I began doing a Monthly “I Did It” List this year to help me focus on celebrating the life I am living. I am prone to a Compare & Despair mindset. I often feel like milestones or achievements pass without recognition. I often think I’m not “doing enough,” as if there’s a need to be productive! Daily gratitude (which I do) helps, but I also recognized that I needed a bit more.
Looking at my April I Did It list, I’m excited to say:
The 4-day spring festival that includes my garden club’s judged Flower Show and a 2-day membership tent at the garden festival was successfully executed! Big Achievement. It was the reason for this blog’s day-late posting! After the event I am equally exhausted and exhilarated. Exhausted from physically setting up and taking down the flower show. I ended up being the primary plant stager for the horticulture part of the show! And was pleased to say that the broader team recognized my efforts. The visiting judges for the show, from all over Florida, also commented how wonderful it looked. Mental exhaustion was from pulling out my dormant recruiting skill set to staff the garden club’s membership tent at the plant festival. But exhilarated with ideas for my own garden and speakers to try and get for both of my garden clubs. Oh, and I won two big awards. One Grower’s Choice (a “best in show” type of ribbon from the judges) and one People’s Choice award. (pictures of both entries below – People’s Choice shell/air plant frame and Grower’s Choice Cryptanthus). Not bad for a newbie to Florida gardening and entering items into a Flower Show! Also pictured in the blog’s header is my diorama mini garden, a beach scene, which also got a blue ribbon.
Also in April:
- Learned ZenTangle. And I am trying to not worry about mastery but to have fun with it.
- Bought two new trees for our yard and hubby planted them. Hoping for no storm-surge salt inundation this year. I can only hope.
- Had some lovely day trips – to Art in Bloom at the local Fine Arts Museum, a road trip to Sarasota’s Selby Gardens, enjoying the big spring art festival called MainSail, going to a Birding 101 talk, and overdoing it at the Tampa Bay Wine and Food Fest.
- Had good conversations with (multiple) far-away friends, a fun dinner out with some local friends, and a neighborhood themed party. Themed parties are a new thing for me – not sure if it’s a Florida thing, a retired people thing, or what, but I’m going to have to become more imaginative with costuming. Luckily hubby had the idea of “porch pirate” for the pirate themed event, as I was in the midst of flower show weekend and had nothing figured out!
- Continued my normal routines – morning journal with coffee, regular cardio drumming, beach shelling days, new moon Tarot, weekly beach yoga, weekly Zumba, monthly massage, book clubs, and garden club meetings.
When I put it on paper, I get a huge sense of, “Wow, look at all the cool stuff I am doing!” Why do I get down on myself, my life? I guess the I Did It List is working!
How was your April? What’s on your list?
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Pat, I think springtime in Florida inspires energy we didn’t know we had. Your garden projects are beautiful and well-deserving of awards. I am sure that felt incredibly gratifying. Congratulations.
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Thank you. I love this time of year here! Fall used to be my favorite season up north but in Florida think it’s spring.
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congratulations Pat! Quite a full month and I agree, writing it down celebrates it! Too often we don’t celebrate our achievements! You have a very full life and it’s wonderful that you’re finding ways to meet your need to achieve!! Bravo
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You hit it right on. A way to celebrate my life, a way to recognize it is full and fun, and hopefully help me avoid too many of the downward spirals.
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I commend you on the I Did It list. Too often, the response to “What’s new?” or “What have you been up to?” is “Nothing” Listing accomplishments both big & small reminds us of our full lives. Life is made up of many little things. I endeavor to have a response to the “What’s new?” question each time. Like the bear sighted high up in the tree eating poplar buds; or the kestrel aka sparrow hawk taking shelter from the rain on the deck railing. From my perspective, Pat, you have a full life.
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One of the reasons I took on this new tool was to show myself that I do have a very full (and fun) life. I tend to dismiss many of the things I do. But now, at the end of the month, I list them out, and it’s well over 25 things that get written on the list! Some are little things, some are big things. But, it makes me feel good about my life.
Your kestrel siting makes me think I need to pull out the check-list I got from the Birding 101 class and start paying more attention to our local wildlife!
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That sounds like it was a great month!
My birthday was last week and so I’ve started an “On My Way to 65” list and just make a comment for each day of something that was special, or significant or just fun. I keep a journal but this is just to keep it simple!
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Nancy – a great idea. I’ve been doing a list of “new experiences” but that’s getting harder and harder to fill in as I’ve added so many fun things to my life that are no longer new. ”Special, significant or fun” is a different way to keep a list…and then trying to add something everyday makes you look at small things as well, the little jolts of joy in each day. Really cool idea.
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Hi Pat – it sounds like a wonderful month capped off by a huge achievement…. and look at you being all “crafty” and “planty”! I loved the diorama at the top – very clever and cute. So glad you can see all the amazing things in your life and all the interesting activities that are filling it. x
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Leanne, I was pleasantly surprised with how well my “crafty and planty” things did in the flower show I had fun making the diorama a mini-beach and got lots of positive comments on it! The weekend was a definite high.
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April: well, there is another 28 hours for me 😉
I have walked 154 miles so far. I have made 6 twin size quilt tops (they will be finished in may for Sleep In Heavenly Peace). Happy Hour w/2 friends I haven’t seen in more than a year! and we set a date for June before we left :-) I have cooked many meals which I do enjoy. I have planted 6 hanging baskets for the front of our home and 5 large pots for the back patio-love me some red Geraniums! I have traveled to Philadelphia for 5d, Dover for a weekend of NASCAR (so much fun), and then 3d with a friend in Eastern TN as May begins. (I live in Idaho).
Living my best life! Cheers 🙂
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Elle – I love geraniums! They do not love Florida. I miss my lilacs and daffodils in spring too. Ah well, I was quite inspired by the flower show to putter in my garden a bit more, but that seems to be more weeding than planting. Good exercise and a feeling of accomplishment though!
I loved hearing about your month – yes, it’s all about living your best life!
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WOW. Congrats on the ribbons. That’s amazing as a “newbie”. Hope you enjoy birding. I have met some really nice people through birding.
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I’m not sure how serious a birder I will become. The little birds all still look alike to me! But it was a good talk and I got a list to check off for our specific area. A list! To check off! You know I love lists, so I might surprise myself and get into this.
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Sometimes writing things down is the proof we need. Sounds like you had a productive month! Congratulations on your awards!
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Tracey – you got it! Yes, the proof I need that my life is actually pretty amazing. It’s easy to forget when I get into comparing or things are not going as I hoped. But this new tool really did help boost my spirits.
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You have done some cool, interesting and fun things. Keep it up and enjoy. 🙂
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Liz, Thanks. it really does help me to see it all listed out…makes me feel like my life is not so boring. I’m still trying to learn how to slow down and be a bit more though!
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You did so many fun things in April. I am intrigued with the shell photo frames, never seen anything quite like it. I’ve seen the ad for ZenTangle but never tried it. I like Zen but not sure if I’m ready to untangle anything. Literally, virtually, or abstractly. Most of my spare time in April went into working on the landscaping around this house. It was unusually warm here so we got a jump on the usual mid-May start date.
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Ally, And we had a cooler April here. Of course, May will make up for it, I’m sure.
One of the botanical arts in the show was to “decorate a picture frame” and the theme was summer. Since I have lots of shells (I love shelling …it’s amazingly meditative for me) it was an easy thing to do (summer = beach= shells). Another of the arts was a sunhat. Every show is different. Last year one item was a wine bottle and the theme was MardiGras.
Oh, ZenTangle for me is doodling on steroids. I used to doodle all the time – in school classes, in business meetings. As long as I ignore the mastery element of it and view it as play, I’m OK.
Hope your landscaping is going well. Is this something you enjoy doing?
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Yes it is something I find enjoyable, but also something I do in spurts now, not all at once.
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