Music, Solitaire and Geography

Today, more music and music videos. More solitaire and some geography. I'm enjoying this process of learning (even if it is something I feel I should have already known). Finding places on the map, learning the countries that have come up since I was in school, some history that is more meaningful to me as an adult. All good.

And now, off to watch "Star Wars" just because I can.

Still Learning

Geography Gaps

I was flipping the channels today and I happened across the "National Geographic Geography Bee". I watched for a while but then I felt lame because I didn't know the answers to most of the questions. They weren't easy questions like name the states in alphabetical order (I said that because I can actually do that) or name all the countries in the world and identify them on a map (I'm not there yet).  It would have been really easy to just move on, but I felt really strongly that I wanted to learn more.

I love geography and I think I have a geography coloring book around here somewhere. I figured I would start with learning all the countries and their placements (and also which countries have changed their names since I studied that particular continent).  I looked them up online and found a game where I can learn the countries shapes and then another place where you just try to name all the countries in 12 minutes or less. I started out with around 125 and have made it up to 160.  I have been moving between memorizing the maps and getting familiar with the regions. I keep looking for countries that no longer exist - that's confusing.

Anyway, I will conquer basic geography and then I will (may) start working on capitals and landscapes, etc. Feels good to be learning something - even if I should already know it.  I'm sure everyone has gaps in their knowledge - I'm not sure I ever had a geography class - we studied different countries, but it was a long time ago.

I used to have a set of encyclopedia type books on each continent. They were different colors and I LOVED them. I would copy information out of them just to learn it. I don't think I made it through all the books based on my gappy knowledge.

Still Learning the Same Lessons

Much as I want to make the world an easier, better, happier place to be - even just my own little corner of it, I can't. That is just the reality of the world. But I guess the beauty is that as much as I know that I can't make it all work, I keep trying my best and I keep re-learning the same lesson. There is a kind of beauty in that. A little bit sad, too, but there is something beautiful about ignoring current wisdom to keep doing what you feel in your heart.

Reverb11 - Breakthroughs

From this blog...DAY 6: BREAKTHROUGHS
What were your biggest breakthroughs? This can be in any area: emotional, spiritual, career, etc.

I think I had a couple of breakthroughs this year, to be honest, and some back-sliding, too.

Breakthrough 1:  I'm not responsible for other people's happiness, only my own.
Breakthrough 2:  If I want something, I have to make it happen. Waiting doesn't do anything but make me yearn.
Breakthrough 3:  Feeding myself (emotionally, spiritually, physically) helps me become more of who I want to be.  I haven't quite got this down though - it is a tiny crack of a breakthrough that I understand but haven't fully implemented/embraced/fulfilled.
Breakthrough 4:  Returning to a spiritual practice grounds me.

These seem simple and obvious, but really living them - believing them - that's the key. I have scratched the surface of all of these issues before (sometimes more than one time) but every time I revisit them, I get to go deeper, find more, commit more.

NaBloPoMo November Prompt #30: What did you learn?

NaBloPoMo November 30 Prompt:  What did you learn from doing NaBloPoMo?

Well, obviously, this isn't my first venture into NaBloPoMo.  I like having something to look to each day that I need to do. I do write a post every day, but sometimes I get a day behind in the dates. I don't feel pressure from that anymore - I just keep writing. It is a way to hold myself accountable to keep blogging.

As I said in another post, I'm taking a course in January on improving the blog - I'm excited for the parts about generating content and beating writer's block. I am also hoping I can figure out what I'm trying to accomplish here - it is something more than just an on-line diary and something less than trying to make my living doing this. I just feel like I have a lot to do and say and see and this works for me...I just want to do it better. I want to engage readers more, I want to keep things exciting (or at least interesting!) for myself and for everyone who is gracious enough to come here.

So, now we are counting down to the new year and some new stuff. :)

Learning through Joy, Learning through Pain

I am always learning - about myself, about life, about other people, about the choices I have even when they don't really seem like choices.

I always think of the question:  Do I want to learn through joy or through pain? 

I have learned a lot through pain and while I don't CHOOSE pain as the catalyst for learning and growth, I do know that if there is pain and you have no choice but to experience the parts of life that are painful, the best way to ensure that all the suffering is not in vain is to try to learn something from it all.

I know that some lessons are unavoidable, so I am just waiting to figure out what this time is going to bring me.  I think one of the lessons is patience. One is about perfectionism. There are more; I just don't have a clear picture yet.