The Faucet

Tag: reflection

• 6 Things That Tick Me Off

  Posted at 2:28 am by kirstenlanae, on January 20, 2020

  1. When I’m driving down a gravel road, and the person I pass doesn’t return my wave. Like, who the heck do you think you are that the unwritten rules of life in rural Alberta don’t apply to you?

  

  2. How the people who never ever volunteer to help, are always the exact same people who complain about the way things are done. This always makes me think of Bill Parcel’s wise words: “Losers assemble in small groups and complain, winners assemble as a team and find ways to win.” 

  3. Fuelling up in -35 degree weather, or loading groceries in -35 degree weather, or brushing snow off my vehicle in -35 degree weather, which reminds me of a theory I have; people who live in warm places have no excuse for being unfit. If I could walk outside without the air literally freezing my lungs and burning my face, you bet I’d be out there every single day. 

  4. Purchasing a new book from Audible without listening to the preview, getting excited about starting the first chapter, and then realizing the narrator’s voice is the equivalent to a cheese grater attacking my ear drums – absolutely horrid. Return! 

  5. How Tuesday night games bring out a full bench, but Tuesday night practices don’t. It’s funny how that works. 

  6. Bagging my own groceries and being in an absolute panic as I simultaneously attempt to entertain the toddler in my cart, tetris all my purchases into bags, pay, get my credit card back into the tiny little sleeve in my wallet without dropping it on the floor, shove the receipt into my pocket, and get out of the way before the cashier starts shoving the next person’s groceries down my lane. So. much. stress.

  Posted in Reflections | 0 Comments | Tagged am writing, angry, hate, list, opinionated, reflection, ticked off, upset, writer, writers group, writers guild

• Celebrating the Good

  Posted at 9:05 am by kirstenlanae, on December 30, 2019

  The end of December always necessitates reflection, and I find comfort in the ritual of looking both backwards and forwards, savouring it slowly, spreading it out over the strange, quiet days between Christmas and New Years where turkey bunwiches and cookies and cheese become diet staples. It’s worthwhile taking the time to celebrate the hard work and successes of the year, while also being open to the lessons from the mistakes and failures, since you can’t have the good without the bad, and vice versa.  
  

  With that being said, I’m pretty darn good at beating myself up for my failures,  and a lot less good at celebrating my successes, and I want to change that habit and focus on the positive here. So, without further rambling, and for my benefit more than anyone else’s, my positive year in review: 
  

  

  I finished the Run Motivators Invincible Challenge of 1200 miles in 2019 on December 27, and really poured on the bike miles in the last six weeks. I ran my fastest postpartum 10k at the Jasper Rocky Mountain Half Marathon, and used that race as a stepping stone to completing the Titanium Half Marathon in Lloydminster as a stroller half – having done every training run with my little co-pilot, crossing the finish line together was one of the highlights of the year. Thanks to the support of family and friends we also raised $1275 in support of STARS, so pushing that stroller for 13.1 miles was definitely worth it. All of that training with the stroller also allowed us to take advantage of Vermilion’s beautiful provincial park and paved trails. I attended 30 yoga classes, and even though I’d hoped to make 40, those 30 made a big difference! I also tried step-classes, actually scheduled regular massages, and, perhaps best of all, started playing hockey with the Colts again. 
  

  We made the big purchase of a new house and moved HOME, which was my favourite part of the year since I finally feel at peace. I learned to let go of places where I couldn’t be myself, and found the freedom to decide where to focus my energy. While I enjoyed teaching high school part time in the first half of the year, when I jumped into the world of post-secondary in September I felt truly at home; I love working with adult students as an academic strategist and specialized tutor. We discuss and debate interesting ideas, and I get to nerd out on showing them the ropes of academic writing. I help them organize their schedules and strengthen their study-habits; I’ll have everyone mind-mapping eventually. I’ve also enjoyed writing occasionally for Sweatpants and Coffee (this is one of my favourites) and doing a monthly “10 Questions with . . .” piece for Alberta Mamas (this is one of my favourites), as well as some social media content creation on the side. The self-directed and creative aspects are perfect for me! 
  

  I finished the 50 Book Pledge for the fifth year in a row, which is a nice start on my quest for 50 consecutive years. I mustered up the courage to join a writers guild and was inspired to begin “writing every Monday, no matter what” by blogging here on The Faucet. I finally joined a book club and continued to volunteer with West Reel Film Club, sharing my dorky love of Canadian documentary too.

  I threw light on my really important things all year long. My word of the year – elucidate – was fitting.

  Posted in Reflections | 0 Comments | Tagged 1200 miles in 2019, 2019, 50 book pledge, am writing, goals, home, positive, progress, reader, reflection, running, writers group, writers guild, writing, year in review

• 10 Small Wins for 2019

  Posted at 7:20 am by kirstenlanae, on December 23, 2019

  As the days remaining in 2019 reach single digits, I feel a tremendous amount of self-imposed pressure to complete two big goals before the year slips away for good: finish the Invincible Challenge of #1200milesin2019, and wrap-up the 50 Book Pledge.  Yet within those pursuits, as I semi-neoritcally panic-bike mile-after-mile, I’ve been starting to reflect on the small wins of the year; little things that I’m proud of, or that made me happy, and that are worth celebrating. 
  

  1.I finally have myself trained to remember to bring reusable bags into stores! (more often than not, anyway)
  

  2. I was WAY better at recycling this year. 
  

  3. Holly and Tracy from Stuff You Missed in History Class – who I’ve been listening to religiously since I first got into podcasts in 2013 – read my listener mail on their January 23rd episode: Sushruta, Father of Plastic Surgery and my nerdy little heart was so shocked and full of happiness I thought it might actually burst. 
  

  4. I tried a bunch of new recipes and found some keepers:
  

  

  • Asian Ramen Broccoli Slaw from All House Moms: I leave most of the sugar out of the dressing; it’s a nice change from regular asian salad, and I like basking in self-righteousness because I’m eating the stems of broccoli and am therefore incredibly healthy. 
  • Banana Chocolate Chip Sheet Pancakes from Pound Dropper: this recipe fits perfectly into my Pampered Chef Brownie Pan. I leave out the second banana, and just top them with 5 regular chocolate chips each. We call them Puffins (pancakes + muffins); so good and easy to transport for snacks or pop in the microwave for breakfast. 
  • Baked Salsa Chicken from The Blond Cook → This is the fastest and best way to cook chicken breast in the oven because they stay moist. Love! 
  • Giant Ginger Cookies from Better Homes and Gardens – literally the best ever, as stated by multiple family members. They’re fast, since you’re not required to chill the dough. They’re also chewy and ridiculously delicious.  

  5. I ate out less (see above) 
  

  6. I Marie Kondoed my kitchen drawers – the ones with spatulas, measuring cups, wooden spoons, etc. – and not having to sort through a ridiculous number of utensils to find what I need is so nice. 
  

  7. I spent a substantial amount of time in libraries and it’s been cozy, calming, and invigorating all at once. 
  

  

  8. I wrote all of my bills out on the calendar so I know what’s due and when, and added in a few coordinating stickers, of course. 
  

  9. I finally tried pre-ordering groceries and doing express pick-up. I’m a convert!
  

  10. I get to play hockey again (ok, this might be a big win) 

  What are your “small wins” for 2019?
  

  Posted in Reflections | 0 Comments | Tagged 10 things, 2019, am writing, cooking, list, little things, recipes, reflection, small wins, writers group, year in review

• Worthy Suffering

  Posted at 2:17 am by kirstenlanae, on December 2, 2019

  I may be a little late to the party, but I’ve been listening to Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*CK, and it’s brilliant. I make this grand statement because Manson presents a theory that gets to the root cause in explaining why so many of us are sad, or unhappy, or unsatisfied: we fail to accept that we will always have problems, and that these problems will always cause suffering.
  

  

   Even Warren Buffet has money problems. They’re just better money problems than I have. These problems still suck, and these problems still cause him suffering. 
  

   Even Margaret Atwood has writing problems. They’re just better writing problems than I have. These problems still suck, and these problems still cause her suffering. 
  

  Even Megan Markle has parenting problems. They’re just better parenting problems than I have. These problems still suck, and these problems still cause her suffering. 
  

  Even Chrissy Teigen has body image problems. They’re just better body image problems than I have. These problems still suck, and these problems still cause her suffering. 
  

  Even Connor McDavid has hockey problems. They’re just better hockey problems than I have. These problems still suck, and these problems still cause him suffering. 
  

  Even Jody Carrington has connection problems. They’re just better connection problems than I have. These problems still suck, and these problems still cause her suffering. 
  

  Assuming Manson’s theory is correct, there’s a brilliantly simple approach to finding happiness. I love this approach because it’s raw and real. Unlike the shallow self-help strategies that promise to remove pain and suffering from our lives, Manson says we need to do the hard, messy, soulful, human work of defining our values, and then taking actions that align with those values. In consequence, problems and suffering will be created – BUT – (& here’s the kicker) because those problems and suffering arise from our values, facing the problems, and experiencing the suffering, will be meaningful and even, perhaps kind of enjoyable. 
  

  Read that last sentence again. 

  If you’re not living a life aligned with your values, then no amount or metric of success is going to make you happy. & I think that’s a pretty powerful idea to carry into the last month of this decade; to reflect on, to chew on, to mull over, to digest, and to be ready to put into practice. 
  

  What’s truly worth suffering for in 2020?
  

  Posted in Reflections | 0 Comments | Tagged am writing, decade, happiness, mark manson, pain, raw, reading, real, reflection, self help, subtle art of not giving a f*uck, suffering, worthy, writer, writers group

• 8 Lessons I Learned While Living Away from Home

  Posted at 2:08 am by kirstenlanae, on September 30, 2019

  1. At first, you’ll feel pretty unsettled, like you’re drifting, and have the urge to go home where you belong, but eventually you’ll find your places. For me, something as simple as a Chinese restaurant that makes wicked Cantonese Chow Mein and Honey Goo Loo Shrimp, and being a regular there, made me feel rooted. (Also, Tim’s for coffee, ’cause #teacherlife).

  2. You really will meet people. It’ll take a while to get to know them, but soon, without having realized it, you’ll have this whole other community and family that are familiar and wonderful and you are so blessed to have met them. For me, this came in the form of the staff and students at my school.

  

  3.You need to find the courage to say “yes” to new invitations and opportunities. During the first week at my new teaching job I ended up sitting next to two other young teachers at Mission and Ministry Day. We laughed, we chatted, and then one of them invited me to her Mom’s house for a party that evening. I said sure, and we exchanged numbers. I was SO nervous, and I really did not want to go. (Thanks anxiety!) I told myself that I had to make friends in this new place, and forced myself to attend. It turns out the other girl had just moved to Vermilion from Ontario, we all hit it off, and Rachel and Kaitlyn are now my lifelong friends.  As Brene Brown once said, “Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.”

  

  4.You will find parallels between characters in each community. Doug Jingles wandering the streets of Beaverlodge with his shovel and his old red work coat with the silver zipper is the equivalent of Jimmy Cryderman biking around Vermilion with rainbow suspenders over a plaid shirt and his brown cocker spaniel on a leash. You will also find this strangely comforting.

  5.You will find new interests.  In Beaverlodge, I always played hockey, and had just won a provincial silver medal before moving to Vermilion, which unfortunately had no competitive ladies team. Several months after my move, I really embraced running, and made the goal to run #16racesin2016. It gave me a place to go consistently (the gym) and was a great activity I could do solo when Brian was busy at work. Since then, running has become a HUGE positive, energizing and empowering part of my life, which probably wouldn’t have happened without the move.

  

  6.Having space away from your friends and family will allow you to grow, in a big way. You’ll have room to move away from the constraints of your identity, from the person everyone thinks you are, or should be, and into a place with room for self-discovery. I also became way more comfortable going out and doing the things I wanted to do, even if it meant doing them alone, like hiking at Elk Island National Park, signing up for a wheel class at the pottery guild, and taking my SCUBA certification.

  7. You will gain so much confidence from having the strength to create a life, home, and community in a new place. You are strong. You can do hard things.

  

  8. One day, you will have an epiphany: Both places are now home.

  Posted in Reflections | 2 Comments | Tagged epiphany, homesickness, learning, lessons, moving, moving away, new roots, reflection, running, teacher, teaching

• writing every Monday, no matter what

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