2018 Reflection

Since it worked out so well for me last year, I set out to reflect on 2018 as a whole before setting up my 2019 GHDR.

Summary of 2018

I’m in a good-ish place now. So much is different from now and before 2018. If I gave 2018 three words, they would be: Pushing, Growing, Accepting

Ordinary things I did

• Continued homeschooling the kiddos, through the end of the school year before enrolling them both in high school!
• Kept the kids, dog, and cat alive (mostly - cat disappeared in September)
• Improved my german language skills with regular practice
• Regular meditation practice that kept me not crazy
• Kept the house clean

Things I know I did out of the ordinary

2018 was such a year of change that what stands out has even changed. I’ll try.

• started onboarding work for Open Collective (Jan)
• launched Challenge study app (Feb) Challenge A App Page
• started using Task warrior (Mar) read about how I set it up
• launched our amazing real gift service (Mar) Gifts Done
• launched Social Majik app (Jul) Social Majik App
• launched Social Majik designs (Sep) Social Majik Designs
• started job (Oct) - like a real go sit at a desk in a place kinda job

Events/Trips/Concerts/Hikes/Moments in Time

• Started the Year off in New Zealand! I wrote about this one caution: long New Zealand travel post
• Adam Rey and Adam Devine (Feb 7) - I went. I did not really enjoy their particular brand of comedy, but it was nice to be out with friends.
• Hiked Jimbayama with friends (Feb 11) - This was a delightful adventure with two wonderful people.
• Did sutra writing with zazen meditation at Dokuonji Temple (Feb 25) - wish I had done more of this. Fujio-san is such a joy.
• Halestorm (Mar 2) - really enjoyed this concert. The venue could have been better. I was really surprised that they did not play American Boys.
• Dips at Yunnessun spa in Hakone (Mar 4) - surreal wine, coffee, matcha, etc. hot tubs
• Fuji peace park and heritage center visit (Mar 31) - Another neat shrine, great snowy views of Fuji, and an interesting museum with stories and lore for Fuji
• Ashikaga Flower Park (Apr 25) - the boys and I enjoyed stunningly beautiful flowers in the cold and rainy weather.
• First ever Bunko game (May 11) - A great way to spend an evening with strangers.
• Made pottery with friends (May 28) - what a treat - we pressed local leaves into bowls we made our selves. The Japanese ladies kiln the bowls slowly and no two look alike
• Made fake food (Jun 6) - on my Japan bucket list. We made tempura and it was so fun. I gave mine away a few hours later, the experience was fantastic.

… We moved back to USA in June…and the activities really dropped off. :smiley:

• Nebraska trip (Jun) - the best thing about being in the states is seeing my sister
• Demolished and remodeled most of a house (Jun/Jul) - hard but rewarding work. looks so much better.
• Paddled down the Yakima river and saw Dick & Jane’s spot (Jul 21) - friggin’ amazing day with the hubs
• Anderson Landing Preserve “hike” (Jul 29) - nice place practically in our backyard
• Murihat Waterfall hike (Aug 12) - short hike and fun time close to the falls. I love exploring
• Mt Townsend hike (Aug 17) - tough and buggy hike with the running club, but the view was beautiful - we got above the rain

Fitnessy things

• Tried and failed a press handstand challenge (Apr - Aug)
• Joined a Running group (Aug - SRTT)
• Ran the Poulsbo Half Marathon (Oct)
• Started Kickboxing (Dec)
• According to my fitbit, I moved a decent amount in 2018, but less than 2017:
  • 3,739,516 steps (over 1 Million less than 2017!!!)
  • 5718 floors
  • 2,588.05 km
  • 730,578 calories

New things I did

• I started drawing and coloring and not judging
• Trivia night - started with a friend from Japan and continued with colleagues

Quotes I found in my notes

I quoted Rumi about a zillion times in my journal this year. It was a Rumi-rific year. I’m okay with that, and I hope that I continue to enjoy Rumi.

Ok, so how did I do?

In 2018:

• I resolved to eat food that makes my body happy [H] - I did fairly well on this, my logs show almost all happy days. Some big errors for me seemed to be when I willed for ice cream and wine to not make me sick.
• I resolved to run or walk intentionally at least 4 times per week[H]- I did not always make this one, but it was definitely a regular habit.
• I resolved to do one thing with friends or family every month [F] - I managed the once per month, but it really is not enough for close connections - I needed to do more but struggled.
• I resolved to conduct a weekly review session where I summarize what I’ve done and how I’ve felt about it and where it is taking me [I] - virtually non-existent
• I resolved to conduct a monthly review of my progress on these goals [I] - inconsistent
• I resolved to make some kind of income and track it each month [M] - made, not well tracked
• I resolved to stay engaged and contribute to the communities that I have found [E] - okay. I think I could have done better both at staying engaged and not letting this take too much time. and in February, I added
• I resolved to do one thing with each member of my family individually every month [F] - failure. and in June, I removed
• I resolved to regularly go to the gym with friends [H,F] - Somewhat spotty.

Looks like I’m at about 47% performance (better than last year’s 22%). Arbitrary - keeping the tradition alive

What went wrong: Moving changed every thing about our lives. All of our friends changed, distance and availability of activities changed, life was completely upended. It took me nearly the whole second half of the year just to get reoriented.

Things I want to continue from this year

Everything (except the gym thing that I already stopped)

• Eating well for me
• Connecting with friends and family
• Taking care of my strength and resilience with training
• Mindfully reflecting on my progress

Things I do not want to continue

I thought there would be things to list, but I mostly want to stay the course and get better at the things that I have identified are meaningful to me.

Concrete things to consider

• I think that I will have to be much more forward planning to ensure that I get out and participate in cultural or other outside events (travel, concerts, adventures, etc.) because it feels much harder to make that happen here than in Japan.
• Working full time and managing a business requires me to remain focused and intentional more than ever
• This is the last full year that my oldest kiddo will live in my house - whoa!
• I’m really good at doing scheduled things and not so good at improvising. I should schedule more of my intentional family and friend time to ensure connections.