Epiphany

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
–Matthew 2:11

The #blog12daysxmas challenge has ended.  Time to review. What gifts did I receive in the last 12 days? Certainly no gold, frankincense or myrrh but I do think I received and abundance of blessings.

After a strange day at work, tonight I went to a practice for our Filipino choir.  They sing once a month and the practice at someone’s house on the Friday night before the weekend they are due to sing.  This month I decided to join them.  I have only gone to one of their practices once before and had a great time then so I was happy to go again.

I was tired and sore from work, having given my desk a thorough clean.  So I had mixed feelings about going out.  I really just wanted to go home to bed.  Nevertheless, I pushed through the fatigue and went to the house where the practice was to be held.  As usual, our hostess had put on such a wonderful smorgasbord.

After dinner, we practiced all the hymns and Mass parts for the coming Sunday. Then I suggested we learn a couple of new hymns that would be potentially coming up for selection. As I suspected, this wonderful group of committed singers picked up the new hymns instantly.  Then an amazing thing happened.  We picked random hymns from our book just by flicking the pages and singing where the book fell open.  We had so much fun singing these random pieces.  We were united in our joy of singing and singing to the glory of God!

I feel so grateful for the blessings I have received and the life I have.  I complain about stress and fatigue and these are very real and unwanted parts of my life but I must acknowledge that I have much to be thankful for.

I have a loving family, good friends, a rewarding job, a moderately successful career, a not unpleasant voice…… and I could go on.

And I’m most grateful for the time and interest of my blog readers. Your comments and likes spur me on to post more and post better.  Thank you for your gift of support.  My mindless meanderings would be nothing if it weren’t for you.

The twelfth day of Christmas

This challenge is drawing to a close.  Tomorrow will be Epiphany and life will return to normal…whatever that is.

I’ve spent most of today feeling quite sad and invisible but nobody really noticed.  I felt like screaming out “LOOK AT ME! TALK TO ME!” but that would have just been weird and a bridge too far.

Anyway, I’m trying to focus on the positives even when it’s a struggle to do so.  So how about a little gaze into the year ahead?

I had decided that I would not do New Years Resolutions this year but that was as far as that thought went. Taking a leaf out of the Book of Nomes, I have set some challenges instead.

My challenges for the year…

• Reconnect with reading – This year is the National Year of Reading and as a librarian I really should give this my support.  As a child I was an avid reader but since I became a librarian I hardly touch books at all except to shelve them.
• Craft a card per week – Some card crafting challenges require participants to make a card each day. Given my commitments, that’s a little excessive but I think I can manage one a week.
• Blog more frequently – Analysis of the past few years has shown me that I require a blogging challenge to motivate me.  I mostly just blog during June and the Twelve Days of Christmas.  I was glad that I instigated the Blog12DaysXmas challenge (with the encouragement of Jenelle) back in 2010 and that spurred me to set the Lent2011 blog challenge but that, for me at least, was a dismal failure. I’m not sure what I’ll be able to sustain but I’d like to aim for at least one post a month…one that’s worth reading.
• Everyday – Last year’s Daily Image 2011 photo challenge was so enjoyable and surprisingly enlightening that I want to continue…but with a difference.  I purchased the Everyday app and I will use it to create a time lapse video of my year.

I have a few other things in my mind but that’s enough to keep me occupied.

The eleventh day of Christmas

What an odd day!

I woke feeling very dizzy and unwell so I delayed going to work until I felt at least well enough to drive.

It would have been my parents’ wedding anniversary today so Mum visited me at work to share morning tea.  That was nice.

It was a hodge-podge kind of day and I don’t think I achieved very much.

After work I had dinner with a friend.  I think I was a little too reflective and somewhat maudlin.

I’ve come to the conclusion that too much self-reflection (and blogging about same) can lead to bouts of melancholy. So that’s where I’ll leave this and hope for a happier tomorrow.

The tenth day of Christmas

I returned to work today.  Very few people came to the library.  The Education Centre which houses the Library was operating on after-hours mode, i.e. swipe access was required to enter the building.  That meant that the Library was exceedingly quiet and I was  free to concentrate on working without interruption…a rare treat!

I had a very constructive teleconference in the morning but that was my only appointment for the day.  By the afternoon, I was starting to fade until I went to the hospital cafe and bought a bottle of red cream soda, a chocolate bar and a packet of jellybeans.  Then it all turned a little crazy!

Jellybean wars ensued!

A frivolous conversation about various aspects of jellybeans kept me motivated and amused.  It also made me feel connected to the rest of the world.  Sitting in a quiet and virtually empty library with not a soul to talk to could have made me feel very alone but Twitter was my companion and motivator.

I had a similar experience much later in the evening.  I posted an update on Facebook and another crazy conversation was launched.  That feeling of connectedness engulfed me again.

Anyone who thinks social media is a threat to actual personal relationships has never really experienced its positive power.  I could have spent the day feeling lonely and sorry for myself but, instead, I felt uplifted by those trivial conversations.  It’s the little things that make the difference.

Those silly little jellybeans made my day.

(For the record, Allen’s are the best and I like the white ones!)

The ninth day of Christmas

Today was the last day of my Christmas holidays.  Tomorrow I return to work.

I have much to do.  There are jobs to do around the house. I have committee work that needs attention. I have a laundry list of things running through my mind but I put all of them aside today to continue my goal of spending my holidays in relaxation so that I can return to work tomorrow renewed and refreshed.

I was fortunate enough this afternoon to spend time in the company of some wonderful people.  My fellow music ministers (i.e. musicians and singers) from my church.  One of our group…the youngest, in fact…invited us to his house for a most amazing afternoon tea.  It was such a relaxed affair and a perfect end to a relaxed holiday for me.

I came home and continued in the same vein by playing a game of Sims 3 and painting my nails (including a failed nail art design).  Then, after dinner, I watched “Bridesmaids” which has been quoted by my workmates ever since they saw it.

All in all, it was a good day.  Mostly made pleasant by the company of friends and the remembrance of absent friends.  So today’s word of the day is…

The eighth day of Christmas

A new year.

A new beginning.

A new set of challenges.

A new set of possibilities.

Just as last year I documented each day (bar the first month) with a photograph of myself, this year I will do something similar but I have also set myself a new challenge.  Document my year in text.

While I was in Perth in September last year (2011, if you haven’t changed your calendars), I went into a bookshop…that’s rare for me…and I made a purchase…even rarer.  I bought something I haven’t bought in years…a diary!  In the age of smartphones and integrated online accounts, who would put anything on paper?  Why walk around with a phone book and a diary and any number of other things in one’s pocket or handbag or actually the suitcase you’d need to carry such things when one can have it all in a small device?  Why indeed!

Anyway, the diary.  Yes, I purchased a diary. Not for appointments and such but rather to capture my moods, my emotions, my thoughts, my feelings.  Sure, I could blog all that but the real challenge is to do it every day and to do it succinctly.

I challenge myself to sum up each day in one word and to write that word in my brand new 7 x 9 x 2.5cm diary.

Today was a good start:

Let’s hope the rest of the year is just as positive.

The seventh day of Christmas

As the 2011 draws to a close in the next 90 minutes, it is time to reflect.

For a whole host of reasons, this has not been the happiest year of my life. I don’t really want to elaborate on that at all in this post. I’d rather focus on the positives of 2011.

It has been a year of self-discovery, sharing and personal growth.  And this has come from the most unlikely of sources… #dailyimage2011!!!!

I joined this challenge a little late.  The challenge to take a photograph of oneself every day for one year began in almost one whole year ago on January 1.  I joined the party a month later on February 1.

My first shot (left) was “Librarian in the Library”…glasses, bun, library shirt, library sign.  It would only have been more cliched if I were in a twin-set and pearls and shushing!

Throughout the year I shared more of myself through these images than I ever would in a blog or perhaps even in person.  I gradually allowed my raw personality to be seen.  I captured things that were both trivial and important to me.  I bore my soul and exposed my vulnerabilities.  I “put it out there” and tensed up in anxious anticipation of what might come back.

Love.

Acceptance.

Belonging.

Images ranged from the emotional…

…to the elated…

…to the sexy (?)…

…to the religious…

..to the bored (or tired)…

…to the downright crazy!

 

There was the usual focus on hair

…and the introduction of a fascination with nails…

…a little dash of music…

…and a touch of reading.

 

There were even glimpses of the people (and animals) I love…

…and much more!

All in all, I’ve enjoyed this challenge and I think I’ll keep going next year. I’ve really appreciated sharing pieces of myself (especially as I’m an extroverted exhibitionist) but I’ve mostly been surprised at just how I’ve got to know and accept myself.  Through it all I’ve learned to live with myself.

So all that’s left is to leave you with the final image for 2011

and wish you

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

 

The sixth day of Christmas

My day:

I slept in.

I window shopped.

I relaxed.

Later on this evening, I’ll be going to see a movie.

I’m not going to blog anymore tonight because I’m too busy dancing in my office!

But before I go, here’s today’s daily image…me in a big red chair!

The fifth day of Christmas

Just like the fifth day of Christmas last year, this day was spent in the company of friends…crafting.

This was my craft of the day…a “QR-stitch”.

There were some different faces this year but the feeling of friendship and shared enjoyment was just the same.

I thank God for blessing me with such lovely people in my life.

(Photo by Bonnie, via Jo)

The fourth day of Christmas

Last night I slept. It was only a little after 1am when I dropped off to sleep. It was filled with dreams but it was unbroken…at least until the alarm reminded me that I was meeting a friend for coffee.

I met said friend and coffee became breakfast.  It’s always nice to share a meal and good conversation in the company of valued friends. It was a lovely start to the day…and it was accompanied by a spot of gentle shopping. (My favourite thing!)

A bunch of other things happened in the afternoon which I don’t really want to talk about but what I do want to talk about is nail art!  I’ve taken quite an interest in nail art this year.  I enjoy creating these designs on my nails and it is quite a conversation starter.  Complete strangers pass remarks about the designs I sport on my fingers.  Here’s a selection of my efforts…starting with today’s water marbled art: