Around the world, 2016, was a year that should have gone another way. When I look back at my personal photos of 2016, it was a year of personal positive change.
Winter Stations at the Beaches.
I’m feeling better about myself and the way I treat the people in my life. For that, 2016 gave me more than I could imagine.
UPX and a walk around the airport. Photo by Ian Barrett.
St. Patrick’s Day Achilles run. If I look tired in this photo, I was. I came down with a bad cold later that day.
January to March: I worked a lot. I was teaching more hours than I ever have in my career as a fitness instructor. At times my body rebelled. Even though I had given up sugar on Dec 1st 2015. In the first three months of the year I managed to get the flu and a cold. Perhaps my body was getting rid of the toxins from my past sugar addiction while also adapting to more fitness. By Spring, my body got used to this amount of workouts and classes, and I continued with that same amount of teaching hours.
I did get out a few times, on the weekends mostly. I started my long distance walk training in mid-March. I walked for hours in a day, mostly alone. Walking gave me much insight to who I am and what I want. I got really into trivia.Our community of friends take turns hosting a trivia each season. We did terribly most of the time but it’s still fun with good folks. Plus I always learn something new.
Cheering Chris on at the Toronto Spring Marathon.
Ottawa at dawn. 25 kms walked on the Ottawa Marathon weekend.
March to May- For a second year in a row, we planted seedlings in the room with the south facing window. New life always brings joy into our home. Chris was training for the Spring marathon and I trained for my 43 km walking goal for September. I started organizing art nights on the one night of the week I was not working. At the end of the spring, I went to Ottawa for Chris’s second marathon of the year. I got to see an old friend and walk 25 km along the canal. I went to help open the cottage on Victoria day weekend where I walked 25 kms in the Kawarthas.
Mariko’s graduation from her Ph.D in Civil Engineering. That woman is making the world a better place.
June to September 20th– Summer solstice was spent in the northern point of Newfoundland.
I came expecting cold and rain but had sunshine the entire week in Western Newfoundland.
The last of the provinces in this beautiful country I had yet to see. Toronto was too hot for my sanity most of the summer but I kept up with the long distance walking, thankfully Toronto has green spaces to walk for number of kms.
Long distance walking in the summer. It was a hot summer.
Finally by the end of the summer on my birthday, I completed my goal of walking 43km in a day. It was a great day with friends who shared some of that walk.
Sept 22nd to December 31- One of the big events that I got to help out with was October 15th, Abundance on the Pickering Lands.
At the beginning of the year, I didn’t know where all my practicing of piano was going.By the summer, I improved a lot. I played a difficult piece at the fall recital that I felt good about.
That forever changed the way I think about the GTA and its offerings.
Canada, pay attention to Pickering Lands. There is abundance of opportunity there far better than an airport. Abundance October 2016
Chris and I spent many hours of free time over summer and fall to prepare to host the fall trivia session. It was fun and we worked well as a team. The community of trivia goers agreed. Then the world felt like it was going against everything I believed in, ending in disappointment. Because of this, the kindness I was striving for each day came out easier and easier.
We’re dressed up! I adore Chris, he’s a real good man and loyal, kind friend.
Winter Solstice this year I decided to let go of disappointments. I’ve had a lot of them this year but I am feeling better that I can handle them with grace, empathy and acceptance. Here’s to 2017 with more adventures to come our way.
1. Walked a lot.
2. Got back into regular morning meditation.
3. Weekly art night consisting of drawing, painting, etc to get the creative juices flowing.
4. Wrote nightly appreciation and daily acts of kindness.
5. Ate less then 25 grams of sugar each day.
6. Practiced at least 30 minutes of piano a day.
7. Learned to knit again.
8. Co-created a 60 question,1.5 hour long trivia game.
9. Continued my personal pilates and weight program and swimming/running cardio workouts.
10. Conceived Whole Self Living.