Transformation

I'm working a transformation: Turning myself into a patient and wise person, who exercises persistently; and also a magical transformation of our home into a tidy and ship-shape space (with a hot tub)!

Monday is my day to reset for the week and get my ducks in a row - make some plans for health and home, and prepare for Grandson fun.

Agenda:

1. Read "The Sweet Spot"

2. Ongo journal
2. Fall Cleaning and Home projects

3. Halloween School plans

1. Read "The Sweet Spot":

I'm reading this book by Christine Carter (2015), about "How to Find Your Groove". The thesis is that when we hit from our sweet spot we have optimum power and the greatest ease. Chapter 4 is Cracking the Habit Code, a "habit-crafting intensive." 

I'm working on a basic exercise plan  - some simple stretches and abs, a better than nothing daily routine that might build into something bigger. I've drafted a detailed script, with triggers and a built-in inherent reward. I'm starting really, really small - I just move my chair and do a rag doll stretch every day, and more if I can. The goal is to create a habit that doesn't depend on willpower, doing something so small that the habit begins to initiated and the groove is formed. It's been working for several weeks now! I've got a daily habit forming.

Tip #17 is to expand really, rally slowly. Once I begin to feel the habit is pulling at me and becoming normal, I can take a tiny step more. Perhaps for me this will be slightly longer routines. And rejoice that I'm building the habit finally!

Tip #18 is expect failure. A lapse is a little slip, a bad day; a relapse is a bad week. Faltering is normal, but how I react is critical.

Tip #19 is beware the "what the hell" effect. If I miss one day (a lapse) it's quite easy to give in to a few more days (a full blown relapse). It's does big damage to self-confidence. After a small slip, try this: 

• Avoid emotion or self-recrimination. Just forgive myself and move on.
• Rededicate myself to my intention and my plan. Remind myself of the why.
• Make a plan for next time I face the same temptation. Can I remove it, or change the effect? Is there a mini-habit I can tweak?  

2. Ongo journal:

I'm taking a 12-week non-violent communication class. Week five is about Core Beliefs, and how the past colors the present. "When we recognize our core belief ... as expressions of past attempts to meet needs, that may or may not meet our needs today, we can bring compassion to their expression when they arise."

The practice today is to think about an unresolved moment that stimulated a reaction in me; write down the thoughts I have about the situation, and reach down to identify a core belief - a familiar old story about myself or the nature of life.

I'm thinking about my response to criticism, when I explode with fury that I am unfairly accused of (fill in the blank). The core belief is that I need to protect my image as a good, smart, capable person who can do no wrong. I will lie and go to great lengths to protect that image.

I have always assumed that it stems from being belittled by my father, but who knows? I can't actually remember rage as an emotion of my youth. I remember sadness and angst quite clearly. Maybe that transmitted to rage as a young adult.

The needs that resonate are: self-acceptance, transformation, patience, respect.

3. Fall Cleaning and Home projects:

Fall cleaning has an entirely different feel and focus than spring cleaning. In the fall we finish up, pack away, and "batten the hatches"-- we put away all the outdoor stuff, air out the sweaters, and prepare for winter. 

This next week I will complete fall cleaning in the kitchen and driveway. I plan to:

• Dust the windows, inside and out and put down the storm windows.
• Repaint the window frames outside the kitchen, and reglaze the windows that need it.

And we are trucking right along on our big renovation project. We have a new shed with shelves, a new window, and a spa on order! My next steps:

• Tear down the old shed!
• Remove thimbleberry and dirt from the hot tub site.
• Buy new paint for the front of the house and the new window.
• Order new panes for 3 broken windows.
• Research and plan for pouring a slab - who can help?
• Choose a handrail for the back and order that.
• Help to clear out the big work area and get rid of the big saws.

3. Halloween School plans:

Our fall schedule includes a two day pre-school, with coloring pages on a different theme each week, related outdoor projects, field trips, and art. I want to focus on nature awareness, process art and basic art skills (drawing, painting, cutting, glueing, etc.).

This week the theme is spiders and bats:

1. Talk about death and dying, and look for dead leaves and plants.
2. Look at X-ray books, and talk about the bones in our bodies. 
3. Hang our pipe-cleaner spiders and spider webs and go on a spider search outdoors.
4. Make Halloween cookies.
5. Make paper bats, and see a bat video.
6. Make Calvera scull masks (cutting, coloring)