Quote: Diane Ackerman

Good Times

Photo: thefashiondirectory.com/
 

Continuing with "40 MY way" mantra, my goals were simple - get out with friends more (I tend to work more then I play) and seek out new experiences and adventures.

With that said, I wanted a way to reflect at the end of 2013 over what I had accomplished and celebrate all of the new things I experienced, so I needed a way to easily keep track of these adventurous outings.

To accomplish this, I've employed an oversized chianti glass vase and cut up slips of paper to write down my jaunts, the date, and who I did them with, if anyone. For example, playing with a tiger cub at Dade City Wild Things went down on a slip of paper and into my chianti glass. The Painting with a Twist Lonely Palms evening with my mom, learning how to paint a picture of "Lonely Palms" on canvas with acrylics was recorded and placed celebratorily into my vase.

My vase is quickly rising to the top with all the fantastical events, outings, and cool stuff I'm doing. If you're looking for the vase, you can find them at Michael's or generally at your local arts and crafts stores.

Let me know what ideas you have for keeping track of your adventures and successes throughout this year!

Live it your way!

Quote

"Life is short, so enjoy it to the fullest." ~Simone Weil

Adventures at 40!

I launched my 2011 New Year with the sinking knowledge that I was turning 40 that October. I knew I had a choice. How did I want to handle turning 40? The milestone in life itself would be monumental. Would I be a trooper and accept it as a badge of honor? Nope, probably not! Knowing myself, I would probably crumble, lamenting at how old I felt and how much of my life I've wasted, dreams yet unfulfilled, journeys still untrekked, and passions waiting to be realized.

Damnit! I'd have none of that! I was determined that I would make my 40th a celebration! Take the bull by the horns and make it MY day, MY way! A new beginning starting at that very moment and culminating with my 40th birthday onward. Suddenly the thought of this new adventure had me feeling like a butterfly sloughing off my cocoon and seeing myself in a new vibrant, fulfilling life. How exhilarating! I welcomed the blossoming changes not only in my life, but in my mindset, throwing off the chains of age and fear and creating for myself a fabulous year to remember.

And so with an invite from my best friend and her husband to join them in San Francisco in September, I planned a week long vacation for me and my daughter. I had long wanted to venture to San Fran and see the sites. For some reason, the artsy, accepting, and welcoming call of the city and surrounding area appealed to me.


Golden Gate Bridge Photo: Fanpop.com 

As soon as we stepped out into the fresh 65-degree California air that September, I knew that this was what my soul craved and I was right to celebrate my 40th with gusto and aplomb!  It was nothing short of AMAZING! The invigorating smell of sweet eucalyptus hung in the cool Californian air. Plump ruby-throated hummingbirds flitted between vibrant succulent flowers. I never knew hummingbirds could get that pudgy and still fly! Boy, those little wings had to work hard!

As we drove from the airport across the Golden Gate bridge into Larkspur where we were staying, a thick eerie fog rolled across the bridge engulfing the tresses where you could no longer see the arches. An incredibly humbling and freaky movie-like experience.

We soaked in everything we could while we were there....we trolleyed the downtown streets of San Francisco, dove into the bowels of Chinatown, snaked our way through the performer-filled streets of Fisherman's Wharf, and ferried our way over to the haunting Alcatraz prison - all incredibly exhilarating.

We wound our way up the nerve-wracking roads white-knuckled and breathless peering into the bottomless gorges below before making it to the breathtaking Muir Woods. There we communed with the giant redwoods, chattered with the chipmunks, were entertained by a mama river otter and her babies, and then just listened to the silence. Yes, we really did that! 

We soaked in the awe-inspiring beauty and tranquility of the gardens at the Golden Gate Park Japanese Tea Gardens while sipping on hot Sencha green tea, dipped our toes in the chilly Pacific Ocean, hiked along mountainous rocky trails and gazed reverently upon bubbling brooks, trickling streams and languid waterfalls. 

In San Jose, we were spooked, bewildered and disoriented as we toured 110 out of the 160-room Winchester estate of the late Sarah Winchester, wife of the rifle mogul, William Winchester. The "Winchester Mystery House", as it has been called, is quite an oddity indeed and walking through the house left you feeling extremely claustrophobic, not to mention plain unsettled!

Our legs wobbled down the 300+ stairs while bracing the 40 mph chilly winds to view the Point Reyes Lighthouse and trudged painstakingly back up those same 300 plus stairs. We teetered precariously on the narrow roadways as our car meandered through mountain roads in Mill Valley and explored the nooks, crannies, stores, and coffee shops of their charming town. Twice.



By the end of our week-long adventure, my soul was sated and my lust for life renewed. "Bring on 40", I said to myself. "This is going to be an adventure!"

Quote: Fearless Person I Have Dreamt of Becoming

"I feel myself becoming the fearless person I have dreamt of being. Have I arrived? No. But I'm constantly evolving and challenging myself to be unafraid to make mistakes." ~ Janelle Monae

Quick Quote

“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.” ~Elbert Hubbard

Authentic Self

"Be your authentic self. Your authentic self is who you are when you have no fear of judgment, or before the world starts pushing you around and telling you who you're supposed to be. Your fictional self is who you are when you have a social mask on to please everyone else. Give yourself permission to be your authentic self." ~ Dr. Phil

Lately, I've been on a journey to find my authentic self, answering the questions "Who am I really?" and "Am I being all that I'm meant to be?" Living who I was created to be not who the outside world thinks I should be. Am I living my life using my true gifts and talents? Or am I doing and acting how others expect me to act?

Part of this quest stems from this burning feeling inside of me that I'm not all that I want to be. That somewhere along the line something changed. A light switch went on, or bells went off, or something clicked in my head. The career that once held so much fulfillment, no longer held the same sweetness. Those things that once stirred me and motivated me have changed because I realized I've changed. Since opening up myself to new experiences as well as letting go of fears that have held me back, reconnecting myself to passions once lost and forgotten.

I've been reading articles and books on identifying what my authentic self is, which have definitely helped direct me. I have to say....I'm frustrated. Partly because I want it NOW! LOL But partly because I feel like I'm going through this whole metamorphosis and my wings are struggling to burst through the cocoon!

On the flip side, I must be discovering more of my authentic self if I'm realizing what I am now doesn't feel right. That what I'm doing now just isn't working for me anymore. That it doesn't feel "authentic" or true to myself. So, am getting there...just slowly. I guess I'm learning how to be patient too.



When it comes to authenticity, Nathaniel Hawthorne eloquently summed it up when he said, "No one man can, for any considerable time, wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which is the true one."

Becoming your authentic self can lead to peace and greater fulfillment in your life, not to mention less confusion on what you are and what you truly want from life, career, passions, etc.

Good luck finding and living your authentic selves!

~Fearlessly40


Here are a few resources that I found helpful:
"Defining Your Authentic Self". Dr. Phil. http://drphil.com/articles/article/73
"Will the Real Authentic Voices Please Stand Up and Be Heard". Psychology Today. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/when-food-is-family/201112/will-the-real-authentic-voices-please-stand-and-be-heard