Ylvis, Eat Your Heart Out: I know what the fox says..."Marshmallow" of course

There were many memorable moments from Christmas 2013 and New Years 2014, but there are two moments that warrant sharing here.   

On December 25th I was loading the car when Kate pointed out that there was a fox walking across the  ice on the pond behind her house.  We watched (along with the cat) as a male and female fox ran and played on the ice.  After a while we heard the male bark, three short barks.  After a second burst, I answered him as best I could.  To our great surprise he stopped and edged closer to the yard.  

Fox watching from the edge of the pond at the edge of the yard as I answered his bark.

The vixen was much more shy and contented herself with running back and forth across the pond.  She did, however, stop to listen as I was calling just not for long.

Vixen pausing to listen as I called her in.

Vixen running across the frozen pond.

The second moment that I will never forget happened on New Year's Day.  I went to Mass with Kate and her girls (T who is 8 and G who is 5) and after Communion I knelt to pray.  A few seconds in a little chin perched on my arm and when I opened my eyes G's face was very close to mine.  She leaned in and asked in a whisper/shout reserved for kindergardeners and stage actors, "Nicky, are you thinking about marshmallows too!"

I burst out laughing.  Where do kids come up with this stuff.  I love it.  It was almost as funny as the time I accidentally killed SugarCookie the Elf on a Shelf, but that's a story for another post.

So, 2013 ended well and 2014 is off to a good start.  Here's to the little moments in life that remind us what's really important.

Since I'm on a fox theme here's a video of a jumping fox.

My 3 Words for 2014

“Come friends, it's not too late to seek a newer world.” ― Alfred Tennyson

At the dawn of a new year, we have the chance to seek a new world.  This opportunity is present to us each day, but the beginning of our calendar year offers special time to reflect and try again. 

Seeing with new eyes.

Several weeks ago I started actively mulling over ideas for a lengthy ‘year-in-review’ dissection of 2013.  At first it seemed like a good, responsible, author-ish attempt at accountability, but in the end it became an exercise in tedium.  You see, I had become preoccupied with the business of living.  It turns out that though 2013 presented some soul shaking challenges, it held abundant blessings as well.  My 3 words (simplify, presence, and guts) provided a language to navigate both extremes. 

There was no metric, rubric, or other quantifier to determine my progress.  I sometimes get a little caught up in the measurement and recording function of a project, so I purposely left them out.  Yet, unlike my attempts at ‘resolutions’ in the past, these three words remained with me throughout the year.  They became more of a mantra than a mission statement, and served to bring focus in times of chaos.  I call that success. 

My 3 words for 2014:

1.  Breathe – I have a tendency to stop breathing.  This first came to me in the athletic arena when several coaches, lifting partners, and trainers would yell “Breathe” as I was completing a rather difficult task.  I simply stop breathing mid-lift, or while swimming during a race/time trial, and for sure while running.   This habit has matriculated into other compartments of life and I tend to approach challenges by holding my breath, gritting my teeth, and running full tilt at the problem. 

Breath restores oxygen to the blood and helps us relax.  Taking time to breathe can have physical, mental, and emotional benefits.  In keeping some time sacred to breathe, celebrate, play, pray, write, and to recharge the likelihood of being ready to face challenges increases.  My ability to serve others will be improved as well, if I am focused and fresh.  I choose to take time to breathe more, to hold back the flood of “should’s” and “could’s” in the name of finding focus. 

2.  Climb – Climbing is a lot of work undertaken in exchange for a single moment of rest and glimpse of beauty at the top of a mountain.  At the summit, there is a sense of accomplishment and a chance for restoration and celebration.  We are always climbing, working our way up toward a goal or regaining footing after a fall in the darkness.  Facing daunting assents and mitigating sharp descents can keep us hyper-focused resulting in missed opportunities.  Along the journey unexpected treasures both internal and external add value to the climb.  We train, gather tools, and pack supplies all in order to push our limits when climbing. 

My goal in 2014 is to keep climbing.  To commit myself to getting up each day and facing the challenges and goals with a sense of adventure, knowing that there will be beautiful moments along the way. 

3.  Flow – I love the water, especially rivers, streams, and waterfalls. There is something soothing in the sound and captivating to watch the movement of water.  Bruce Lee and Hermann Hesse both use water as an image for higher states of being.  While serving in AmeriCorps*NCCC I had the opportunity to take these ideas and experience them for myself while serving in some of our nations greatest parks.  Sitting on a rock in the middle of a river, or hiking to the base of a waterfall allows a person to appreciate the power of this force of nature. 

2013 reminded me that life is impermanent, constantly growing and changing.  It is left to us to appreciate that which is in our lives and accepting that situations, both good and bad, can be important in our journey.  To me, learning to flow means exercising compassion toward others, as well as, myself.  If we hold that, “life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it,” then it is possible to become more like water adjusting to the rocks in the stream. 

Now it is time to act.

The words have been chosen, now it is time to give them body through action.   

What are the 3 words that will drive your 2014?

GOALS – In addition to my 3 words I have some goals for the year.

Writing: Write 52 Short Stories by Dec. 31^st 2014. 

Fitness: Return to my 2011 goal weight by Dec. 31^st 2014.

ORIGINS – Author/blogger Mitch Joel at “Six Pixels of Separation” turned me onto Chris Brogan’s practice of identifying “3 Words” for the year.  These three words then serve as motivation and guidelines for all that you do during the year.  Brogan, explains it like this, “In an effort to tell bigger stories, I've found that the concept of three words allows me to think in more dimensions about what I want to do with my life and it lets me apply lots of tangible goals instead of what most people do when they focus on just a finite task.”