Clarity refers to coherence, intelligibility, sharpness of image or sound. Honestly, 2017 was not very coherent. In fact, large chunks of the year were downright incoherent, blurry and unintelligible. And, perhaps, that blur made the sharp images, the sharp sounds even clearer.
2017 was about clarity, but it did not bring clarity. Except now that we are in 2018, and I am feeling crystal fucking clear for the first time in year. So, all that BLUR was necessary.
The mission statement was as follows:
LESS BULLSHIT. SIMPLIFY. DESTROY THE PERFECT. BRING ON THE INTENSITY.
FIND ANGLES THAT WORK. BLEED, BUT INTENTIONALLY. PLAY ON THE EDGE. MAKE STUFF.
CREATE EVERY DAY. CONTINUE HAVING DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS. PROTECT YOURSELF AND ONES YOU LOVE. CHANNEL CREATIVE ENERGY WHERE IT CAN BLOOM.
How did I do in 2017?
Less bullshit. I’d say so. Simplify. So much yes. Hundreds of pounds of stuff – GONE. Still in progress. Destroy the perfect. Pfffft. As if there was anything perfect to begin with. Done and done. Bring on the intensity. And CHECK! Roller coaster, wheeeeee!
Find angles that work. Some better than others. Bleed, but intentionally. Not exactly. Play on the edge. Some. But not enough. Make stuff. YES! More of this coming in 2018!
Create every day. I am going through notebooks faster than I ever have before. Continue having difficult conversations. Most of all with myself. Protect yourself and ones you love. I am drawing a blank on this one. In some ways, I am a little TOO good at self-protection – this results in a super strong front, and general feelings of abandonment. In other ways, it’s like I am missing a self-preservation instinct altogether. The ones I love have been mostly protecting ME this past year. Thankfully, I let them. Channel creative energy where it can bloom. Twists and turns, new directions, but bloom it will!
I also wanted to:
notice all things and behaviors compulsive and tackle those. This year, less snacking, less red wine. Check and check. Still plenty of eating out, and social media, and general mindless internet browsing.
finish more things. It turns out that quitting things is also a great way to “finish” them. If I keep struggling to finish something – that in itself tells me something. Sometimes, the best way to finish something is to toss it out of the window.
travel with Italian – yes! an entire month in Italy, few days in Cuba, and short visit to Ottawa.
improve my relationship with my mother – very much so.
see something old in a new light – see the item above
write a book – in progress, and close to done.
trust the universe a little bit more – maybe. I think 2017 might have been a little too turbulent to work on trust. Maybe in 2018?
Bucket List Update
made Ukrainian borscht (on the first day of the year!)
created a tradition – Annual Post-New Year’s French Toast Brunch!
attended a Toast Master’s meeting (never again)
wrote poetry every day for a week
test drove a Subaru STI
participated in Ragnar Relay
attended a poetry slam (in Denver, CO)
drank Primitivo wine in Puglia, Italy
ate at a Michelin starred restaurant (in Rome)
participated in an olympic lifting competition
participated in a time-based race
got my fortune read – Tarot cards!
found out how long it’d take me to go up the Grouse Grind (just under an hour)
visited Marathon, ON (not much there, as suspected)
dressed as up Trinity for Halloween (if you have not seen that photo, you really should)
got a short haircut (and dyed my hair black for the costume above)
bought a bonsai tree (for someone else)
wrote my mission statement
read (at least 12) books – I deleted both Facebook and podcast app from my phone, which resulted in way more audio books finished. This year, I read more books (41!) than in the last five years.
visited a new country – Vatican!
crossed off a bucket list item on January 1st – yes, made Ukrainian borscht!
make a difference in someone’s life
Missions Completed: 23
Made Progress On These:
visit every US state – Colorado, Washington, New Mexico
visit every Canadian province – Saskatchewan, Manitoba
drive across the country – drove from Vancouver to Toronto (now just the East coast left)
write a book – I probably wrote more this year than in any other previous year. Most of it did not make it to the blog.
Couple of Things That I Started, But Did Not Finish
have a child
redesign my website
write a book
read a graphic novel
Other Cool Shit
travelled to Cuba with my mom
snuck into Stadio de Marmi in Rome and ran a mile trial; then got escorted out by security
spent more time than ever on trail
tried bubble soccer
blogged less, but wrote more
nipples – just wanted to see if you were paying attention
continued to geek out on coffee (Nexus Coffee, and Pilot Roasters for the win)
set and achieved a goal of achieving 264lb combined total in snatch and clean and jerk to qualify to participate in olympic lifting competition at Toronto ProShow 2018
experimented with more regimented nutrition (egg whites – boo, abs – yay)
visited almost a dozen new CrossFit locations, including gyms in Denver, Vancouver, Seattle, Whitby, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Rome, and Lecce, Italy
drove across the country with my dad
volunteered at the inaugural Survival Run Canada in Squamish, BC on my birthday
some awesome and long awaited developments in my career, as I shift to coaching health and fitness professionals full-time
spoke at Turbulence Training Summit in Colorado, and delivered a kickass “Operation SuperCoach” training weekend in Michigan
completed training through Postural Restoration Institute at Ethos Colorado Training Center
started work on redesigning my website
spent evenings, chilling on the couch with Italian and watching TV shows (this year – House of Cards, Scandal, and Homeland)
visited more museums and shows than ever before – Vatican Museum (esp. Van Gough exhibit and Sistine Chapel), Ontario Art Gallery, ROM, Vancouver Art Gallery (esp. Emily Carr exhibit), Georgia O’Keefe’s museum, Chippendales (yep), Guys and Dolls in Stratford, comedy show at Second City, and Modern Art Museum in Rome (MACRO)
ran Rock’n’Roll Half Marathon in Vegas with one of my closest friends
travelled a lot – Cuba, Italy, Las Vegas, Cuba again, Denver twice, Santa Fe, Michigan, Washington, and, of course, driving from Vancouver to Toronto
Not Cool Shit
man flu
missed the last Tough Guy race in UK because of ankle injury
sold my woman cave
miscarriage
relationship endings
went through hellish few months, juggling two full-time work commitments (twitchy eyelids and tension headaches suck)
brush with addiction for people I love
itching for long-term travel – so much
possible rotator cuff tear – TBD
acknowledging the end of a love affair with obstacle racing
managing seasonal depression with working from home, and living away from the big city
Next up… preview for 2018. The word of the year, the happenings, and the mission statement.
Hugs, SOLO