July 5, 2024 • 22 mins
We've made it to the big 4-0 - our 40th episode! In honor of this milestone, we share the story of how host CH came to create her very first Live Life Each Day list following a somewhat challenging 40th circle around the sun. Listen in as she reflects on being encouraged by her friend Sarah to go through the simple exercise, how it helped change her perspective, and how the noting down of simple joys that make up our day-to-day lives can bring clarity, insight and fulfillment - whether we're navigating a challenging period or seeking new inspiration.
Show Notes
- CH references the film 'The Shawshank Redemption'; infor can be found via Wikipedia or IMDb.
- The cakery in which CH received the inspired postcard "Be Honest. Stay True." from her friend Sarah on which to write her list is called Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery; it is located in the Ballard area of Seattle, Washington in the U.S.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
This week's Life Note, it's not the story of our bucket list or our wish list,
but it is the story of when we first wrote down our live life each day list.
Music.
Welcome to Life Notes from Chair 17, a podcast dedicated to sharing life stories,
(00:24):
wisdoms, and inspirations as we navigate life's journey.
Host C.H. aims to share thoughtful perspectives and insights from her own life
journey, as well as those of special guests and contributors.
Tune in for thoughtful conversations about lessons learned, wisdoms gained,
experiences had, and inspirations shared.
(00:45):
Find us where you get your podcasts and be sure to hit follow or subscribe so
you never miss an episode. So now enjoy this week's episode.
All righty, welcome back in, friends, to another episode of Life Notes from Chair17.
(01:06):
I'm your host, CH, and I thank you as always once again for finding me in this
corner of the podcast universe.
And as returning C-17ers know, I always like to start off by thanking you for
your continued support and tuning in each week.
This does include our returning international C-17ers.
(01:28):
Thank you all so much for tuning in around the globe.
But if you are checking us out for the first time, maybe you've just found us
on one of the major podcast platforms or via our website site out on Life Notes
from chair17podcast.com.
A warm welcome in to you. Thank you for wanting to check us out.
(01:49):
We hope you like what you hear, and you will want to continue to tune in.
Now, it's been a while since I've said this. Returning listeners or those who
have been with me for a really long time know that I got into a, let's call it a pattern,
in the late teens, early 20s series of episodes where it felt like I was calling
(02:10):
every episode a special episode or a milestone episode.
I haven't done that in a while, but actually this one is as it is our 40th episode, so the big 4-0.
I am really not sure how that is possible. It seems like one minute we really
were just starting out, and we were in our 20s, and now we're approaching middle age.
(02:34):
No, I'm just kidding, because there are obviously lots of podcasts out there
that have hundreds of episodes to them, so we are still really in our infancy era.
But it has got me thinking about a lot of things and particularly sometimes
how it does end up feeling like that in real life, right, as we age.
(02:55):
Age I do remember thinking the
concept of time and aging seemed so
far away when I was in my 20s or that
time seemed infinite and that
it would take forever to reach a
certain year or a certain age and then suddenly 20 years have gone by or 10
years have gone by there is a great line from the film the Shawshank Redemption
(03:20):
which is a great film by the way if you have never seen it where Where the main
characters of Andy Dufresne,
who's played by Tim Robbins,
and Ellis Boyd Redding, or Red,
played by Morgan Freeman, are reflecting on Red having served 30 years of his life prison sentence.
(03:45):
I think this is the scene after he gets rejected for parole.
And they're in the yard and Andy's going to give him what they call a happy
parole rejection present.
And Red says something like, man, when you say it like that,
the idea of saying it's been 30 years.
And then Andy chimes in, reflecting on his 10 years going, I don't know where 10 years went either.
(04:10):
And as I drafted up this episode in particular, you could say I'm sort of in
that combination of moments that Andy and Red had,
not necessarily wondering in stunned belief of where 40 episodes has gone,
but more of a reflection on the time of creating and sharing the episodes we've
(04:32):
done so far and of capturing those really my life experiences or my experiences.
Wisdoms or inspirations or lessons that I've learned that I don't know that
I thought I would ever be using as the basis for a podcast, and certainly not
when I was experiencing any of them, that's for sure.
(04:52):
So I do appreciate everybody that has continued to come back and want to hear those stories.
And as it happens with this episode, I was reflecting not only on that scene from Shawshank,
but also of a time in my life where I actually wrote out what I call my very
(05:15):
first live life each day list.
Now, sidebar, if you are someone out there that already does this,
like you have been one of those people that has journaled and written
your dreams down and always done vision boards and that kind of a thing.
(05:37):
I really commend you for doing that because I didn't grow up doing that.
And I didn't even grow up really knowing to do that or thinking to do that.
This was, of course, in an era maybe when
there wasn't an online presence as
much where you could go and there were tools that you could use
to come up with this kind of thing and now
(05:57):
there are so I didn't have
necessarily that outlet but I also didn't even have the inkling or the idea
to do it so if you have always done this or grown up doing it and you're continuing
to do it or you adopted it you know at a certain period of time in your life
and you've been consistent with it you are way ahead of me and I commend you for doing
(06:18):
it because it is a super healthy exercise.
And as I did it, and as I've.
Probably not been as consistent as I should be in continuing to do it.
It does remind us, really, sometimes not only of our dreams and the big things
we're going after or the big things that we want to do or our hopes and our dreams,
(06:42):
but sometimes it also just does remind us of the importance of simply being
really present and enjoying just day to day or month to month or week to week.
And for me, the first time I did this exercise was when my good friend,
Sarah, who we've talked about multiple times, she actually inspired our sitting on the bench episode.
(07:04):
She asked me to do it at the end of my 40th circle around the sun, at the end of that year.
So I was about to turn 41.
And if I am being totally honest, that 40th year was not a good year.
It was really the year I first lost my job up here in Seattle.
(07:28):
It was when my relationship ended.
It was also the year that I broke my ankle and I was also recovering from that broken ankle.
I started a job after losing my job that I quit and walked away from due to PTSD.
But then I found myself back at the company that I had been laid off from almost 365 days later.
(07:54):
It was the weirdest, most...
A strange year. And this was a stretch between, it kind of overlapped between two years.
It felt like it was a whip last year, but it also really, as a result of that,
took a massive toll on me, both from a personal and a professional standpoint.
(08:16):
And so by the time it started to roll around where we were going to get out
of this year and go to the next year and turn 41, I remember I remember literally
having no plans to celebrate.
I thought, you know what, I'm just glad to be kind of here in one piece.
I got a job back. My ankle is doing okay.
(08:36):
But Sarah, in her very kind way, was like, nope, we need to go celebrate. great.
And I don't think I was in the mindset to do it.
I also was thinking back to having made a big deal about getting to the big
4-0 and I had done this special trip and it was great.
(09:00):
And then, you know, a few days after that, I learned I was losing my job.
And so it was a weird sense of, you know what, I don't know that I want to jinx 41.
So maybe we just don't celebrate this You know the things and the stories that
you tell yourself in your mind, but I will confess I did feel that and I thought
now I'm just gonna usher this one in and not make a big deal, but,
(09:23):
Sarah was persistent and so we did go and have dinner It was very quiet celebration,
which was completely fine, and it was just super thoughtful of her wanting to,
Get me to get out and celebrate and we went to get dessert and,
at a place here in Seattle called Hot Cakes, which sells desserts,
obviously, but the most notable of which is their namesake product.
(09:47):
So it's molten chocolate cakes, and they're sort of in individual serving size as well.
So if you're not familiar with that, think of it as being like a really big
cupcake, and it's just scrumptious and awesome.
So for those of you out there who love chocolates and sweets,
It does really taste as good as it sounds.
(10:09):
And I had never been there prior. I had not really heard of it,
but Sarah did convince me.
It was also next door to where we had dinner, and I think we just did something
super simple like go for pizza or something like that. So we walk into this
original location that is up in the Ballard area of Seattle,
and it smelled delicious, of course.
(10:29):
And as I do when I walk in a shop, I did notice they had a small sampling of merchandise.
And there was a particular phrase on that merchandise, which was, be honest, stay true.
And I remember being somewhat struck by that saying because as listeners know
(10:50):
or longtime listeners know, I do love sayings like that and life mantras. I have my own.
We have them out on the website of the ones that I've come up with or I've adopted
over the years. And so this one seemed right up my alley, and I just remember being struck by that.
And I didn't know it, but Sarah,
(11:11):
who is a writer, and she does love to write letters and cards,
and she does collect cards or collect postcards to save in her collection to send out to folks,
she bought a couple of these Be Honest, Stay True postcards and handed one to me.
And when she did so she goes I want you to write
(11:32):
down the 41 things that
you are looking forward to this year and I
remember going I'm sorry what you want
me to write down 40 41 things of I'm looking forward to I you know I thought
there was no way I could do that because I didn't even think there were 41 things
(11:56):
on my mind to look forward to I don't even know I was thinking of 41 31 at all,
other than, okay, cool, I'm moving at least out of the 40th year, which was pretty rough.
And because I was pretty tired and exhausted, it just wasn't something that I felt I could do.
And because I had only just felt in a really ironic twist of fate or very pun intended,
(12:21):
I really literally only had just gotten my feet back under me,
having lost the job, found one, quit come back and.
Got my ankle sorted. My heart was still mending, but if I'm being honest,
it probably was the last thing that came around given I was really focused on
work and ankle recovery.
But Sarah, as Sarah is, she kept at it and she told me, no, you can do it.
(12:47):
It doesn't have to be complicated.
It can be things like, I want to try the Caesar salad at every restaurant I
go to this year, which made me laugh and smile because those of you who know
me best know that I actually do do that still to this day.
I love Caesar salads, particularly chicken Caesar salads, and I love to try
(13:07):
them at most restaurants, but I digress.
And I thought, okay, well, if that's true, and this doesn't need to be uber
complicated, let me just try stream of consciousness of what comes to mind when I think about it.
And I think about this coming year at the time.
So I started to make a list.
(13:30):
Ride my bike, stand up paddle Lake Washington,
chase sunsets, hike with friends, volunteer ranger on Mount Rainier,
enjoy Mountain Dew, my favorite drink, visit Donner Country,
listen to my favorite music, sit at the park. Watch the boats on the lake.
(13:53):
And I started to get into a rhythm, and I suddenly had 10 things,
and then I had 20, and then I had 30, and before I knew it, I had gotten to 41.
And when I looked at the completed list, I remember being somewhat proud of
what was on it because I could see it was the true essence of me.
(14:15):
It wasn't some sort of grandiose wish list.
It was simply just all of the things that were, let's say, fundamental to who
I was at the time and arguably still am that were present for me at the time.
They were things that brought me joy or made me smile.
(14:35):
There might have been a couple of stretch goals, as we like to say,
in there of things that I would love to do, but I wasn't necessarily sure I would be able to do.
But the whole list wasn't a wish list.
It was really the essence of me.
And having written it on the postcard of Stay Honest, Be True,
(15:00):
I sort of adopted that as my mantra for the year.
And while you might think that I somehow pinned it to my refrigerator or a vision
board so that I could see it daily or be reminded of it regularly,
I actually didn't do that.
I took it home that night and I put it with what had become like a keepsake
(15:25):
of cards and letters, some of which were Sarah's cards and letters and from other people.
It was just this section that I kept this, these sort of personal notes that
were sent to me or things that were sent to me.
It was kind of like my special box or my special section in the box.
And I didn't actually really look at it again for much of that year.
(15:48):
I can't explain why, but I didn't. And from time to time, I could see it in
the keepsake section of the box because the lettering of the postcard,
be honest, A-True, was very distinct.
But I didn't really ever look at it again until the year was over.
And sidebar, it's probably helpful to say that because my birthday does fall
(16:12):
in December, it falls at the end of the calendar year.
And I do already start to think of the year gone by and what is perhaps coming in the following year.
And so it's timely in the sense that that just so happens to be when my birthday is.
And at that time of year, and because I remembered having done the exercise
(16:33):
the year before, I went and pulled the postcard out of the pile.
And to my surprise, or perhaps I should say maybe more like to my surprise and
delight, I had done almost everything that I had written down.
But I did it without necessarily using it as a checklist or reviewing it each
(16:54):
week or really even each month,
or maybe even consciously thinking much about the specifics on the list,
like something hanging over me and I must do it, and if I don't do it,
I'm failing. No, it wasn't that.
It was simply the exercise and the
exercise alone that Sarah had made me do the year before that made me really
(17:17):
deliberately think about that which fills my spirit and my soul or makes me
laugh and smile or brings me some sense of joy or peace into my life.
It wasn't that bucket list or that wish list,
it was this live life each day list with some wish list items on it or perhaps
(17:42):
maybe one bucket list item.
And the exercise alone, especially coming off the previous year,
which had been so challenging, really reset both my outlook and.
And my vision. And so as we hit 40 episodes,
I'm not necessarily resetting what the podcast is about or, you know,
(18:04):
I don't want to give any false indications of, so ZH, are you like resetting what the podcast is? No.
I share this story because if you've never done this for yourself and you find
Find yourself in a moment, maybe like I was back then,
or maybe it's just a challenging period of time where you're sort of not necessarily
(18:27):
challenged, but you're just kind of thinking about what's next.
Maybe there's a fog that needs to lift or to clear.
Maybe you need some new inspiration. Maybe you're trying to get your groove back.
Whatever those things are, if that happens to be you right now,
or maybe it's something that you want to adopt as you continue to make circles
(18:47):
around the sun, it's kind of a healthy exercise to make the list of the things
you like to do or you want to do. And it can be a top 10 list.
It can be a list that matches the age you are at.
It can be an ongoing list if that's what you want to
do to keep adding to it and you want to review it throughout
a given calendar year or you want it displayed somewhere
(19:10):
where you can see it and you can be reminded of it whatever that list is to
you and however it could most resonate with you that's really what's important
and you make it your own and if you think you don't have 20 things or 40 things
or 60 things that's okay hey,
start with one or two, maybe get to five,
(19:33):
maybe get to 10. That's how it went for me.
And I didn't think I'd end up with 41 things back then, but suddenly there they were.
And when I came back to them a year later and saw that they were all things
that helped me live out that year 41 with a smile.
With happiness, with a filled-up heart or soul, it felt pretty good.
(19:59):
And again, if you already do this, good for you.
If you already have this exercise as part of a goal-setting exercise,
maybe if you're a go-getter, or maybe just part of a self-care wellness routine,
those are all really good things.
But if you've never thought to do this, you might
(20:19):
be surprised like I was at how something so simple
as thinking about the things that bring
you that happiness or joy on a day-to-day basis
and how turning them into a list can
really end up being a huge inspiration or a
motivator or a guide or all
of the above so there you have it if you
(20:41):
do do that and you feel like you want to share I would love to know if you make
lists like this or you had a moment in your life where you adopted it and started
doing it because I really feel like it's an excellent exercise and I do really
feel like I should be better at it than I am right now.
So I might take my own life experience wisdom advice from this particular episode
(21:08):
which is kind of fitting since it is a milestone one.
As always I ask you to be kind yourself.
Take it one hour at a time, one day at a time, and I will see you next time.
Music.
Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Life Notes from Chair 17.
(21:30):
Remember to follow and subscribe so you never miss an episode. We'll see you next time.
Music.
This week's Life Note, it's not the story of our bucket list or our wish list,
but it is the story of when we first wrote down our live life each day list.
Music.
Welcome to Life Notes from Chair 17, a podcast dedicated to sharing life stories,
(00:24):
wisdoms, and inspirations as we navigate life's journey.
Host C.H. aims to share thoughtful perspectives and insights from her own life
journey, as well as those of special guests and contributors.
Tune in for thoughtful conversations about lessons learned, wisdoms gained,
experiences had, and inspirations shared.
(00:45):
Find us where you get your podcasts and be sure to hit follow or subscribe so
you never miss an episode. So now enjoy this week's episode.
All righty, welcome back in, friends, to another episode of Life Notes from Chair17.
(01:06):
I'm your host, CH, and I thank you as always once again for finding me in this
corner of the podcast universe.
And as returning C-17ers know, I always like to start off by thanking you for
your continued support and tuning in each week.
This does include our returning international C-17ers.
(01:28):
Thank you all so much for tuning in around the globe.
But if you are checking us out for the first time, maybe you've just found us
on one of the major podcast platforms or via our website site out on Life Notes
from chair17podcast.com.
A warm welcome in to you. Thank you for wanting to check us out.
(01:49):
We hope you like what you hear, and you will want to continue to tune in.
Now, it's been a while since I've said this. Returning listeners or those who
have been with me for a really long time know that I got into a, let's call it a pattern,
in the late teens, early 20s series of episodes where it felt like I was calling
(02:10):
every episode a special episode or a milestone episode.
I haven't done that in a while, but actually this one is as it is our 40th episode, so the big 4-0.
I am really not sure how that is possible. It seems like one minute we really
were just starting out, and we were in our 20s, and now we're approaching middle age.
(02:34):
No, I'm just kidding, because there are obviously lots of podcasts out there
that have hundreds of episodes to them, so we are still really in our infancy era.
But it has got me thinking about a lot of things and particularly sometimes
how it does end up feeling like that in real life, right, as we age.
(02:55):
Age I do remember thinking the
concept of time and aging seemed so
far away when I was in my 20s or that
time seemed infinite and that
it would take forever to reach a
certain year or a certain age and then suddenly 20 years have gone by or 10
years have gone by there is a great line from the film the Shawshank Redemption
(03:20):
which is a great film by the way if you have never seen it where Where the main
characters of Andy Dufresne,
who's played by Tim Robbins,
and Ellis Boyd Redding, or Red,
played by Morgan Freeman, are reflecting on Red having served 30 years of his life prison sentence.
(03:45):
I think this is the scene after he gets rejected for parole.
And they're in the yard and Andy's going to give him what they call a happy
parole rejection present.
And Red says something like, man, when you say it like that,
the idea of saying it's been 30 years.
And then Andy chimes in, reflecting on his 10 years going, I don't know where 10 years went either.
(04:10):
And as I drafted up this episode in particular, you could say I'm sort of in
that combination of moments that Andy and Red had,
not necessarily wondering in stunned belief of where 40 episodes has gone,
but more of a reflection on the time of creating and sharing the episodes we've
(04:32):
done so far and of capturing those really my life experiences or my experiences.
Wisdoms or inspirations or lessons that I've learned that I don't know that
I thought I would ever be using as the basis for a podcast, and certainly not
when I was experiencing any of them, that's for sure.
(04:52):
So I do appreciate everybody that has continued to come back and want to hear those stories.
And as it happens with this episode, I was reflecting not only on that scene from Shawshank,
but also of a time in my life where I actually wrote out what I call my very
(05:15):
first live life each day list.
Now, sidebar, if you are someone out there that already does this,
like you have been one of those people that has journaled and written
your dreams down and always done vision boards and that kind of a thing.
(05:37):
I really commend you for doing that because I didn't grow up doing that.
And I didn't even grow up really knowing to do that or thinking to do that.
This was, of course, in an era maybe when
there wasn't an online presence as
much where you could go and there were tools that you could use
to come up with this kind of thing and now
(05:57):
there are so I didn't have
necessarily that outlet but I also didn't even have the inkling or the idea
to do it so if you have always done this or grown up doing it and you're continuing
to do it or you adopted it you know at a certain period of time in your life
and you've been consistent with it you are way ahead of me and I commend you for doing
(06:18):
it because it is a super healthy exercise.
And as I did it, and as I've.
Probably not been as consistent as I should be in continuing to do it.
It does remind us, really, sometimes not only of our dreams and the big things
we're going after or the big things that we want to do or our hopes and our dreams,
(06:42):
but sometimes it also just does remind us of the importance of simply being
really present and enjoying just day to day or month to month or week to week.
And for me, the first time I did this exercise was when my good friend,
Sarah, who we've talked about multiple times, she actually inspired our sitting on the bench episode.
(07:04):
She asked me to do it at the end of my 40th circle around the sun, at the end of that year.
So I was about to turn 41.
And if I am being totally honest, that 40th year was not a good year.
It was really the year I first lost my job up here in Seattle.
(07:28):
It was when my relationship ended.
It was also the year that I broke my ankle and I was also recovering from that broken ankle.
I started a job after losing my job that I quit and walked away from due to PTSD.
But then I found myself back at the company that I had been laid off from almost 365 days later.
(07:54):
It was the weirdest, most...
A strange year. And this was a stretch between, it kind of overlapped between two years.
It felt like it was a whip last year, but it also really, as a result of that,
took a massive toll on me, both from a personal and a professional standpoint.
(08:16):
And so by the time it started to roll around where we were going to get out
of this year and go to the next year and turn 41, I remember I remember literally
having no plans to celebrate.
I thought, you know what, I'm just glad to be kind of here in one piece.
I got a job back. My ankle is doing okay.
(08:36):
But Sarah, in her very kind way, was like, nope, we need to go celebrate. great.
And I don't think I was in the mindset to do it.
I also was thinking back to having made a big deal about getting to the big
4-0 and I had done this special trip and it was great.
(09:00):
And then, you know, a few days after that, I learned I was losing my job.
And so it was a weird sense of, you know what, I don't know that I want to jinx 41.
So maybe we just don't celebrate this You know the things and the stories that
you tell yourself in your mind, but I will confess I did feel that and I thought
now I'm just gonna usher this one in and not make a big deal, but,
(09:23):
Sarah was persistent and so we did go and have dinner It was very quiet celebration,
which was completely fine, and it was just super thoughtful of her wanting to,
Get me to get out and celebrate and we went to get dessert and,
at a place here in Seattle called Hot Cakes, which sells desserts,
obviously, but the most notable of which is their namesake product.
(09:47):
So it's molten chocolate cakes, and they're sort of in individual serving size as well.
So if you're not familiar with that, think of it as being like a really big
cupcake, and it's just scrumptious and awesome.
So for those of you out there who love chocolates and sweets,
It does really taste as good as it sounds.
(10:09):
And I had never been there prior. I had not really heard of it,
but Sarah did convince me.
It was also next door to where we had dinner, and I think we just did something
super simple like go for pizza or something like that. So we walk into this
original location that is up in the Ballard area of Seattle,
and it smelled delicious, of course.
(10:29):
And as I do when I walk in a shop, I did notice they had a small sampling of merchandise.
And there was a particular phrase on that merchandise, which was, be honest, stay true.
And I remember being somewhat struck by that saying because as listeners know
(10:50):
or longtime listeners know, I do love sayings like that and life mantras. I have my own.
We have them out on the website of the ones that I've come up with or I've adopted
over the years. And so this one seemed right up my alley, and I just remember being struck by that.
And I didn't know it, but Sarah,
(11:11):
who is a writer, and she does love to write letters and cards,
and she does collect cards or collect postcards to save in her collection to send out to folks,
she bought a couple of these Be Honest, Stay True postcards and handed one to me.
And when she did so she goes I want you to write
(11:32):
down the 41 things that
you are looking forward to this year and I
remember going I'm sorry what you want
me to write down 40 41 things of I'm looking forward to I you know I thought
there was no way I could do that because I didn't even think there were 41 things
(11:56):
on my mind to look forward to I don't even know I was thinking of 41 31 at all,
other than, okay, cool, I'm moving at least out of the 40th year, which was pretty rough.
And because I was pretty tired and exhausted, it just wasn't something that I felt I could do.
And because I had only just felt in a really ironic twist of fate or very pun intended,
(12:21):
I really literally only had just gotten my feet back under me,
having lost the job, found one, quit come back and.
Got my ankle sorted. My heart was still mending, but if I'm being honest,
it probably was the last thing that came around given I was really focused on
work and ankle recovery.
But Sarah, as Sarah is, she kept at it and she told me, no, you can do it.
(12:47):
It doesn't have to be complicated.
It can be things like, I want to try the Caesar salad at every restaurant I
go to this year, which made me laugh and smile because those of you who know
me best know that I actually do do that still to this day.
I love Caesar salads, particularly chicken Caesar salads, and I love to try
(13:07):
them at most restaurants, but I digress.
And I thought, okay, well, if that's true, and this doesn't need to be uber
complicated, let me just try stream of consciousness of what comes to mind when I think about it.
And I think about this coming year at the time.
So I started to make a list.
(13:30):
Ride my bike, stand up paddle Lake Washington,
chase sunsets, hike with friends, volunteer ranger on Mount Rainier,
enjoy Mountain Dew, my favorite drink, visit Donner Country,
listen to my favorite music, sit at the park. Watch the boats on the lake.
(13:53):
And I started to get into a rhythm, and I suddenly had 10 things,
and then I had 20, and then I had 30, and before I knew it, I had gotten to 41.
And when I looked at the completed list, I remember being somewhat proud of
what was on it because I could see it was the true essence of me.
(14:15):
It wasn't some sort of grandiose wish list.
It was simply just all of the things that were, let's say, fundamental to who
I was at the time and arguably still am that were present for me at the time.
They were things that brought me joy or made me smile.
(14:35):
There might have been a couple of stretch goals, as we like to say,
in there of things that I would love to do, but I wasn't necessarily sure I would be able to do.
But the whole list wasn't a wish list.
It was really the essence of me.
And having written it on the postcard of Stay Honest, Be True,
(15:00):
I sort of adopted that as my mantra for the year.
And while you might think that I somehow pinned it to my refrigerator or a vision
board so that I could see it daily or be reminded of it regularly,
I actually didn't do that.
I took it home that night and I put it with what had become like a keepsake
(15:25):
of cards and letters, some of which were Sarah's cards and letters and from other people.
It was just this section that I kept this, these sort of personal notes that
were sent to me or things that were sent to me.
It was kind of like my special box or my special section in the box.
And I didn't actually really look at it again for much of that year.
(15:48):
I can't explain why, but I didn't. And from time to time, I could see it in
the keepsake section of the box because the lettering of the postcard,
be honest, A-True, was very distinct.
But I didn't really ever look at it again until the year was over.
And sidebar, it's probably helpful to say that because my birthday does fall
(16:12):
in December, it falls at the end of the calendar year.
And I do already start to think of the year gone by and what is perhaps coming in the following year.
And so it's timely in the sense that that just so happens to be when my birthday is.
And at that time of year, and because I remembered having done the exercise
(16:33):
the year before, I went and pulled the postcard out of the pile.
And to my surprise, or perhaps I should say maybe more like to my surprise and
delight, I had done almost everything that I had written down.
But I did it without necessarily using it as a checklist or reviewing it each
(16:54):
week or really even each month,
or maybe even consciously thinking much about the specifics on the list,
like something hanging over me and I must do it, and if I don't do it,
I'm failing. No, it wasn't that.
It was simply the exercise and the
exercise alone that Sarah had made me do the year before that made me really
(17:17):
deliberately think about that which fills my spirit and my soul or makes me
laugh and smile or brings me some sense of joy or peace into my life.
It wasn't that bucket list or that wish list,
it was this live life each day list with some wish list items on it or perhaps
(17:42):
maybe one bucket list item.
And the exercise alone, especially coming off the previous year,
which had been so challenging, really reset both my outlook and.
And my vision. And so as we hit 40 episodes,
I'm not necessarily resetting what the podcast is about or, you know,
(18:04):
I don't want to give any false indications of, so ZH, are you like resetting what the podcast is? No.
I share this story because if you've never done this for yourself and you find
Find yourself in a moment, maybe like I was back then,
or maybe it's just a challenging period of time where you're sort of not necessarily
(18:27):
challenged, but you're just kind of thinking about what's next.
Maybe there's a fog that needs to lift or to clear.
Maybe you need some new inspiration. Maybe you're trying to get your groove back.
Whatever those things are, if that happens to be you right now,
or maybe it's something that you want to adopt as you continue to make circles
(18:47):
around the sun, it's kind of a healthy exercise to make the list of the things
you like to do or you want to do. And it can be a top 10 list.
It can be a list that matches the age you are at.
It can be an ongoing list if that's what you want to
do to keep adding to it and you want to review it throughout
a given calendar year or you want it displayed somewhere
(19:10):
where you can see it and you can be reminded of it whatever that list is to
you and however it could most resonate with you that's really what's important
and you make it your own and if you think you don't have 20 things or 40 things
or 60 things that's okay hey,
start with one or two, maybe get to five,
(19:33):
maybe get to 10. That's how it went for me.
And I didn't think I'd end up with 41 things back then, but suddenly there they were.
And when I came back to them a year later and saw that they were all things
that helped me live out that year 41 with a smile.
With happiness, with a filled-up heart or soul, it felt pretty good.
(19:59):
And again, if you already do this, good for you.
If you already have this exercise as part of a goal-setting exercise,
maybe if you're a go-getter, or maybe just part of a self-care wellness routine,
those are all really good things.
But if you've never thought to do this, you might
(20:19):
be surprised like I was at how something so simple
as thinking about the things that bring
you that happiness or joy on a day-to-day basis
and how turning them into a list can
really end up being a huge inspiration or a
motivator or a guide or all
of the above so there you have it if you
(20:41):
do do that and you feel like you want to share I would love to know if you make
lists like this or you had a moment in your life where you adopted it and started
doing it because I really feel like it's an excellent exercise and I do really
feel like I should be better at it than I am right now.
So I might take my own life experience wisdom advice from this particular episode
(21:08):
which is kind of fitting since it is a milestone one.
As always I ask you to be kind yourself.
Take it one hour at a time, one day at a time, and I will see you next time.
Music.
Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Life Notes from Chair 17.
(21:30):
Remember to follow and subscribe so you never miss an episode. We'll see you next time.
Music.
Popular Podcasts
1. Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
2. Start Here
A straightforward look at the day's top news in 20 minutes. Powered by ABC News. Hosted by Brad Mielke.
3. Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.