Twenty Five Percent Through

5 minute read

Q1 of 2022 is officially in the rear view mirror and it has been full-to-the-brim. Back in January, I made a big deal of rejecting traditional ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ in favour of Intentions. Intentions are much kinder and gentler. I want progress not perfection. Serenity not stress. Unless you’ve been living in a media vacuum you know what’s been piling on the stress in our lives. In the past I’ve lost my mojo and my resolutions have quietly tiptoed away. During the year I might revisit my list and feel a little guilty about how I, once again, dropped the resolution ball. A year was just too long to stay on track. Who needs that pressure?

My solution was quarterly intentions. Three intentions for just three months. My busy mind kept three balls in the air — with a little help from a Post-it note by my desk.

So, how did I do in the first quarter? Here’s the unvarnished report.

My first intention: Be hopeful.

I thought about how children express hope in such an imaginative and joyful way. My grandson once said, “I hope I get a monkey for a pet.”

Are adult hopes more concrete and less fanciful because we’ve experienced more of life and set aside imagination as we grow older? I digress and I know hope is squishy but it was January and ridiculously cold and we were entering Pandemic Year Three. I desperately craved hopefulness. Bear with me: first I set an intention for the greater world. More like a prayer — that the frigging virus would dissipate and become less of a threat. I hoped for less disruption in family life, school, work, finances, all of it.

I hoped that scientists would grab the virus and unruly mutations by the throat and wrestle them to the ground. That’s not too much to hope for, is it?

Then a personal hope. I’ve lived in my apartment for six months! This is the first place I’ve owned by myself since my husband died. So much to do here to make it feel like my home. I hope to feel a sense of contentment, of being settled instead of floating. Beyond hope, I NEED to feel calm. Peaceful. I needed to get things done.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I give myself a 5.5 for making progress.

What’s my excuse: everything takes three times longer than you think. Getting X done depends on Y which depends on Z. However, three big things were initiated in November 2021 and completed in Q1:

Window shades installed. Now I don’t have to worry about the CIA monitoring my movements and it’s safe to change clothes wherever I wish.
Icky carpeting replaced and vinyl flooring installed in my big workroom where I sew, paint and generally make a mess.
I now have a curtain on the sliding door to my minuscule balcony. I WAS impatient, though, and didn’t measure the rail correctly. It bothers me but not enough to take the damn thing down and trim it.
Last month my new son-in-law assembled a shelf for the store room. Still plenty of clutter but now it’s shelved along with my excuses behind a closed door.
Last week I painted my bedroom. Yay for me. A real painter could have knocked the project out in a day. It took me 2.5 days but IT IS DONE.

There’s still a lot to finish. I’m saving those for Q2.

Second Intention: Be a better listener. Stop interrupting. It’s rude! And selfish.

I give myself a solid 7 on this. Because I put my heart into it and kept my mouth shut.

Are you an interrupter? I sure am. My technique, honed over the years, is skilfully waiting for the speaker’s briefest pause . . . then off I go. Or I just straight-up start talking over them. Funny thing is I HATE IT when people do that to me. Now, instead of thinking “when are they going to shut up so I can chime in with MY opinion or perspective?” I wait. I wait and actually LISTEN. Sometimes I forget what I wanted to say. Was it relevant or just a random comment that would turn the focus back to ME ME ME! I try to be an active listener and keep my impulses in check; ask questions! I’ve been rewarded with better conversations. Maybe I should ask my friends how I’m doing?

Third Intention: Don’t have a lazy mind. Learn something!

I’m a 6 on this one. Because effort counts, right?

I want to be a life-long learner — so many tempting opportunities to try something new.

First things first. I looked at things I’ve enthusiastically jumped into — beading for example. At the urging of a bead-artist friend, I purchased the necessary supplies: beads (way too many), thread, needles, wire, fasteners, and so many tiny things! She did her best to teach me but after a few amateur results I put all the things in a box and set it aside. I finally admitted defeat and gave all of it away but, dear readers, let us not dwell on this and other failures.

In my working life, I managed print projects for designers and photographers. I’m almost 73 and it’s time to narrow my focus. I gave up the beads and textiles — I’m staying in my lane with the graphic arts. A youngster friend of mine has a letterpress business in her garage. After I quit my job I helped her pull and ship orders for her line of cards. But, it was running the press that I truly lusted after — she finally taught me how to print on her vintage 1200 pound Chandler & Price press. One false move and you could lose a finger. I do love a challenge — I’m a lefty and all C & Ps are set up for right-handers. Happy to report my fingers are intact.

The pandemic killed her small business, so during Q1 I took a block printing class at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Linoleum, very sharp tools and ink. Lino printing and letterpress require setting up your print in reverse. I could feel new pathways forming as my brain worked hard to visualise a print backwards. I finished two letterpress workshops. I have a basic sense of point size, line spacing, paper and ink but I’m still a beginner when it comes to execution. (Oh, alright, “advanced” beginner.) I make lots of rookie mistakes — like setting up a four-line print that read bottom to top. Well, it was in Latin and the instructor didn’t read Latin so she didn’t notice as she checked my type set-up before printing.

wrong:

ASPERA
PER
ASTRA
AD

right:

AD
ASTRA
PER
ASPERA.

“To the stars through difficulties.”

Seems appropriate as I consider Q2. I am all in on three for three — managing, remembering and evaluating intentions in three-month bites is working for me. I’m feeling flexible and nimble. I can continue to hone my listening skills or work on my bad posture. I’m going to keep my mojo working and head for the stars. How did you do in the first quarter of 2022? What’s on your agenda for the second?