First This, Then That

Miles: 113.25
Leaves: 141

Recipe 7: Keralan Vegetable Stew

Running. Running has slowed a bit, averaging a mere 10 miles the last 3 weeks. It's happened for a variety of reasons, likely the February slumps, and I'm glad that I've set this goal. If I do choose to not run, I know that I have miles to make up through out the year. The goal is still sitting out there, waiting for me to meet it, bit by bit.

Leaves. An epiphany occurred over the last few weeks. First, the leaves must be cut. Then, there is the next step. This step varies for each leaf, but it's these next steps that add A LOT of time to new art piece. Most leaves receive stitching, beading, and stringing treatment. Then they are hung into or onto whatever frame that becomes their new "home." I hadn't fully considered this time commitment when I set the goal of cutting 1,000 leaves.

The perk is that I now have a growing collection of leaves waiting for the next steps. Having a large supply, one that will only continue to grow, actually builds creativity in ways that I didn't expect. As I cut, stitch, and bead, I ponder how and where to hang them. What becomes of the leaf that I now hold in my hands?

Ideas flow. Ideas breed more ideas.

Then I wonder how I can complete all of these ideas. This is a blessed place, one that takes nurturing. Cutting leaf after leaf nurtures the mental space to allow ideas to float and form. It's the "feel good" space that can happen while working on a goal.

Tracking

Miles: 88.25
Leaves: 116

Recipe 6: Sweet Chili Rolls

When I completed the 1000-mile running goal in 2011, I tracked each run on a calendar, the old-fashioned paper kind that I put on the wall. It hung in my kitchen, so I looked at it every day. For reasons I do not fully understand, I enjoyed seeing my progress through each month, a story told square by square each day. I still have that calendar, in my memory box, for it really holds so many memories from that year, more than just time spent pounding pavement (and treadmills).

I am again tracking on a calendar, and I again feel the same sense of accomplishment as I see squares fill with numbers.  I respond well to numbers. I respond well to a goal and seeing the goal both grow and diminish. I feel in control of this goal, and I realize that the decisions I make affect the goal. If I don't run today, what does that mean for this week's goal? How do I balance such a goal and not fall into obsession over numbers?

The markings also serve as a reminder that I feel behind. At six weeks into the year, part of me feels that I should be farther along in mileage. I feel angst, and I talk myself down, telling myself that I know that I have half marathons coming up. Mileage will naturally increase as I enter a focused training stage. But that is still a ways off, so that angst still finds its way into my mind. Again, how do I not let numbers become an obsession? That sneaky "reframing" goal is still working to be heard.

On another note, this week's recipe, Sweet Chili Rolls, was the sloppy joe reinvented. Ground turkey and pinto beans make a very tasty sloppy joe. Who knew? Well, now this girl!

January Closes

Totals through January 31:
Miles: 72.25
Leaves: 75

Recipes: 5 - 4) Cheesy Brown Rice and Lentil Casserole; 5) Pasta with Roasted Squash, Sausage, Pasta

By pure mathematical standards, I am behind. By accomplishment standards, I am doing great!

Huh? Well, mathematically, 1000 divided by 12 equals 83.3. This is the exact number to be on exactly on target for each month to meet the 1000 goal. My checkmark mind likes the comfort of knowing exactly what I need to to and when to do it.

If only everything in life could be so easy to define and control.

I do fight the urge to say that I am behind. That's a pessimistic view, I know. Reframing is suddenly another goal for the year. In lieu of focusing on what I have not accomplished, I can instead focus on what I HAVE accomplished.

So here is the great news! I have logged a whopping 72.25 miles. That's nearly three marathons! I have cut 75 leaves, plenty of leaves to cover a small tree! Better yet, all of those new leaves are on their delicate paths of becoming larger art works. I am one recipe ahead (you can figure out the math one that one) and am happy to say recipes 4 and 5 listed above were amazing!

Onward I move into February!

Establishing Patterns

Miles: 42.25
Leaves: 40

Recipes: 1) Pork Tinga; 2) Clementine Quinoa Salad; 3) Squash and Coconut with Pasta

At three weeks into the year, my type A brain says I am already behind. My B side says there is plenty of time, and be patient.

The dominant brain is yet to be determined, but as the two sides battle, the good news is that miles are being run and leaves cut. The resolutions continue, and forward progress is happening. This is really all I ask to accomplish.

I am working to establish patterns of doing the activities that fulfill me. I believe we make time for what we really want. Sometimes, this means making choices. Maybe something needs to wait. Maybe the right choice is to let a goal sit a bit and be patient and safe, as dictated by Mother Nature this week. Two days were "supposed" to be running days, but icy conditions one day and foggy conditions another told both sides of my battling brain that the wise choice was to stay off the roads, both for running and driving to run.

So sometimes choices need reframing. Can't run today? Cut some leaves instead. Just keep something moving forward.

And, for more fun, I am trying one new recipe  a week. For several years, I have been tearing recipes out of magazines, newspapers, and flyers. They live in fairly organized yellow binder. While a binder is helpful, the poor recipes inside languish for tastebuds to try them. Another resolution this year is to finally crack open that binder and make those recipes. Three recipes in three weeks ... this goal is on target!

New Year, New Goals

Here I go again ...

Six years ago, I ran 1,000 miles in one year. That year, I ran a full marathon, whittled down my belongings to fit into one red Dodge Neon, and moved to China.

Since that time in 2011, I moved back to the United States, went back to school, got married, gained stepchildren and step-grandchildren and a nephew and niece, left school, moved to a small town, and bought a tangerine pearl Prius. These events didn't necessarily happen in that order, but they all happened. All were good and were meant to happen.

When I look back over the last six years, it's hard to believe everything that has changed. Life takes a person down many unexpected paths. Some paths U-turn, others dead end, and a few lead you to the next step.

My next step is to journey forward into 2017 with a focus on what makes me feel good, namely running, writing, and creating art. This blog grows out of a rather brilliant idea (a humble opinion, of course) to combine these three areas I haven't nurtured as much as I should.

Over the next year, I will run 1,000 miles. I will create 1,000 leaves and turn them into art pieces. Along the way, I will chronicle my progress on these "grand" goals.

Join my journey. T-minus 1,000 starts here.