DDD - month five
Welcome to the 5th month of Double Dog Dare!
"I am so grateful that you guys put the DDD challenge out there. I really felt the collective power of everyone's energies and am also proud of myself for taking on the challenge..Thank you for the love, encouragment, idea, and support. Attending squam changed the course of my life forever. This site continues to inspire me and push me in the right direction day after day"..... Jennifer B
For those of you new to D.D.D., you can find out all about it HERE. In short, Double Dog Dare is made up of a community of those who are desiring to make changes in their life. This is a place where we provide support to one another as we try to accomplish things we need or want to do.
The chosen dares can be big or small, things that require hard work or are just plain fun.
1 may 2012:: campo imperatore :: photo by Paolo Flemac
For me, the photo above sums up the heart and soul of DDD. This is me and Michelle traveling in Abruzzo, Italy-- we were on an excursion with seven lovely people who took their day off to show us around their beautiful country. We will be sharing loads of photographs just as soon as we can, but for now, all I can tell you is it was the trip of a lifetime.
Why does it mean DDD to me? Well, I am not the best traveler, to put it mildly. What got me on the plane was that I had to go in order to prepare for our gathering there in October-- and oh my word people, take a tiny glimpse into what it was like-- I posted a few snapshots here.
I am a timid country mouse and travel requires an open adventurous spirit. And so, I look at the picture above and it carries worlds for me of all that I got to see and experience last week and how I would have missed it all if I gave in to my silly fears (that don't feel silly at all while they are gnawing on me, rest assured) and stayed home.
So for me? Month Five means a commitment over the next four months (May, June, July, August) to learn conversational Italian. Each month I am setting goals so that when I return in October I can say more than 'ciao'!
As for the inherent silliness in the fears that wrap us so tightly, I must share the video below which I think is rather brilliant and I hope it will help you to continue to remove obstacles to the feelings and experiences you wish to have in your life now.
And, as always-- please do share your ideas, goals, experiences as we all learn so much through hearing how it is going for each of us--
bisous, e
"Just remember to have fun and keep your chin up!" says Lily. (Note: Lily is wearing her DDD bandana earned by her mama Judy!)
Please share your dare for this month, whether it is a recommittment to an ongoing one or a brand spankin' new one. Let us know so we can cheer eachother on!
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My DDD this month is to ride my bike more often (just got it tuned up!) and at least once to the beach. I also want to continue exploring art journaling and hooping! :) Oh and figure out birthday plans for my 21st at the end of the month!
My DDD is to curb my addiction to sugar. So, this month (at least) I am giving up granulated sugar, brown sugar and all sugar substitutes (and whatever else I can think of).
I don't expect to lose weight even though I normally eat a ton of sweets, but I do want to feel less tied to the idea that I have to have a sweet 2-3 times a day.
This month of double dare is a continuation with a couple dares I have already started. We are about half-way done clearing out the attic and have started our plans for transforming it into a studio. And something I started a couple weeks ago, Im saying goodbye to caffeine, and want to keep that up. A new goal for this month is to be packed and all ready for Squam at least 3 days before I have to leave!
Oh, this month? I am going to try to face one day at a time and remember to breathe. That's it. May is usually hectic around here, and this year is worse than usual, with some anxiety-causing kid-medical stuff thrown in, I could list everything going on this month but it would only add to my anxiety to see it all listed out, plus bore everyone else. And somewhere in there (probably not until June, let's face it), I need to pack for Squam and lay all the groundwork here, for leaving for five days.
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
Last month was the first month I really participated and I'm so glad that I did! I chose to really get back to putting words on the page, mostly in the form of journaling. It has been such a good thing. And for the most part, I really stuck with it. I wrote nearly every day-missed a few days I believe-but even on those days it came to mind. This is great accountability and it really works. I've been reading some great books on writing (one of which was recommended to me by Elizabeth).
So, all this writing got me to thinking about what to do for this month's DDD. I've chosen to start working though "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. I've probably had the book for at least 10 years and although I've attempted to several times, I've never made it all the way through. So here goes nothing...
My DDD for May is for the online course here on the site. I want to really sink into it and enjoy the experience. In the first few days of "assignments," I've been getting in my own way (oh, I don't have the right supplies; oh, the spiritual stuff is a bit much for me; oh, I'm no good with this artsy stuff; oh, I'm sleepy so I'll get started later…). So, I DDD myself to participate fully, even when I'm moving way out of the comfort zone!
Sending positive energy for all the other DDDers out there for the month of May!
My goals for May are a combination of last's months that did not get done and a few new ones. I tend to overgoal myself thinking that it will all get done but life turns up new twists and turns daily and plans get jumbled up. I have made strides at doing things that present them self in the moment which is good yet takes from time proposed for the list. I am realizing as the months go by that it not necessarily completing the list but doing those things that fill one up or give you a feel of accomplishment.
I really want to knit my fingerless mitts. I need to review my supply lists for classes at spring Squam and purchase that which I need. Packing is a priority as well. I continue exercising my hip with PT and they are working this leg a lot let me tell you. I am walking and in the pool. Ms. Lilly went to the doggie doc today for her annual and she grew 10 pds heavier. Apparently we are not good doggie parents as we both think she is 3 years this June and vet says she will be 4 which accounts for her lower metabolism. We will be playing ball a bit in the back yard in addition to her two walks a day. This is a shared goal - I throw the ball and she fetches it. Her food intake just got cut down 1 cup a day. Lilly is now a part of the DDD. Should there be before and after photos?
also, I will be viewing the photos of Italy again and again, hoping that someday I will be able to go there or a magic wand will appear soon and my ticket fly in the window. If only.....
Judy
Need to finish my outstanding April DDD of ordering business cards. 'Nuff said. Determined to have this done by the end of next week!
My DDD for May is to learn how to create videos. I was planning on doing this DDD during the late summer, but an opportunity has come up. I just came back from an art festival in Colorado where my husband and I were building a sculpture 4 days. We time lapsed the entire process using a Go Pro camera (never heard of one before this trip, super tiny and cool!) and now I'm facing the DAUNTING task of turning 15,364 images / 100 GBs into a single video. :( I don't know the first steps to this process. Per Jen G's advice, I will look on YouTube for instructional videos, and will also ask other video-knowledgable friends for guidance. I'm anxious about this. Hoping that once I start learning, it will make sense.
Much encouragement & support to everyone with their DDDs!
In May, I would like to lose enough weight to stop my clothes cutting me up under the arms. This isn't much but will be hard for me so I'm just sticking with this one.
Good luck everyone xxx
Cheers for everyone jumping in and/or continuing!
Amy, I love your DDD. My May is hectic, and you’ve reminded me that I need to not overextend, and to breathe in the moment.
And Tracy, since my DDDs for March and April were to commit to the (3!) online classes I was taking, I can totally relate to where you are. Cheering you on--I’ve been there and can testify that because of the DDD I did participate and reaped the rewards for doing so.
Having just moved, I’ve still got stuff in boxes. Unfortunately it’s all arts and crafts supplies because I need to get shelves up so I have a place to unpack it to! So my biggest DDD is to get the shelves up, the supplies unpacked, and put some paint on a canvas! I also want to make prayer flags for my deck. Surely I can do this amidst family visiting from Hawaii, a trip to Dallas for my nephew’s wedding, and arranging all this visiting and travel for my almost 90 year old mother!
Well, my April DDD is only one-third finished and the easiest third at that. So, I need to make good on that and finish making those t-shirts and tank tops for my spring/ summer wardrobe and then toss out all but a few (for gardening) of the poor t-shirt souls I've been dragging through the past few summers. But May is my birthday month and it's a big one, forty. So, I'll take on a bit of extra DDD for more self-care, particularly remembering that buffering myself from a particular family member's not-terrific energy isn't being mean to her, just kind to me. And I'm holding spring Squam out as my happy reward. :)
my DDD for this month is to set up time for myself to get out of the house...maybe to a coffee shop...to catch up on some writing, to enjoy a little quiet and a cup of tea. asking for this time for myself is really hard for me to do. guilt creeps in. as much as i would encourage anyone/everyone to take time for themselves, i don't really do it myself. so here i go...
Hi DDD'ers, I wonder how everyone is doing. I for one am feeling in need of reminders of what I've accomplished thus far this year, what intentions and dreams I've put out there and need to keep chugging on, and what are still nagging that I should just get done with! May is tricky, being the ingrained "homestretch of school" time. Whether I'm operating on a school schedule or not, when it gets to be May, there's a part of me that feels like, "Gotta keep going, gotta keep going, ambition, motivation... wait, what am I doing?" Just read michelle gd's DDD, and to me what she's working on giving herself is time to pause. What a good idea! I'd love to set up pause times throughout my weeks/days. Thanks for the oh so important reminder, michelle gd!
As for my DDD, I'm making progress on my time lapse video project! Learned how to compile the still images into chunks of quicktime movies thanks to online video tutorials on youtube (thank you again for the tip Jen Gray!). I've got 6-1min time lapse clips so far with 14 more to create. Next step is to learning to connect all the clips in iMovie, editing and adding music. I can do it! Amazed that I have figured out as much as I have!
Be kind to yourselves everyone and big hugs!
Hi all....yes it's the middle of May and I am just getting around to posting my DDD.....the past months it has revolved around losing weight....and I am still working on that.....going to my WW meetings and trying hard to work the program. That being said, I had told myself months ago that I wouldn't buy anymore clothes for myself until I lost "enough weight". This week I said "screw that!"......I DESERVE to feel pretty NOW.....not just when I'm at a certain weight. I went out and bought myself some makeup....I haven't worn makeup in years.....not that I have to wear makeup to be pretty.....but it makes me feel good....and I deserve that.....so most days I have been putting forth the effort and wear a little bit of makeup. So my DDD for May is to show up for myself and put ME first because I am worth it!
Oh and I signed up for sarah ahearn bellemare's online workshop!! I am taking her class at Squam in September too, so I'm really excited!!
Oh Celia,
I so love that you did this for yourself!!! I love your entire post! You ARE worth it, a thousand times over!!!!!!
xo
jen
Celia - "screw that" ! Now, that is a proper attitude to maintain and I am so very, very happy for you. Learning to work with what we are is a hard step to take and you have done it. (sprinkle gobs of glitter your way). It has been hard for me as well, is a work in progress and no doubt will be for a long time to come. Sometimes going with what and whom we are turns out to be pretty darn good.
I said 'screw that' to dyed hair back in November. I had been wanting to do it for years - go natural. Only my hairdresser person kept saying I was too young. Of course she was receiving a check each 5 weeks for that dye job. I took the leap and now enjoy my shiny white hair with some bit of salt and pepper and will never turn back. I've also been told unsolicited that I look younger - go figure. What are self perceptions are often times are not what other people are seeing.
So what kind of make up did you purchase??
I think 'screw that" should be a Sqmammie phrase just as much as 'coolio'
Judy
Judy....I actually went to Target and bought a brand of makeup called Pixi.....fairy magic....how appropriate! I am saying "screw that" about coloring my hair too! I've highlighted my hair for years and in the fall I tried going "red" and that was a HUGE mistake.....I hated it....but I had always wanted to see what I would look like with red hair....so I'm proud that I at least tried it. So I'm still recovering from all of that....and now just letting my roots go.....so yes SCREW IT!!! YES!!!
Squam would like to wish JUDY a very happy birthday !!!!!!!!!! We love you Judy and hope you have a great day!!!!!!
xo
happiest BIRTHDAY wishes to our darling girl, Judy!!
oh celia! i love it... you go girl... hope to meet you at the september SAW. you're just going to love sarah.... i took her class last fall and is still one of my favorites yet.
and judy, judy, judy, one day i will let it all go grey too!! so sick and tired of colouring it.. bravo to you.
and for my DDD, i'm continuing mine from last month... yup, i'm going on to a month of no biting my nails.. yes ladies. i can actually paint them now. so so so excited about this. you have no ideas how huge this is for me. i've been a nail biter literally all my life. imagine.
woohooo
Celia - Pixi Make Up. Well that sure is enticing. I think Pixi is a perfect name for make up for a person in transition mode. I did not just let the roots go untouched, they hairdresser took out color as well. Every 6 weeks or so, he lightens my hair getting it to it's natural color. All the while the roots are coming in and he is blending the two effects. I've gone from dyed brown w/reddish hightlights to a somewhat blond with brnish highlights and now to almost white with golden low lights (new words for me) and my s&p in the back of my head. Enjoy your adventure and don't forget a few new clothing articles to match your new facial make up and hair redo!!
I have never told anyone it was my birthday and yesterday I took the leap. I was numb for a few minutes when I saw it here in DDD. It's a long story but even at my age I am learning it is okay to have a birthday.
Thanks Squam Team!
Judy
Happy belated day, Judy! Somehow I fell off the follow-up list and have missed all the commenting...
I'm seeing a theme here for self-care and acceptance and brave moves. And isn't that just awesome?!
Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all are well! Okay, so next time I make a dare to do something like turn our attic into an art studio ~ somebody stop me and remind me again that this house is super old. I imagined putting in a floor, some book shelves, painting the walls a great color etc.. As of yesterday we were in the crawl space in the basement trying to find the support beams that hold up that part of the house. Um yeah. Its a bit of a mess.
But nothing tragic in the grand scheme of things, Im grateful to have this old house ~ safety first, then the fun can happen. However, this Double Dog Dare is looking like its going to be a year long process!
How is everyone else doing?
xoxo
*We are working on something special for our Double Dog Group, so please stayed tuned!
Scamp and everyone else, thanks for the b-day wishes. Strange thing I received phone calls from both sons, niece and her kiddos singing happy birthday in the background and even my sister called. Hubs found a gf birthday cake for me - wow!
As to the DDD I have not yet found all of my supplies for Squam nor have I completed even one mitt never mind the pair of them. I have tagged up with someone to meet for lunch on Wednesday in Manchester and I have a rider for part of the drive home - new people to meet. I am walking still and Lilly looks a couple of pounds thinner with her 1 cup o day decrease. Hubs and I are refinishing our old tv cabinet with Annie Sloan paint. This was not on my DDD but it has been in the works for a while. I bought the paint and waxes in April. Since we are working on it in May it just slid into May's DDD. I did one sewing project and completed it. So, not too bad a month of progressing to get stuff done. I've been dealing with tinnitus and hearing loss this month and it has been tough. Soon I will be wearing hearing aids and who would have thunk that you can pick any color you want for you aid? It was tempting to be artsy and select cherry red or the bright aqua blue but I went for the one that best matched my current hair affair! When one discovers they have hearing loss with ringalingding in your ears all the time and need to wear aids it puts your self perception in proper order. It IS okay to wear hearing aids. It IS okay to say it too. Thus I will now be able to hear stuff I did not realizing I was missing out on. Oh Happy Day.
No worries as to June's DDD!!
happy long weekend
Judy
Well, I think I'm late to the party for the May DDD! I meant to post early in the month and never got around to it. My goal for the May DDD was to find time to do art every day (as part of Alena Hennessey's Abundant Wild Life online workshop) and become less inhibited with regard to my creativity. I've met that goal for the most part (although my job put a crimp in things for the past week or so). Even though I create stuff (I'm a knitter, after all), the process for creating art (even if it isn't gallery-worthy) takes me to a calm, deep place that other activities don't. I've learned so much (and have so much more to learn) and I'm grateful that I registered, despite the fear and doubt I had. I'm going to call this DDD a success, because even though I did not put pen or brush to paper every day, I was thinking every day how I could capture the essence of this flower or that sunset or that tree the next time I could put pen or brush to paper.
Exciting news will be shared next week as we begin our 6 month of Double Dog Dare!!! We think the D.D.D's need a place of their own, where we can share more openly, communicate more easily, and provide even more personal support for one another. So stay tuned! In the mean time, you still have a week to work on your current dare, or if you have already accomplished yours, be thinking of a brand new dare for June! xoxoxo *jen*
*DDD is open to all, you can join us at anytime! We would love to have you!
I'm glad it's June! Whew, May was way more chaotic and unpredictable than I like. It had its moments of grace and beauty and loveliness, to be sure, but my head is much clearer now--there's just more room in it--and it feels so wonderful.
Jen, that does sound exciting!