Reverb catch-up (#5 - #20)

While on holiday, I missed a lot of the reverb10 prompts, but here they all are, in reverse chronological order.

#20 – Beyond Avoidance. What should you have done this year but didn’t because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?)

I should have applied for permanent residency in Japan, but didn’t because the immigration bureaucracy is super scary. What if they decide I’m a loser and kick me out of the country? It is on the list for aggressive action in 2011 but I don't know if I will manage to do it. That fear is still present.

#19 – Healing. What healed you this year? Was it sudden, or a drip-by-drip evolution? How would you like to be healed in 2011?

I healed myself by reclaiming my right to exist with my imperfections. It was a sudden shock that I needed to overcome, and the healing took about two months. In 2011, I’d like to heal my sensual, sexual self. Maybe “discover” is a better word than “heal” in this case.

#18 – Try. What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for it?

Next year, I want to try acrobatics. This year I tried choreography. It worked out well – dozens of people around the world danced the hoop dance I choreographed. I’ll be doing it again.

#17 – Lesson Learned. What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward?

I am more awesome than I credit myself. I will hold this close and remember it in times of doubt.

#16 – Friendship. How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?

I’m easily influenced by the people around me and friends often shift the way I see things and what I do. I don’t think it’s conscious, but I seem to try on friends’ lives in little ways. I got a short haircut very similar to Deanne’s. Heather follows the lunar cycle closely, so now I pay attention, too. Sometimes these changes stick, sometimes they don’t.

#15 – 5 Minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.

Performing with HOOPLOVERS; writing hoop articles and building a website; Hoop Camp and all the people I met there; Spin Matsuri and the beautiful atmosphere and new friends; World Hoop Day choreography; picking peaches with Yuka and Tod; picking apples, blueberries, strawberries and garden vegetables with Heather; my 44th birthday party in my old wedding dress with a new purple cape and balloons and lots of friends;Tracey's pregnancy and Max's birth; reconnecting with my sister; feeling at home in Krakow; Eastern European food delights; sitting in a shady park on a blistering hot Adelaide day; dying my hair pink (and blue and purple); teaching hoop classes for Deanne; Sassy Girly dancing; sewing with Kike; preparing for the KiraKira wedding extravaganza; Theta healing with Tom; completing the Artists' Way; writing a novel; baby ladybugs; exploring tidepools with Tod.

#14 – Appreciate. What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?

I appreciate my financial freedom. I do not have to work and that is thanks to my very hard-working darling, Tod. So I have come to appreciate and love Tod more and more every day. I show my appreciation by making sure we never run short of toilet paper, kissing him at the door when he leaves for work every morning, greeting him when he returns, and being happy as best I can.

#13 – Action. When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step?

Take my hooping in a circus-y direction. Next actual step is to book my flights for my January/February trip to Oz for the Sydney Juggling Convention and Circusfest. I have the event tickets, now I need to get myself there!

#12 – Body Integration. This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?

I was fortunate to have many of those moments this year. Several that stand out are: sufi spinning in a yoga/hoop workshop, hooping at a group jam in the park, and a hoop practice session in June. I am also mind-body complete every time I engross myself in drawing and most times when I am in the kitchen, cooking.

#11 Things. What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?

This is tricky. I can always do with less clutter and that could easily be 11 things right there if i listed them out. There are a number of attitudes that my life doesn't need, and I'll work hard to adjust or eliminate them in 2011. Getting rid of envy, anger, and sloth will put me on the path to righteousness, won't it?

#10 – Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?

My impulsive decision to participate in NaNoWriMo turned out to be wise because it gave me a big boosting sense of accomplishment, as well as some write-it-out therapy, just when I needed it.

#9 – Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.

There were quite a few extravagant parties this year: weddings, hanami, hanabi, birthdays. But I really don't like parties and none of them rocked my socks off. I enjoy preparing for them, but due to my own overly-high expectations and need to create the perfect event, I am usually too tired to enjoy the party itself.

#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.

I bake fancy cakes. I travel all over. I don’t work. I sport unusual hairstyles. I make things from scratch. I speak my truth. I hula hoop. I'm stubborn. I smile. I like birds and plants. I am fast at almost everything I do. I have childlike enthusiasm. I am not afraid to look dorky. I will try almost anything once.

#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 hooping community - online and offline - is a big part of my world. I connected in person to the international hooping community by attending Hoop Camp. I brought together the local Tokyo hooping community in a series of monthly hoop jams, culminating in our Spin Matsuri weekend retreat.

I’ll continue to be a hoop community leader in 2011, with more events and jams, workshops, and my own personal development and connections in hoop communities outside Tokyo.

#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?

I baked chocolate cookies with the usual ingredients and a pinch of chili powder. I’d like to make a cardigan from beautiful teal mohair knit yardage I bought on sale in the spring. I definitely have been putting it off while I find just the right design inspiration.

#5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?

I let go of lots of possessions, one obsession, and a little bit of my ego. Letting go of these all helped me to live a simpler life. Or sort of simpler.