Three Days Behind on the December 2010 "Reverb 10"

Last year, during the month of December I participated in Gwen Bell's Best of 2009 challenge, blogging all 31 days of the month in response to a prompt...the best of this or the best of that.  This year I'm a bit late on the draw having located an even bigger challenge this December 2010 called #Reverb10. Gwen has been joined by a number of others to offer fellow bloggers the opportunity to participate in what is now an annual event....

"an inspired response to (and evolution of) #best09. It’s an open online initiative that encourages participants to reflect on this year and manifest what’s next. It’s an opportunity to retreat and consider the reverberations of your year past, and those that you’d like to create in the year ahead. We’re connected by the belief that sharing our stories has the power to change us."

Hmmmmm. I had best get started. I'm 3 days behind.

1. Prompt for Dec. 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? (Author: Gwen Bell)

OK, my word for 2010 is cautious. Not much to say except I've been held back by cautious reaction to almost everything in my life. Not saying that's good or bad. It just is.

My choice of word for next year when 2011 draws to a close is go. This is the word I told myself over and over and over again as I trained for the triathlon.


2. Prompt for Dec 2: Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it? (Author: Leo Babauta)

What I do is procrastinate; unless I have a pretty clear idea of what I want to say, I don't even try. The laundry, the trash, the computer; all pull me away from writing. Can I fix it? I certainly hope so.

3. Prompt for Dec 3: Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). (Author: Ali Edwards)

This is a rather literal reply to the prompt, but....it's true. I never felt so alive as the morning of October 12 when I stood by my mother's bedside with my sister and Dad in the hour after she passed away. There is nothing quite like witnessing death up close that makes one feel every beat of their own heart and to know on the deepest level that the one who has passed on has lost the vital force.

And on to today's prompt in the next post....