Reverb 10

So since I have gotten into the habit of stalking my wonderful friend Jenni and shadowing her every move (kinda creepy, ain't it?), I figured she wouldn't be offended by me stealing yet another thing she is doing. That thing, my dear readers, is Reverb 10. I heard of it before, but thought it rather stupid and time consuming. And while I believe I actually have LESS time now, I figure hell, I can write over 50k words in a month, I can do this little project as well.

Every day they give you a prompt and you respond to it based on this past years experiences. I'm going to do it daily from here on out, but since I'm already several days behind, I'm just going to get current with this post first...

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December 1 - One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?
My one word... Stress. That may not be the best, or happiest word to choose, but it certainly fits with how 2010 flew by. I'm not going to go into detail, because that would make this little blurb far too long. As for my 2011 word... I would like it to be success. By this time next year, I want to have accomplished something meaningful. Not that I'm discounting everything else I've done this year, but I want that feeling of contentment, of a job well done. And I want to be able to enjoy that feeling, for more than a second before being thrust into my next job.


December 2 – Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?
Basically everything. Even taking away the bare nessecities, like breathing and eating and using the restroom... I still have my daughter, my fuzzy children, and all of my household chores. None of those contribute to my writing, and all of them are oh so distracting, even if they are adorable distractions. (Except the chore thing...) During NaNo, I eliminated just about everything I could, and still found myself wanting for time. As unhealthy as it was, I began cutting out my meals, opting for quick snacks instead, because I could type while I ate, and with Felicity deciding only to take hour naps at a time, I needed all of the writing time I could get. I've been told that I can find the time if I look, but honestly, with an only child, who's almost two, who climbs all over you the moment your butt hits that chair or couch, it's difficult to even get a hundred words in. More often than not, my attempts at writing with Felicity awake ended in me having LESS words then before... Funny how the key she likes the best is that damnable delete button...


December 3 – Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail.
Because I've only had four hours of sleep in the last 48, please forgive me if my memory is fuzzy. The most alive I have felt all year is truly sad... This past June I lost my grandmother, and it was devastating to the whole family. At her funeral, I played a song on the flute, and had planned on doing three rounds of it, since it was such a short song, but I barely made it past the second round because I was shaking so badly. I'm not a crier, I generally don't cry at anything, but that day as I watched them lower my Nanny into the ground, I could feel everything. The wind whipping and pulling at my hair, the blades of grass tickling my ankles, the gentle kiss of the sun as it tried to force it's way past the graying clouds. That night, I continued to have dreams of her, and woke up several times with hot tears streaming down my cheeks and soaking my pillow. Since then, I feel completely at odd's at how I think I should feel. When you loose someone close to you, your supposed to feel sad and empty, even angry. But, while I feel sorrow for my loss... I can't be angry at her for leaving, and I don't feel empty. I'm at peace, and since her funeral, everything has been... vivid. Colors are bright, the sun feels warmer, the crows are beautiful.


December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?
A sense of wonder? I'm not sure how you can cultivate, or create, wonder in your life, but the first thing that comes to mind is watching the snow fall. Before Thanksgiving!! I was so blown away and in awe... When We came back from my Aunt's house, I got out of the car and turned around to look at our home, and it was beautiful. The roof was covered in snow, the snow had enveloped our house, and it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen, until my daughter ran out towards it. That was the most beautiful thing. But that was quickly broken when she slipped and fell face first into the snow, that sorta ruined it. I love winter. I love snow. I think that is my yearly dose of wonderment.


December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?
I do believe I covered that on Day Three, and I have no wish to cry again, so I will just sort of skip the literal interpretation and move to something else... On top of my grandmother, Chris lost his exactly one month after mine. Nanny passed away June 13, 2010. June, Chris's grandmother, passed away July 13, 2010. That's all I'm saying on that.


December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?
Now here is a question I can get excited about. Chris and I stayed up until 2am, just days into December, making our house a Christmas Wonderland. I had bought a stapler and a bunch of construction paper in red, green, and white. We made paper chains, snowflakes, book marks, wall hangings, even a banner. I was so proud at our work, it was amazing. The next day, we took Felicity to Browne's to help us pick out our tree, and while she ended up wanting one of the HUGE ones, we took a small one and brought it home. After decorating it with one of the smaller paper chains, lights, and our ornaments, we hung our stockings, rearranged the furniture, hung lights up outside, and made everything look (and even smell!) like Christmas. The day after that, a great friend of mine came over and we made enough cookies to feed the whole island! Yes. That was fantastic.


December 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?
The theater. 2010 was filled with theater projects for me, and I found that I love it. I typically don't do large groups of people, since I'm quite happy being a solitary creature, but working together to create these beautiful plays, and watching each different aspect of it just come together and to watch it work so fluidly... It really is an amazing experience, and I hope I have the opportunity to be more active in the theater. Never mind the long hours of rehearsals, it's all worth it :D


December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful.
This one... I don't quite understand. There is nothing about me that somebody else can't do better. Sorry, I just don't buy into the whole "unique as snowflakes" thing. I'm cynical, solitary, loving, passionate, punctual... I'm a mother, a chef, a baker, a cleaner, a care-giver, a friend, a sister, a daughter, a wife. I can sew, sing, write, play several different musical instruments, fix things, build things, destroy things, garden, paint... While all of these make me who I am, they are also the same things that make thousands, even millions, of people different too. I don't consider myself beautiful, or most times, useful, but that's another blog, for another time.


December 9 – Party Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.
I don't do parties. Simple as that. Love getting ready to go, and the going, but I quickly realize I hate groups of people and small talking, and pretending everything is just peachy when it isn't, and watching people gossip and bad talk each other behind someones back. I hate the drama that ALWAYS follows in the wake of receiving an invitation, and there is always something. Small and trifle like somebody forgot the chips (which somehow can escalate to the point of having people shouting and in tears...) or huge and disconcerting like somebody being accused of cheating and lying. Yeah. Big groups of people, no matter how festive and nice the thought is, always creates more drama and pain than they are worth.