The Twenty-Ninth Practice: A Year of Paying Attention

Part of my motivation for doing this year-long project is to remind myself that life, like yoga, is a practice. Every morning we wake up and it is a new day. We have an opportunity to do something new and different or to stick to a time-tested routine. We choose to make someone smile or laugh or cry. We choose to see the glass half-empty or half-full. I don’t mean the next statement in a negative, pessimistic way at all, but...there is no light at the end of the tunnel; there is light every single day and we have the choice as to whether or not we see it.

We have such a tendency to say “oh, someday I will…such-and-such”. Unfortunately, a lot of those such-and-suchs go to the Island of Someday and die. I don’t have regrets so far (don’t get me wrong, I have done a lot of stupid things, but I am chocking those all to first-quarter learning experiences), but I don't want my "someday I will" things to die on the Island of Someday. 

Every day I want to show up and rejoice and celebrate the abundance in my life. Before I reach 30 next year (gasp!) I want to cultivate a greater appreciation for the practice of life, because, frankly, life is too damn short. This is not an uncommon sentiment for me. In 2010, my boyfriend and I quit our jobs in Nashville, TN to travel in Central America. Why? Why not?? We gave notice at our jobs. We consolidated our stuff and ourselves into one apartment. We started saving a lot of money by eating beans and peanut butter sandwiches. Right after Christmas, we flew to Guatemala City and spent the first three months of 2011 backpacking from Guatemala to Panama, where my sister was living. And I don't regret this "Why not?" attitude one bit. 

The Twenty-Ninth Practice is my year of "why-the-hell-not?!" I turn 29 next week and am excited to spend the next year practicing and paying attention. Each month, I will choose a different "29" practice to focus on. Sometimes the practice will be a habit I want to cultivate, like meditating everyday. Other months, the practice might be a creative project that I have been thinking about for a long time.  

What are some of the things I want to pay attention to and practice? I delight in poetry. I love reading short stories. I worry about my every-day coffee habit. I wonder if I drink too frequently. I want to learn how to do a handstand and have an excuse to try out new yoga studios. I want to add more recipes to my gluten-free cooking repertoire. I would like to improve my photography skills and explore new trails. I would like to see more live music. I want to express more love and gratitude to the people that I care about. 

Quite simply, for my twenty-ninth year I want to rock it. I want to live intentionally every single day, not just some-of-the-time-when-I-happen-to-think-about-it.

So, the year begins. 

Namaste.