New Year’s Resolutions, Pacing Oneself, and Staying Curious

One of the more difficult things about growing older is losing that child-like sense of wonder and awe. Very rarely am I truly surprised in a good way anymore. The older you get the wiser you hopefully are becoming and if you are very curious like me, there are less and less things to discover. I think this is why I like trying new hobbies, films, and reading so much. At least in reading, there are endless worlds to discover.



Over the weekend, I was at dinner. Luckily, my dinner date is someone where we talk about anything and everything. Our conversations go off on weird tangents, yet, we are always able to go back to the original topic. We eagerly ask questions and politely interrupt and give the floor back to the speaker once our curiosity is satiated. We always laugh about how we got on a certain topic and follow the topics backwards to see how we jumped from this bit to that bit, and ah yes... that was the catalyst. When you are free to talk about literally anything, even the so very mundane and inconsequential, it leads you to the most fascinating discussions. Everyone should have at least one person in their life like this.

During one such discussion, they threw out the word frisbee golf. And I was blown away. BOOM! I had never heard of it. I couldn’t even wrap my head around what it could even entail. As plain as the words frisbee and golf were, I couldn’t conjure up logically what the activity involved. Granted, I’m not so old that I should be in a senior home, but I like to try new hobbies. And I have lived in the states and Asia for quite some time that I’m not the most sheltered person in the world either. So for me to even live this long, in a few places, and to never even know such a thing existed, I was DELIGHTED! And of course, I am putting it on my list of things to do. To me, it was like discovering friends who didn’t know how to swim or ride a bike or had never tried sushi or cilantro. Really?! I have never gone skiing, but I at least knew what is was, but to never even hear the words, “I want to play frisbee golf,” EVER, in my ENTIRE LIFE, man! Where have I been?! It was so nice to be surprised and taken aback!

So as the new year unfolds so early in its birth, I am excited and curious. My plans to be more creative are humming along nicely. I have one project that is well underway in making things, with my own two hands. Hand-sewn felt toys and stuffing pillows to be exact. I’m keeping a vase of happy things that have happened for me to read at the end of the year (notes I write down and drop in a vase). And I’m incorporating and thinking about spiritual and health goals too, all the while of being mindful to pace myself and be realistic of what is do-able. My type A personality always wants to finish a task or activity COMPLETELY, RIGHT NOW because I’m just so excited. This results in staying up really late to finish a good book or whatever project I’m indulging in and throwing my sleep schedule out of whack. And while I do know how to slow down and relax, I tend to do one or the other exclusively - productive activity or absolute coach potato-ness. Six years of being a workaholic with no vacation? Sure, no problem! And then in the end, I needed and had the freedom to unwind and do nothing except play for 4 months for the sake of my sanity. It took that long for me to catch my breath. So this year, I am trying to slow down the pace to marathon, not sprinting... How are your resolutions coming along?



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http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4303-hollywood-executive-assistant

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