On my birthday last year, being somewhat
scientifically minded, I decided to run an experiment. The goal:
experience something new, anything, each day for the next 365 days and
chronicle it. Why? Well, I was curious to see if I could do it,
but mostly to avoid getting caught up in a day-to-day rut that often clouds the
sense of wonder and joy that each day has to offer. Living in Sedona, there is no excuse to ever
be grumpy, yet I’ve seen it happen and I was certain that it was avoidable and
had some connection to losing our sense of wonder, even in this wondrous town. I set out to prove my theory that positive
transformation awaited, if only I’d get up off the couch and go experience
something and quit grumbling about rut worthy things. I started a journal, capturing not only the
actual experiences, but often the reason behind why I thought it was
noteworthy. It’s from those entries that
I learned the most about what I found to be valuable and important.
As I read through my notes to prepare for this
piece, I smiled. It’s been a hell of a
year. More so than I even remembered
until I read the words on the page. All
of those emotions flooded back and played themselves out in the theatre of my
mind’s eye like a memory slide show video montage. The only thing missing was the background
sound track mash-up that I’m sure included all my favorite ‘70s and ‘80s road
trip tunes. You know, the ones that make
you sing along so loud you don’t realize the cop behind you is gonna give you a
ticket if you don’t take your food off the gas?
Fortunately, that only happened once this past year. And I deserved the ticket. I was going way too fast and was way too
happy about it. But it did give me the
new experience of taking defensive driving online thru Comedy Central which was
actually kind of entertaining, so hey, let’s make lemonade out of it,
right?
So what was last year all about? What was the common theme running thru
everything? If I had to pin it down to a
one line statement, I’d have to say “Step up and claim your happiness.” It took several forms but they all seemed to
support this common goal, which I didn’t even know I had until I had achieved
it. There seemed to be a healthy balance
of external as well as internal experiences.
Lots of new people, things, places, and scenic road trips that always
renew my soul. It was also about
deepening connections, past and present.
Lots of historical explorations and meaningful, one-on-one time with an
abundance of interesting folks, existing and new, in my life. Lots of new restaurants (Harry’s Hideaway in Cornville is my new absolute favorite, rivaled
only by the Lost Dutchman’s Hideout near Apache Junction) and culinary
experiences, some in my own kitchen, made the list. I saw some amazing performances from the
amazing Dia de Los Muertos performance of fire spinning and jazz, to belly
dance and Native American showcases. It
was an honor to attend and cheer on many of my good friends who performed. I also attended fests that joyously
celebrated books and beer in the form of the Sedona Book Festival to the first
Red Rocks Ocktober fest, even volunteering to dress in a traditional German
dirndl to greet guests. Oh yeah, and I
moved this past summer. If a new
environment and new view doesn’t give a psychological reset, I don’t know what
does. It’s been downright zen-like to
watch the sun rise every morning and set each evening on the red rocks just
past my patio. I’ve also seen my fair
share of interesting creatures this year, including bluebirds, quail,
rattlesnakes, spiders (big ass scary ones inside the house!) and coyotes,
javelinas, and gorgeous bobcats, most of which have decided my back patio is a
wildlife super highway. Lucky me!
If happiness
was the primary theme, exploration and
learning were close seconds. I wandered through, around, over, and under
an assortment of historical sites, museums and structures. And I did a lot of hiking. Fortunately, I did not fall off any ledges or
require any tetanus shots from climbing on old rusty things, though my hiking
boots might be a little worse for wear from a wee little slip into the waters
of Oak Creek…whoops! Who knew dusty, sandy 800+ year old indian
caves and cliff dwelling ruins (I will be
eternally grateful to Gary Every for introducing me to my new favorite past
time of crawling around in caves!) could be so transformative and
uplifting? Certainly not me. I also had no idea that meditative dance, in
the form of belly dancing, could bring so much healing, laughter and
friendship, not to mention an extra little bit of gracefulness in case I
stumble on my next cave climbing adventure and need a smooth way to shimmy and
body undulate out of a faux pas or cave floor face plant! Apparently, I was clueless about a lot of
things when I started this journey, but that was kind of the point. I most certainly learned something, I
transformed, I was happy.
It wasn’t all cupcakes and roses, though I
gotta say, the homemade cupcakes at Wild Rose Tea House in the Old Cottonwood
Jail (another new discovery!) are pretty darn tasty and the roses I cut from my
new garden are more fragrant than any I bought in a store. There were also moments of deep sadness, of
grief, of saying good bye to people I’d loved, of loss, of the disappointment
and hurt of unexpected betrayal by some of the very people who held my trust
the most. Moments of making hard
choices, that were essential to healing and recommitting to a life of
happiness. Even so, I found that I still
had no regrets. There was NOT ONE thing
I would’ve done differently because I realized I was as true to myself in each
moment as I could be and that was most important, regardless of outcome. I vowed not to let grief dampen courage and
joy or impede the commitment I’d made to my own happiness and well being. If that included walking away from anything
or anyone that did impeded that, so be it.
Doesn’t make the pain of those losses any less painful, or those
experience any less meaningful, just a bit more understandable, and a tiny bit more
tolerable. A worthwhile price to pay to
maintain inner wellness and honor my commitments to myself.
I had no idea what other opportunities awaited
if I just trusted, just a little bit.
Until I did it. WOW! I love my job for the first time in more
years than I can count and am happier than I ever have been, professionally
speaking. Probably because I finally
left what didn’t work behind and embraced what did and changed jobs. I was also able to lay the foundation for a
new business start up I’ve been talking about for years. It’s really happening now and I’m still a
little stunned. In its infancy, I can’t
wait to see where this goes. Even my art
is being taken in a different direction and it’s interesting to explore content
and media I’ve never tried before. The
art is selling fairly consistently, the book is almost done and there are
several venues encouraging me to sell both.
Never imagined the hobbies and pie-in-the-sky dreams would manifest into
something real, but there we go. Transformation. Something new.
I can’t wait to see what’s up next!
