Make Every Moment Count

Prompt: Achieve. What’s the thing you most want to achieve next year? How do you imagine you’ll feel when you get it? Free? Happy? Complete? Blissful? Write that feeling down. Then, brainstorm 10 things you can do, or 10 new thoughts you can think, in order to experience that feeling today.

There is so much that I want to achieve next year. Instead of writing down ten things I can do to achieve one thing, I’m going to share ten things I want to achieve. Many of them have been part of other #reverb10 posts, so feel free to click on the links for more on specific goals:

1. Love myself.
2. Smile a lot.
3. Give back more.
4. Become a better knitter.
5. Worry less.
6. Expand my cooking repertoire. 
7. Make an impact on my organization.
8. Learn something new.
9. Own less unnecessary stuff.
10. Be courageous, outgoing, and uninhibited. 

Prompt: Ordinary joy. Our most profound joy is often experienced during ordinary moments. What was one of your most joyful ordinary moments this year?

As lame as this sounds, I try to find ordinary joy in every single day. I’m someone who delights in the small victories. If I have a smooth commute to work, pay for a Tall at Starbucks, but get a Grande, solve a problem at work without anyone noticing it was a problem…those things make me smile. I truly believe that the little things can make the biggest difference. A little appreciation goes a long way, and I try my best to appreciate the things, people, and opportunities in my life. Ordinary joy is something we shouldn’t take for granted. There’s nothing wrong with ordinary. In fact, you can’t get to extraordinary if you don’t start with ordinary.

Prompt: Soul food. What did you eat this year that you will never forget? What went into your mouth & touched your soul?

Growing up, my mom always cooked healthy, yummy food. She subscribed to Cooking Light Magazine for many years, so when I went to college, and started cooking for myself, I subscribed too. Now, I have one of their cookbooks, and often peruse their online database for recipes. One of my favorite things to make is a pumpkin bread with chocolate chips. It tastes like it should be so bad for you, absolutely melts in your mouth if made right. Once I have one piece, it takes tremendous restraint not to eat the entire thing. Pumpkin bread is sort of a comfort food, perfect for the fall and winter months, and chocolate chips make it just a little sweeter. 

Prompt: New name. Let’s meet again, for the first time. If you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be and why?

Actually, I wouldn’t want to introduce myself as anyone else. My cousin and I are the only Karols of our generation, and as of next September when I get married, it’ll just be him. Although, it can get annoying to say “Karol with a K” and confirm that yes, there’s only one R and one L, I’m proud to be a part of my family.

I like my first and middle names too. Samantha is after my mom’s uncle Sam, and it allows for numerous nicknames. The most creative would have to be a tie between Samster and Samalam :) My middle name is Eve, and my cousin’s first name is Adam.  Both of our dads are Rabbis, so we like to joke about how we each got a biblical name somehow.

What about you? What would your new name be?

Prompt: Travel. How did you travel in 2010? How and/or where would you like to travel next year?

Sadly, this year I did almost no traveling. As my wonderful friend Andrew pointed out (jokingly, but truthfully), the place I travelled to most was Long Island. Between wedding plans, and my mom’s move, I was there a lot this year. The only legit vacation I took was a few days to Maine with my mom in August. Otherwise, 2010 was a frugal year for me.

Next year, I hope to be able to take some sort of vacation. It doesn’t have to be far, just preferably outside the state of New York. But, even if I don’t go on a vacation next year, I know I’ll be planning an awesome one. Although, our wedding is next September, we probably won’t be going on our honeymoon until January 2012. My fiance is in law school, and it’s highly unlikely he can miss a week of classes. So far, my criteria for honeymoon spot are warm + beach + yummy cocktails/food + relaxation…I think I should be able to find somewhere that fits the bill :)

Prompt: Beyond avoidance. What should you have done this year but didn’t because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?)

This is an interesting one for me. I suffer from anxiety, so worry is something that plagues me every day. I tend to over-analyze, and take forever to make decisions. This often leads to psyking myself out, or avoiding things altogether. Fortunately, I’ve gotten better at managing my anxiety, and I refuse to let it play such a large role in my life. There are still things I should have done this year if worry and fear hadn’t gotten in the way. But, here’s the thing: I’m not going to dwell on the “woulda, coulda, shouldas” of the past year. Yes, there are things I wish I had done and said, but wishing won’t get me anywhere. In 2011, I’m going to try to live with fewer regrets, seizing moments and making the most of them. I’d love to be able to look back a year from now and not remember anything I should have done.

Prompt: Try. What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for it?

This year, I tried knitting. It took me a while, but I completed a “practice scarf” made out of plain red yarn. Now, I’ve moved on to a more difficult multi-colored yarn. I hope to get better overall and learn more stitches next year. 

I’d like to try and find more time to give back in 2011. My main philanthropic endeavor has been raising money for the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk, and completing the walk each year. But, I know I could do more. I’m incredibly fortunate to be where I am in life, surrounded by people who love and care about me, but I know not everyone is so lucky. If I can do something to make someone else’s life easier, I want to try my best to do it. So, here’s to more giving back in 2011! 

Prompt: 5 minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.

Getting engaged! 

The moment my mom’s doctor said, “everything looks perfect!”

How I fought through unemployment until I got a new job

Moving to Manhattan 

Finding the place I wanted to get married, and “the dress” 

Making new friends, online and offline

Continuing my mission of appreciation

Heart to heart chats with my parents

Turning 25 

Closing the door on the past, and looking to the future 

And…reverb10!