Average Jane

Unified Average Jane

Today's Reverb 10 prompt: 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?

Without a doubt, it's any time I'm doing yoga. This photo was taken at a yoga "flash mob" where we did sun salutations on the sidewalk next to an busy street, and yet I was able to tune out all the distractions.

I love the ritual and the pacing of a good yoga class. It calms my thoughts, relaxes my chronically tense muscles and makes me feel like the ideal version of myself. The feeling generally lasts for hours, if not for the rest of the day.

Unfortunately, I don't make it to class as often as I should. I practice at home from time to time, but usually only one or two asanas to address some kind of physical issue. It's no replacement for a whole class that's united in practice from the moment everyone's voices join in unison to chant "Om..."

I don't know what my life is going to be like next year, but I'm going to try my hardest to make sure it includes plenty of yoga. Fortunately, my sister is opening a new yoga studio in early 2011, so that should make it easier!

Average Jane Catches Up

I've missed a couple of days of Reverb 10, so I figured I'd address the latest writing prompts briefly rather than devoting entire posts to them.

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

Anyone who knows me knows that there's only so much party I can take. As much as I love going to BlogHer conferences with all of their huge parties every evening, I find myself retreating after a while.

Thus, I'd say that my favorite parties this year have been the smaller ones. I appreciate getting together with a dozen people or fewer and just hanging out at someone's house or a restaurant, sharing food, wearing comfortable clothes, chatting and having a little wine.

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

By far, the wisest decision I made this year was to start walking regularly. The numbers on the scale have hardly budged, but I look more fit, have more endurance, and just feel better. I love that it's become such a routine activity for me that it no longer seems like a big deal to have walked more than three miles at a time.

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?

I live a fairly minimalist lifestyle already, so I can't come up with 11 things, but here are a few things that I can definitely live without:

1. Cable TV - We're in the process of figuring out how to stream our favorite shows to our TV rather than paying a bazillion dollars a month for cable. We actually watch a lot less TV than we used to anyway, so it shouldn't be a big change.
2. The huge tub of random stuff in my home office - Now that we've moved all of the cat stuff downstairs, I need to go through the tub, file or dispose of the contents, and clear that spot so I'll have a lovely open space behind my desk.
3. Clutter in general - It lurks in drawers, closets, cupboards, desks and even in my car. I feel a big spring cleaning initiative building next year. It'll be nice to open certain cupboard doors and not have something fall out.
4. Dirty windows - I noticed yesterday that the windows in my house are really clouded with dirt. Next year I'll plan to get out my tools and cleaning supplies, take down each storm window and clean thoroughly. It's time.
5. Debt - I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll have a new job lined up by the beginning of the year. If that happens, I'll have a fighting chance of paying off my only credit card and starting 2011 completely free of debt.

So that's where I stand for now. How is your weekend going so far?

What Makes Average Jane Different

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.

This Reverb 10 prompt is from Karen Walrond, who has a gorgeous new book out called The Beauty of Different.

Like most people (I hope), I don't exactly spend a lot of time sitting around pondering my own awesomeness. However, when prompted, I can come up with some positive attributes that I presume other people appreciate.

First of all, I'm loyal. When I've committed to a person or a project or a situation, I'll stick it out to the bitter end. There's a good helping of persistence and stubbornness mixed in there as well.

I'm also very willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. I start out liking everyone and I'll proceed down that road unless I'm given a reason to change my mind.

I want to help. I'll volunteer for your organization, mentor you on topics I know more about than you do, pass along job leads, introduce you to people I think you should meet, donate money when I can, bring you a casserole when you need it, track down an organization that can take the kitten you found, and fix your running toilet.

That said, I still have my boundaries. I might say "no" when you ask me to do something because I know that I have to have time to myself so I don't burn out too much to have time for other people.

Then there's my dry sense of humor. It's not for everyone - I get that. However, I've excised a lot of the sarcasm and cynicism that used to fuel it, and I think I'm a better person for that.

I'm comfortable with who I am, confident in my abilities, and happy to accept any challenge that comes along.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. You'll notice I didn't say anything about physical attributes because I presume that's not what the question was getting at and I also don't think they matter anywhere near as much as people think they do.

Why don't you answer this prompt in the comments? What makes you different and beautiful?

Average Jane's Community

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?

When I really sit and think about all of the different and often overlapping communities of which I am a part, I'm really quite amazed. Here's a partial list of the groups with which I interact regularly, in no particular order:

• Kansas City Bloggers group
• Other bloggers I read
• BlogHer
• Social Media Club of Kansas City
• Soroptimist International of Kansas City
• The Animal Rescue Alliance (T.A.R.A.)
• AAF-KC
• Regular Girls (informal group of friends who meet on Wednesday evenings for dinner)
• Two book clubs
• Everyone I keep in touch with on Facebook
• All of the people I chat with on Twitter
• My co-workers, former co-workers and friends on LinkedIn
• My family

Now that I look at the whole list, it's easy to see why my social calendar stays so full.

I don't really have a plan for how my communities will shift into 2011. I'm sure to meet new people and it remains to be seen how they'll work into my current groups. As always, I'd like to make a point of staying in closer touch with some of the friends I haven't seen lately. Maybe that'll be my goal: traveling to see old friends in person.

Average Jane Makes Brownies

The prompt today for Reverb 10 is: 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?

This is an easy one. I just took a pan of brownies out of the oven. Here's the recipe:

Double Chocolate Pecan Brownies

1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Blend melted butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, beat well with spoon. Combine flour, cocoa, baking power and salt; gradually add to egg mixture. For more cake-like brownies (less fudgy and gooey), add a couple of extra tablespoons of flour. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Bake in a greased 9" square pan at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 30 minutes or until center seems firm.

To answer the second part of the prompt, I am very much looking forward to making holiday cookies and candies this year. My sister and I have already decided we're going to make peanut butter bonbons and coconut bonbons. I'm definitely making sugar cookies and probably some rum balls. I have some other cookie varieties in mind as well.

The only sticking point is that my microwave seems to be on the fritz. Some of my candy-making might have to take place elsewhere this year.

Average Jane Lets Go

Today's Reverb 10 prompt is from one of my favorite bloggers, Alice Bradley of Finslippy. You should pre-order her new book, Let's Panic About Babies!

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

This is a temporary letting go (I hope), but for now I've let go of my singing career, such as it was.

I absolutely love singing rock songs and I'll never pass up an opportunity to go to a jam. However, my last band didn't work out and I have had no luck at all finding another band to join.

Thus, I decided that I was going to stop looking for a while. Then I found out I was being laid off from my real job and I figured that there was only so much rejection I could take. The last thing my psyche needs is for me to be simultaneously informed of the auditions I didn't get and the interviews that didn't lead to a new job.

I've been on the periphery of the local music scene long enough to know that I'll never let it go completely. I still have all my PA gear and my Big Book O' Song Lyrics. However, this is just not the time for me to pour effort, money and focus into that particular hobby.

But if you look over at me when we're sitting at a stoplight, you'll probably catch me singing in the car. I have to keep my chops up somehow.

Average Jane's Sense of Wonder

My Reverb 10 prompt of the day: Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

For me, maintaining a sense of wonder only requires me to really look at everything I see. When I walk around outside, watch my cats play or gaze out the window, I'm constantly seeing beautiful, inspiring, wonderful things. Some of those things are natural and others are impressive man-made expressions of art or engineering.

One of my favorite things about going walking outdoors is that I get to experience new things every time. For instance, I'm rather excited that with each passing week, we get to see more and more holiday lights and decorations on people's homes as we walk by.

Another thing that keeps my sense of wonder exercised is reading about both the past and the future. I love Archaeology magazine because of the amazing things it reveals about our ancestors and how they lived. I also read science blogs to learn about the wonders the future may hold.

Finally, there are books. Nothing keeps my mind attuned to wonder like immersing myself in a good novel (or in some cases, a really well-written non-fiction book). It pulls me away from the real world for a few hours at a time, but when I come back, it's as though I've been on a vacation to another life.

I think the key to wonder is to always be observing what happens around you. It can be easy to put your head down and walk through life with blinders on, but when you really see the things that surround you, every day becomes full of fascinating moments.

An Average Jane Moment

Today's Reverb 10 prompt: Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

For me, the moment that springs to mind came during my recent road trip to Hutchinson, Kansas for the #140Conference. It was just me and my car on the open road. The sun was shining, there was music on the radio, I had a bag of healthy snacks and nothing to do for several hours but think and sing.

Best of all, it was the beginning of a week-long vacation and I was heading out to meet up with friendly people and listen to presentations on one of my favorite subjects. Going on the trip had been a fairly spontaneous decision and I was carrying it forth enthusiastically.

I'd like to be able to carry that sense of freedom and intention into everything I do.

Average Jane on Writing

Here's today's Reverb 10 prompt:
Writing. What do you do each day that doesn't contribute to your writing -- and can you eliminate it?

Maybe I've overthinking this one, but I believe that everything I do has the potential to contribute to my writing. Even things that sound like "wastes of time" (and here I'm thinking about surfing my Google Reader feeds, checking Facebook and Twitter, etc.) can spark an idea or a line of inquiry that could lead to a blog post now or down the road.

It's what I don't do that's detrimental to my writing. I don't write down ideas when I first think of them. I don't make myself write every day (although NaBloPoMo and Reverb 10 back to back are taking care of that!). I don't always act on the ideas I have and make myself sit down and put them on the screen while they're fresh.

I'm really pretty good about scheduling writing time in the mornings and evenings. What I need is a little more focus and discipline when it comes to my personal writing. It's not an issue of something else getting in the way, it's that I need to make the most of the time I've already set aside.

That said, I have four pieces of writing that I've been procrastinating about for way too long. Let's see how quickly I can make them happen.

Photo credit: Declan Jewell

Average Jane's One Word

I've signed up for Reverb 10, which will provide daily prompts throughout the month of December that are designed to allow me to reflect on 2010 and set my intentions for 2011.

Today's prompt: Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

2010 = Stretch

I chose this word for many of its connotations. This has been a year in which I've started reaching outside my comfort zone to achieve some new things. I've set more goals for myself than usual and some of them have already been achieved (although others were a bit too much of a stretch at the time and will have to be revisited later).

More literally, I've made a point of practicing yoga and doing other exercise to make my body more resiliant and stretchy. I've also been coming to recognize some of my physical limitations and learning to work around them.

In many ways, I've been stretched too thin this year. Budgeting both time and money has been a challenge.

Finally, I'm coming to the end of a period where I'd become a little too complacent and set in my routines, so I can picture myself stretching as though I've just awoken from a long sleep. Now it's time for me to reach for new challenges and undoubtedly stretch myself in ways that I haven't even conceived of. That's why I've chosen the image of the slingshot. My plan is for this final stretch to launch me to bigger and better things next year.

I'd like my word for 2011 to be momentum. If everything I've set in motion pays off the way I hope it will, next year should be a year of more and better that just keeps building.

Photo credit: Phil Symonds