- Discovering that I nearly broke the laptop my brother loaned me, by leaving it under a pile of clothes to overheat – WHICH FINALLY SNAPPED ME OUT OF MY MORNING FUNK and got me thinking that I can’t keep living in such a sloppy way – and then discovering (blessedly) that after it cooled down it worked again.
- Becoming conscious of my money situation, which – while frightening – is helping me get realistic and motivated about needing to apply for jobs.
- The new white curtains, for letting more light into the living room and making it much less cave-like.
- My teammates in class, who all got their pieces of our assignment done so I can compile everything with time to spare.
- The bright orange leaves on the tree outside my window. It’s rainy and dark, but they’re almost like a burst of sunlight.
jane's Life List
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1. Be able to run 30 minutes without stopping
4 entries . 8 cheers1 person -
2. Do the Couch to 5k running plan
2 entries . 3 cheers398 people -
3. Be mindful of the phases of the moon
4 entries . 8 cheers1 person -
4. Be mindful of my dreams
1 entry . 3 cheers1 person -
5. Accomplish at least one thing today, that will make me feel better about my life tomorrow
76 entries . 60 cheers1 person -
6. Make this space feel like a home
1 entry . 7 cheers1 person -
7. plan my journey forward
1 entry . 2 cheers1 person -
8. take on 43 small challenges to build fresh momentum
5 entries . 12 cheers0 people -
9. Clean out my car
2 entries . 7 cheers192 people -
10. Apply for at least one job a week - and believe I'll get the right job for me
2 entries . 2 cheers1 person -
11. Look and feel scandalously sexy
14 entries . 69 cheers2 people -
12. Develop a morning routine
2 entries . 13 cheers24 people -
13. Morning pages for 12 weeks. As a spiritual practice.
2 entries . 25 cheers1 person -
14. Daily: Reflect on 5 things for which I'm grateful.
3 entries . 4 cheers885 people
How I did it: One doesn't realize just how necessary it is to make radical breaks with the objects in ones life - to scale back MARKEDLY. I didn't do this nearly as well as I needed to. But I tried to go through the things that one always means to go through (books, mostly) and make some merciless decisions - tossing them into piles for donation. Thinking about how life is too short and I'm really never going to read any of them... Also clothes... With… Read how I did it…
How I did it: Scoured craigslist ads HOURLY, searched virtually every neighborhood within an hour of the city for something affordable. Used google to check out street views to see what intersections looked like when the ads provided locations. Took me a while to narrow down the realistic towns, and to get a feel for which ads were probably dodgy. I didn't want to deal with a broker fee, but it turned out in the end it was best to just search ALL apart… Read how I did it…
How I did it: Took GREsApplicationNot a very competitive school, so getting in was easyThen came all the slogging and dragging myself through. I failed what was meant to be my final class in the program. This summer, I took a make-up course in another department which I was allowed to do because my department was just so eager to be done with me! Turned out this work was work to which I was better suited. So I ended on something like a high n… Read how I did it…
See all "How I Did It" stories...
- Stunningly beautiful weather – and getting outside to enjoy some of it without a jacket.
- My cats, JJ and Sappho – the two most awesome cats ever – for being such good listeners.
- Having bought those 2 groupons ages ago – so I could take myself out for a self-care splurge even though I currently have zero money for such things.
- Gorgeous moonlight jog with brother, and finally having an activity that makes me want to get together with my brother more often :)
- Two big compliments that made me feel like maybe turning 38 is no big deal – one from the pharmacy clerk and one from Joe – and the really entertaining manicurist who told me her life story and said she had two sisters that had their first babies at 39 and 40.
Brother and I did 5K of walk/jog along the river tonight. It was incredibly warm today – like summer! – and even after the sun went down it was not less than 60 degrees.
We’re on Week 2 / Run 2 – with 90 second runs interleved with 2 minute walks. It was tough. I was huffing and puffing and almost didn’t think I’d make the full minute and a half a couple times, but I made it. We even did a couple of extra runs at the end because we didn’t turn around at the half way mark, so we had more distance to cover getting back and figured we should do a couple more intervals.
It was so cinematic, out there with the moon shuddering on the water, and the moonlight dappling the path. We even passed underneath an old wooden bridge. The structure of the hugely tall wood girders criss-crossing above us was really beautiful.
I would never have gone myself after dark, but it wasn’t scary at all with the both of us. I just loved it!


