#Reverb10 catch-up: Action & Appreciation

December 13:  Action.  When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step? (Author: Scott Belsky)

What are my aspirations?  This question needs to be answered first, before I can map out my plans to make them happen.

1.  To be healthy and happy
2.  To finally be working in the field that I've spent years preparing for

Crazily, that's it.  Those are my two biggest aspirations right now.  There are lots of contingent ones, but those two pretty much sum it up.

And what actions need to be taken to make them happen?  Well, more of what I've been doing lately, I think.

1.  Working hard at getting healthy emotionally, physically, mentally, financially
2.  Finishing my dissertation, searching for and applying for jobs, utilizing resources and support freely given to me by friends, colleagues and supervisors, and believing that this preparation has given me what I need and that I have something valuable and unique to offer to those who are looking to hire me.

So I think I'm on the right road.  We'll see how it all develops over the next few months.


December 14 – Appreciate.  What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it? (Author: Victoria Klein)

To be honest, I think I'd have to say that the one thing I have come to appreciate most this year has been my life.  By that, I mean several things:

1.  The experiences I've had
2.  The amazing people that have been a part of it and made it great
3.  The sense of purpose I've had for most of it that drives me to do things that are often labeled by others as courageous, meaningful, and self-giving
4.  The sheer fact that I live, breathe, move and have my being here on this wondrous earth

Image by Ferlinka Borzoi via Flickr

I have a dear friend whose father (to whom she is very close) has been slowly dying of cancer this year.  I've been around or experienced the effects of death before -  in the quiet letting go, in the desperate mourning of what was taken, as well as the violent destruction.  And in those moments, along with all of the other questions that arise in each context, I am reminded of the gift that life is, of what we do with the time we have here, of how we leave our footprints on this earth and in the hearts of the people we love (and hate), and the sacred nature of it all.  Whenever I have a conversation with my friend about the impending death of her father, I know I am on sacred ground.  And I am reminded of how much appreciation I have for my life and that of those around me, including those who are standing around a bed, holding the hand and showing their own appreciation for the life of one whose is fading.