The Accidental Optimist

15 Minutes of Fame

themacdoodle — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:07:26 +0000

Here I stand on 45th and Broadway in front of Forever 21 amusing myself in between meeting appointments with esoteric questions like….

Do you think this is what Andy Warhol meant when he prophesied in 1968 that, “In the future everyone will be… famous for 15 minutes?”

Breaking the Friends and Food Cycle

themacdoodle — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:45:36 +0000

Have you ever noticed how many of our social connections are nurtured over food and alcohol? Maybe it’s just me but I’ve been keenly aware of saying and hearing things like, “Let’s grab a drink and catch up,” or “Want to meet for lunch or dinner?” The fact is I probably waste a lot of calories (and money) on socializing.

Today I’m getting together with a good friend with whom I usually end up eating and snacking myself silly. I’m taking one step away from this and invited her to be a guest at my gym today. Since the gym has a nice whirlpool and steam room/sauna we’re going to make it a work out/spa day and finish the afternoon with a healthy brunch and homemade facials + mani-pedi at her place.

While we still are having a meal together–it’s not the focal point of the meet up and I’m hoping that we both go for the healthy food option since we’ll be coming from a work out.

I’ll let you know how it goes… But I’m going to try this technique out moving forward. Instead of meeting up for a lunch, I’ll try inviting my friend for a walk around the park or a bike ride… Or even window shopping.

Please feel free to share your activity ideas that can replace the food and drink “dates.”

This Is Your Life

themacdoodle — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:00:26 +0000

Because sometimes we just need to check in with our priorities to stay healthy…

That was SOOO 2011!

themacdoodle — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:00:37 +0000

On Sunday my friend, Jessica, hosted a brunch to celebrate the fact that we finally rounded the curve on holiday party overkill. It was a “Post Holiday (Not Another Holiday Party) New Year’s Brunch” and a great excuse to get together with a group of inspiring friends while being inspired by a few new people.

The original plan was to have a New Year’s Resolution Wall of Shame but I love that we ended up turning it into a two column list of feel good, positive thinking, challenges.

I present to you our Out With the Old, In With the New list. May these validate you, inspire you, or just make you laugh…

- 2011/+ 2012

Cassie
- Dullness
+ Hilarity

Ken
- Reactions
+ Mindfulness

Jessica
- AFGE (Another effing growth experience)
+ Learning from AFGE

MaryAnn
- Too much TV and Inactivity
+ GOALS! GOALS! GOALS! (and tracking them….)
+ My first triathlon! (I know, I know…I’m coming across as an overachiever with two posts–but I have to make up for watching ALOT of TV last year.)

Nell
-Inactivity, holding onto situations that don’t work
+ Dance, Open to opportunities, Joy

Connie
- Out with a messy disorganized apartment
+ New, bigger apartment

Cara
- Old weak Cara!
+ Lifting more weight. Stronger!

Frank
- Sambuca!
+ Happy New Year! More Sambuca. (Do I sense a cycle, Frank?)

From Zero to Twelve

themacdoodle — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:18:08 +0000

In 2010, I made a resolution that I would have No New Years Resolution. I followed that rule again in 2011 with a simple theme of making the year “all about fun.” While I did have lots of fun in the past year, in retrospect, I believe that 2011 was actually a year of exploration.

I explored a possible new home, my professional potential in my career with a recent promotion, the workings (and limitations) of my body with the help of a great medical team, and I explored how I view my life as it unfolds through this blog.

As I have reviewed my posts for 2011, one lesson that has been reenforced this year is that allowing myself to dream and set goals drives me. I think a big part of why I avoided resolutions for the last two years is because one part of me feared failure.

Moving forward I do not want to approach my resolutions as pass or fail.

While I hope to reach each of my objectives, I believe that falling short from time to time can be a reward in itself for the lesson learned. Sometimes that lesson is that the target is not a good match. Sometimes the lesson is that ambitions can change and evolve and the original intent is no longer appropriate for the current circumstances. And sometimes the lesson is that I need to align myself to the goal and try again–it is not a failure; the deadline has merely been extended.

And so, here we are on the cusp of a new year and I’m taking a daring step from having no resolutions to sharing with the world (accountability is EVERYTHING) my twelve goals for 2012. My original thought of using the number twelve is that there are twelve months in the year and I can dedicate each month to one goal. But that will not work as many of these goals are ongoing. So I guess I will tie the number twelve to the last two digits of the year 2012 into a little bow and call it a theme (Martha would be so proud).

I want to dedicate this next year of blogging towards reporting on my progress for these goals and what I am learning along the way. Of course, I will still post my occasional photo or fun experience, or new recipe as the muse nudges me. But I hope to address the progress of each goal in at least one post each month.

Okay–enough commentary. I hope these will be explanation enough.

Goals for 2012:

Live an energized and balanced life of work, play, and rest
Begin a regular and weekly meditative and mindful practice such as Tai Chi or restorative Yoga
Take a pottery class at MFA School (and apply towards #10 on the Bucket List)
Make new friends and build community with Wuggs
Enjoy one green smoothy a day (or the equivalent of raw green veggies)
Enroll in an intermediate swim class
Minimum of one camping trip in the spring or summer with Randi-pants
Compete in at least one sprint triathlon
Complete all improv comedy class levels at ImprovBoston and perform in a minimum of 3 improv shows
Complete my strategic plan for life (I’ve been promising myself this one since 2008!)
Begin exploring massage schools & requirements for certification
Return to Key West with Wuggs to celebrate our five-year wedding anniversary (#96 on the Bucket List)

Wish me luck! And if I fail…well then maybe the Mayans were right and in the end none will be the wiser.

So Meta

themacdoodle — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:48:54 +0000

Photographic Review of 2011

themacdoodle — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:03:38 +0000

Christmas Bonfire

themacdoodle — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 02:44:31 +0000

I celebrated Christmas Day with the cousins. After filling ourselves with plenty of tamales and conversation, and a quick round of Yankee Swap, we gathered around a bonfire that my uncle built special for the occasion. We continued our Christmas celebration late into the night with music and a few sing-a-longs. It was a merry Christmas indeed!

Mountain Lion Track

themacdoodle — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:40:36 +0000

My mom and I discovered Mountain Lion tracks outside of her home in Tucson, AZ. She lives at the base of Saguaro National Park and is surrounded by the wild beauty of the Sonora Desert.

My hand is covering one of the claw marks. But I included it in the photo to use as a tool for perspective Nd measurement. The mark is just under four inches wide! We confirmed this by comparing this print to drawings and prints from Sabino Canyon Visitor’s Center.

This is the way [at] World’s End

themacdoodle — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:10:58 +0000

Wuggs and I spent an unfettered afternoon at the World’s End Sanctuary in Hingham, MA on Saturday. With miles of easy hiking trails and wide open spaces, it was a lovely and exhilarating way to work off those extra slices of pie from Thanksgiving. This was Wugg’s first time to experience World’s End and we are looking forward to many returns.

Autumnal Self-Portrait at World's End. No, I'm not pregnant--just dressed in layers.

We packed a simple and healthy late afternoon picnic and–after a reasonable drive from Somerville and a small $5/person entrance fee–we strolled along the shore gathering uniquely shaped rocks for my sister-in-law’s garden and explored the trails along the perimeter of the of “island.” According to the Trustees of Reservations, this island-turned-peninsula (it was once officially among the many islands in the Boston Harbor) was filled in by colonial farmers and is now part of the mainland. With plantings and roads planned by Frederick Law Olmstead, it remains an evolving treasure among the Boston Harbor Islands.

The tree-lined paths were a pooch-lover’s paradise with plenty of rolling hills for dogs to play fetch and run free (though technically they are to stay on leashes) while their people also can also enjoy breath taking views of the city skyline and Boston Harbor Islands.

We stayed long enough to experience an early sunset. I do love autumn, but I am such a winter-phobe. I did my best to be present and embrace what is left of autumn while also preparing myself for another cold and dead winter. However, the last few lines of T.S. Eliot’s “Hollow Men” repeated in my mind as the sun set,

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

Not with a bang but a whimper.

This is the way the day ends at World's End