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In looking back at 2014 I see it involved a lot of completions - clearing out the old, and making room for new things - and beginnings - laying the foundations for future work. Time to head into 2015 and take advantage of all that groundwork.
Thankfully, Michael and I, and our immediate families, all stayed mostly healthy, happy, and sound all year. *whew* Plus we celebrated out 25th anniversary.
Most of the first half of the year was consumed with managing a whole-house renovation. There are still bits and pieces to be completed, but for the most part we now have a home that is much more pleasant and functional, and supports us better in our respective activities.
Throughout that time I was dealing with our donkey Eeyore's worsening arthritis. I tried to keep him comfortable, and he had his good days, but was trending in a bad direction. Eventually, in July, we elected to give him the easy way out. Now Clementine is on her own. She was doing well, but now seems to be having trouble with tendinitis or something in her front legs. Having the vet out, again, tomorrow, to see if there's anything we can do to help her heal and get off pain meds. Right now she's not very happy, and I'm hoping she doesn't follow the same trajectory as Eeyore did.
Because of other priorities and limited finances (career transitions can be hard on one's bank account, after all) I didn't get to as many seminars as I would have liked. But I did participate, as usual, in the Bridge Seminar in San Diego and the O Sensei Revisited Retreat with Robert Nadeau Shihan and his senior students/instructors. Both of those are really worthwhile events, and I'm glad I was able to make it to them. Also, finally, after years of wishing, I took the train to Seattle (2 days each way!) and participated in George Ledyard Sensei's Randori Intensive at Aikido Eastside. It was a blast. Highly recommended!
I hope to be able to do all three of those seminars again this year. Definitely the San Diego Bridge Seminar, which is in just a couple of weeks. And this year there's a new retreat that I'm really looking forward to - the Joshua Tree Evolutionary Aikido Retreat with my teacher, Dave Goldberg Sensei (Aikido of San Diego), Patrick Cassidy Sensei (Aikido Montreux, Switzerland), and Miles Kessler Sensei (Integral Dojo, Tel-Aviv, Israel). It's going to be a pretty spectacular event, at a historic retreat center in the Mojave Desert in February. The Aiki Summer Retreat is reported to be happening again this year, and I hope to make it to that as well.
After the house project was done I got busy studying, and passed the test for my ACE certification as a Group Fitness Instructor, then went right on to get certified to teach SilverSneakers Classic, Circuit, and Yoga classes for seniors, and began the process for offering their FLEX Community Fitness classes.
At the same time, I clarified the concept, created branding and marketing materials, and launched my company, Reconnecting Ourselves. Its mission is to support people in getting moving, and living active, healthy, happy lives through better connection with their own bodies, with nature, and with others. Right now I'm designing programs and materials, and arranging for venues. I should have had that up and running for New Year's. Alas, too much to do at once. I'll have to catch people as their resolution motivation is waning, and they realize that a supportive group environment and accountability is more likely to lead to success than determination alone. If you want to be a part of this, you can follow the Reconnecting Ourselves Blog (info and inspiration for living a more active life), and also "Like" the Reconnecting Ourselves page on Facebook.
As always, I enjoyed training all year at Aikido of San Diego. In December I passed my sho-dan (blackbelt) exam. I'm looking forward to "just training" this year, and deepening my understanding and application of Aikido. The Joshua Tree Retreat will be a huge part of that, I'm sure. I didn't meditate as much as I would have liked in 2014 - must incorporate that into my regular practice this year, too.
Between the renovations, donkeys, studying, and training, I didn't get as much writing done as I should have. However, I was able to make tons of progress on two books (Aikido-specific, for students, to be published in the next few months), and some progress on a third (non-fiction/self-help, maybe later in 2015). Writing - actually publishing books via my other company, Shugyo Press - is my "day job," along with the programs I'll be teaching for Reconnecting Ourselves, so I need to be diligent about actually getting that work done this year.
But before any of that, today is the first day of New Year. I'll be celebrating by heading to the gym to work with my personal trainer, Kyle, of San Diego Strength and Conditioning. A very nice guy who knows what he's doing, and his facility is right next to the dojo. Perfect. Part of my own strategy to make 2015 an even better year.
01-01-2015 04:47 PM 