learn how to play poker.
  30. Learn how to make a cup of tea – properly.
  31. Have another child. – Done! :) Read the story.
  32. Complete a triathlon.
  33. Be an extra in a movie.
  34. Act in a stage play again.
  35. Visit Antarctica.
  36. Learn more about my family history.
  37. Take flying lessons.
  38. Stay in the ice hotel.
  39. Have a tree house. A really nice one.
  40. Visit all the continents.
  41. Own a house outright.
  42. Own a vacation property.
  43. Get to Mt. Everest’s base camp.
  44. Pay for a stranger’s dinner in a restaurant.
  45. Improve my 10K personal best.
  46. Take part in a silent retreat.
  47. Spend a weekend alone. April 27, 2011. Not as expected, but it counts. Read about it here. 
  48. Visit the Galapagos Islands.
  49. Learn CPR.
  50. Learn to hit a golf ball on the first try.
  51. Speak in front of a large audience (over 500 people).
  52. Get my personal email inbox to zero. (I’ve done this with both my personal and work email. It’s a miracle! This strategy from 5 Minutes for Mom is brilliant.)
  53. Get some form of exercise every day for 30 days straight. – Done! January 2013.
  54. Get a colourful streak put in my hair. Done! Read about it here.
  55. Give blood 5 more times. – 1 down (July 5, 2011), 4 to go!
  56. Write a book and have it published.
  57. Participate in a flash mob.
  58. Get a tattoo to commemorate beating PPD.
  59. Help someone else with her life list.

I’m going to start doing some of these things and will post updates on my progress.

Anyone else have a life list?

Filed Under: Hello, Inspiration · Tagged With: , ,

For the Love of Blogging: Top Ten Tuesday

January 25, 2011 by ·

Miranda and Katie’s week of For the Love…of Blogging continues with today’s prompt to post the Top Ten reasons you love blogging. I’m noticing some similarities in the lists posted so far, which I think explains a lot about why these types of blogs have become such a big thing.

Here’s the Top 10 reasons I love blogging:

  1. It supports my inner writer. It gives me space to write. I write a bit for work, but this gives me a place where my writing is just for me.
  2. It supports my need for therapy. I jest, but only sort of. Okay, no. I’m actually not joking. Let’s just be honest here: I started this blog to work through my experience with postpartum depression and it really helps me with that.
  3. It supports others with PPD. Postpartum depression is not very well understood, and it’s not really talked about much. By writing about it I hope to help change that.
  4. It supports my inner nerd. There’s a small part of me that likes to play with technology. I haven’t done a whole lot with this blog yet, but I suspect I could easily get into it, lose track of time and discover that I haven’t showered or eaten for days and have lost my job. Looking forward to making it more mine over the coming months (at appropriate intervals).
  5. It supports my inner emotaphobe. Yes, I just made that word up. I’m one of the most emotional people I know. (Oy vey.) But aside from bursting into tears at very inopportune moments I actually find it hard to express my specific feelings to people face-to-face. I can do it way better in writing. I know not everyone cares what’s going on inside my head but any that do can get a glimpse through my blog.
  6. It supports my desire to time travel. Like a lot of people, I look forward to looking back over these entries and reflecting on how my experience and perspective has changed.
  7. It supports my inner extrovert. I love the community I’m finding through blogging. Mostly other moms, but people from all over the world who are living their life and using this medium to share pieces of it.
  8. It supports my inner introvert. I’m a weird combination – a sort of intro-extrovert, if you will. Blogging gives me alone time at the end of the day and I haven’t had enough of that in the last couple of years.
  9. It supports my inner secret agent. So far this blog isn’t general knowledge among people I know. I haven’t kept it a total secret – I’ve told some people and some people have found it on their own but part of me likes the fact that there’s a side to me not everyone knows about.
  10. It supports my inner narcissist. I love comments and pingbacks and retweets. Judge me if you will. 😉


Filed Under: Happy things · Tagged With: ,
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