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This is a travel non-challenge. No story in this one (sorry @Laghail!) but hopefully amusing airport anecdotes and some Swedish seafood pictures to make up for it. We are traveling to visit my family, which will use up over two weeks of my paid time off, and will require a nearly obscene amount of time spent in airports. Today is packing and cleaning day. Tomorrow is charge-and-pack-electronics-day and then we take off later this week. Because of travel and family time, this challenge has very simple goals: Meditate every day, and be mindful of flammable food. (Alcohol, caffeine, and processed sugar, all seem to inspire The Flame to try and rise to unprecedented heights. This must be managed better than it has been so far this challenge period.) Short and sweet, because I need to go do some more laundry so I have clean clothes to pack.

Hi, I'm Bailo, this is my first Challenge here. 🕺🪩🎶 Since I started late, I'll probably just be copy+pasting this and continuing it next month. Let's get into it! Challenge 1: Mindful Morning Meditation - Wake after first alarm, and open curtains, plug in string lights, drink water - Sit in front of window either upstairs or (ideally) downstairs - Meditate on gratitude, come back to the phrase "I deserve peace and happiness" Challenge 2: You Gotta Fight for Your Right to ¡Bailar! - Decide on which Zumba playlist/songs to dance to & which songs to cooldown to - Change into gym shorts and thin workout shirt - Stretch & drink water, make sure waterbottle is nearby - Dance for 30 minutes following YT videos - Light core exercises for 5-10 minutes (music, no video) - Cooldown stretch (music, no video) Challenge 3: You Always Find Something on a Hike - Walk an average of 2 mi a day, with rest days - Hide a painted rock or two - Find a painted rock! - Arrange rocks, leaves, sticks, flowers, mushrooms, etc. to make art - See a cool animal (bonus points for skunks! just don't get sprayed...) - Have a nice interaction with a stranger Challenge 4: Play Hard, Rest Hard - Make sure to use a fidget toy or stim app once a day at least - Take time to just sit and meditate, and do nothing else - Sit and stare at my cat, and just be with her - Find new good music to relax to, and to boost my energy - Doodle to destress, don't try to make the drawing perfect Challenge 5: Wax On, Wax Off - Find one YouTube channel with good Tae-Kwon-Do videos - Memorize the tenants for white belts - Practice the white belt form until it's memorized - Stretch & core exercises before every practice - Lots of water during practice - Start with just 10 minutes of practice, work up to 15, then 20

Hey Everyone long time no see! I decided to jump into a challenge since I have managed to keep up with a few workouts in a row. A lot has changed for me in the last few years since visiting here. For this challenge I am going to draw on some of my favorite inspiration Dragon Ball! It is time for me to head back to the Kame House for some refresher training. Time to slap on the Turtle Shell and start pushing some weight again and workout 2X a week at least. I need practice with telling the anxiety thoughts in my head to shut up for a bit. Meditate 10 mins a day In my time away I have packed on some pounds. So to reach my goal of going from 215 to 185 I have to stay within my Calorie limit at least 6 days a week.

Not for the first time in her life, Scalyfreak decided that it was very frustrating and possibly even a bit unfair that whenever she successfully escaped from either Self-Sabotage or Stress-Hydra, she inevitably ran into the other before too long. At least she had time to take cover and heal this time, just barely, before one of the seven hydra heads spun around to stare in her direction and sniff the air loudly. So Scalyfreak lobbed a smoke bomb in the curious head's general direction, and took off running. And running. And running, around tree trunks and fallen branches, avoiding paths and roads wherever she could, and she has just established managed to find a brisk and comfortable pace when she round a corner and runs straight into something hard and unyielding. Or someone, rather. A someone she bounces off of, and who makes a sound of surprise. “Running from something?” “Big Hydra!” Scalyfreak manages to get the words out, while gesturing back the way she came, while scrambling back to her feet. And in the process realizes that amused voice, and the steel chest place she collided with are very familiar, and all desire to stop running fades when she realizes who she has run into. “You know, the really big one that I can't do anything with because the moment I slow down it hits me with something and I don't have armor worth shit anymore.” Scalyfreak sighs, frustrated by how powerless she is against Stress-Hydra ever since the plot scroll took her heavy armor and shield away, and glances behind her. The crashing noises of a large creature moving through the forest are gradually drawing nearer. But her relief at for once not needing to explain her constant struggles to cauterize the Hydra's necks quickly enough for a severed head to grow back is interrupted when the Paladin walks close enough to grab the medallion she wears around her neck, and tugs sharply at it to get her attention. “The whole reason we have these is to call for backup, but it only works if you actually use it. We've talked about this, remember?” He sounds surprisingly irritated about this situation. “I... I'm very bad at remembering in the heat of the moment” Scalyfreak gives in to the temptation to squeeze the Paladin's fingers as she reaches up to take her medallion back, and is pleasantly surprised when a large part of his irritation fades away. Instantly feeling a touch awkward, she takes a step back and gestures towards the now rapidly approaching noises behind her, the kind of noises that typically are made by very large and blood-thirsty monsters that never fight fair. “So, would you mind helping me with this big Hydra that keeps following me around?” “Not at all.” All traces of irritation are gone, the Paladin manages to smile in a way that somehow is both warm and gleefully blood-thirsty, at the same time. While he turns towards the loud Hydra noises, Scalyfreak quickly stashes her backpack, along with her bow and arrows, off to the side of the clearing, then she positions herself off to the side, and reaches for the fire that always burns inside her. It comes eagerly, the flames collecting in her fingertips, and Scalyfreak feels her face slowly stretch into a blood-thirsty smile of her own. ”Ready when you are.” A brief “intro” for anyone who doesn't know me very well: Life has been unfocused and scattered lately. Work gets done, necessary tasks outside work gets done, but very little that isn't necessary is remembered and taken care of. A large part of this is the cancer things that happened in challenge #122... when everything is over, there is still high anxiety, and because the human brain is very illogical, it immediately begins searching for a reason to be anxious. Because the anxiety is there, and the notion that it is there for no reason is unacceptable, so the brain searches and searches and searches, and when it fails to find a reason, it picks one. There has been a lot going on at work as well. The kind of stress that happens when co-workers have medical emergencies, or when they refuse to accept little things like how change is a part of life, or various other things like how the nature of customer services means that things that were not a part of your job when you where hired years ago are a part of your job now and you need to learn how to do them..... all of this means stress of some form or another. And then there is family, and friends, and the stress that comes with managing all of those relationships. And it never stops. Ever. As soon as one thing starts to taper down another ramps up and the cycle repeats and repeats and repeats. So for this challenge, I'm going to stop waiting for things to slow down, and stop being irritated that things keep happening. Swim with the current, don't fight it, in other words. To this end, I'm sticking to the basics with my challenge goals: Health Bar (physical health) Work out on Saturday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Form of workout is less important than actually doing a workout, but getting to the gym is considered better than working out at home. Mana Bar (Mindfulness/Mental Health) Meditating on weekends continues to be a struggle. So the goal to meditate Saturday and Sunday is still very much in effect. Stamina Bar (Resilience/Emotional Energy) Do at least one thing every day that is entirely for me, because it will make me feel good. Whether this is to read a good book, to dance to one of my favorite songs, paint my nails, or whatever else, is irrelevant. And off we go! As far as I am concerned this challenge started on Monday, and I missed my Tuesday workout, so I am not off to the greatest start.... but I have help and I have determination, and I will get this done.

111 days until the next court date. 12 months until I turn in the Ph.D. Sounds like a story arc. Last year the focus was on Constitution, with good effect. Since January, I’ve made significant strides to my Stamina. I’d like to keep those gains and also focus on physical Dexterity for a bit: yoga, walking-on-purpose types of things. The goal is to stay nimble and participate in the dance. There is nothing that needs adding to or scrambling after, at least for now, and that’s the place I’m proceeding from. The Universe loves me and wants me to be happy.

So, I’m not a monk… but my druid self needs the structure and discipline of a monk. Let me fight some demons off through mindfulness and meditation that will help with focus. My main focuses for this challenge will be: Working on getting more sleep regularly. Work 20 hours in part time job Side quest: Clean and setup my apartment for my brother to cat sit for the weekend of July 5th (afterwards I'll start adding n some cleaning habits) To achieve these goals: Morning and evening routines… I even have a routine for “change from day job to evening job”. Time blocking my day or week to help with my goals. Do mindful practices to help me have energy. How to track? I’m going to use the game from Fitness Quest from Jessica Steinrock to represent the fighting off my inner demons. I gain a chance to fight: -Every time I go to bed before Sunset (the sun is setting at 9 Pmish for this challenge) – doing a streak also gives me an extra bonus hit…. 2 bonus hits if it’s my “highest streak”. -Work 5 hours part time -Working an hour mindfully/intentionally -Morning and evening routines completed -Eat a meal mindfully w/ no distractions (other than people or cats…) My goal is “1 demon” that is the Chimera. Each point I get a chance to hit the Chimera (or it hit me). Along with a reward or random event. For a money reward I’m going to do $10 from my next paycheck to free use. When I defeat the demon I think I will roll a 6 die for a chance at a larger reward to times by 10. -- I will also be joining in the Challenge with the mirror practice. There is a practice I need to look up that I was suggested to do at one of my past retreats that helps with self-acceptance.

Hello friends, it’s been a while. Perhaps not the most inventive name, but we bought our first house last Summer and the past few months have been all about getting our garden planted and preparing for our baby chickens. It’s fun but a lot of work on top of having full time jobs. I know I’m joining late so going to keep the goals simple: Drink at least 2 L water daily Track food daily (Cronometer Pen& Paper) Walk at least 8,000 steps daily (Garmin)

This is a season of Launching. There are so many projects that have been in the works for several years that are now coming out into the world: SOPHIA Roanoke; Band Communications Officer; Belles & Chimes; the novel; all the many things involving Vivian. Here. We. Go. Skill 24.03 2024.04 Focus Activity May 6th - June 9th, 2024 Reflection Week Jun10-16 Constitution 12 Carry forward: Walking: 2+ miles a day New goal: WATER (drink it; log it) Stretch goal: Sauna? Look for a walk to the Farmer’s Market on Thursdays, daily walks on purpose, and overall increase to activities that happen to involve walking. I’d like to be more mindful and intentional about drinking water, eating fiber, and eating salads. Getting back to the sauna would likely do wonders for my sleep and my sense of presence. Strength 15 Carry Forward: Going to work Stretch goal: Second job? New Goal: Lift - anything that weighs more than a loaf of bread If I can find something to add to the cash generation, it’ll go directly to the debts. I’m doing just fine, of course, but I’ve noticed that the debt tally is taking a toll on my sleep, so if I can find a remote temp job for a few hours a day over the summer while I don’t have classes, this would be some Wisdom as well as some strength. Possibilities: Real estate license; still navigating if I have possibilities for growth at the current job. Intelligence 16 Carry Forward: Philosopher James 2x/week New Goal: Work on the novel. 1,000 words a day. Stretch goal: One Sheets and Fliers for upcoming Philosophy Sessions. I still have a massive Legislation Spreadsheet to finish in Zero Week. It’s the basis for Manuscript 1 of the dissertation. Spreadsheet due to Neal May 31. Updated précis for the dissertation committee to be sent out in June with an invitation to meet in late August to discuss qualifying exam questions. Philosophy with James continues. This is the foundation for Manuscript Three of the dissertation. Writing the novel is definitely part of this challenge. Look for word counts. I'm always hesitant to increase beyond 16, but there's some real proficiency being wrought, so I might bump this to 17 depending on how much I am able to deliver. Dexterity 18 Emotional Balance and Mental health Schedules & Calendars Marching Band Camp Summer Visitation Football Calendar ✅ Counseling sessions Court. Yes, friends, after nothing for years, there is another court date, this time during reflection week, which is just about perfect. Wisdom 18 Stretch Goal: Spending Fast Continue forward: debt New Goal: Sort out the taxes mess Debt and Taxes, it’s like a bad 80s punk band. Charisma 16 Alliances Continue: Time with Emily, Erica, the Band New Goal: Women's Pinball League Summer (June 10-August 5) New Goal: Star Trek & Philosophy Continue: Home-making: Assemble furniture SOPHIA Roanoke Make the Star Trek flier Make the SOPHIA Roanoke web page Choose the calendar for the coming session; schedule the Parrot Room for May 17 ✅ June 14, July 19, August 23. Consider writing a grant proposal for the Rice Room at the Jefferson Center and running the sessions. [If we move to the Jefferson Center, make it Philosophy Fridays at Four. Serve Tea. Consider an informal dinner location after the event.) Belles & Chimes Post Calendar on website ✅ Finalize Summer League Dates with IFPA? Maybe not necessary Website Login ✅ Spreadsheet for scores ✅ Band Communication Officer Discord ✅ Discord Show & tell Google Calendar ✅ Fundraising ✅ Jazz Cafe ✅ Out & Abouting Movies on Fridays and Sundays Swing Dance on Wednesdays 504 Meeting —April 29th ✅ Band Spring Concert —April 30th ✅ Coffee House Mornings Farmer’s Market Thursdays beginning May 9th Pick your own strawberries—May 11th 🍓 🍓?? Philosophy & Star Trek — May 17th Jazz Cafe — May 17th Shakespeare — May 25-26 Community Concert — May 31 Stamina 7 Continue: Rest, Healing New goal: Resume Acupuncture Stretch Goal: yoga? Good sleep schedule, once again Yoga? Dance A friend recommended a new-to-town acupuncturist, and I made an appointment. Fingers crossed that it’s a good solution. ✅ Definitely continuing with the new massage therapist 2-3 times this round.

Bouncer eyes the entrance of the dungeon, the stone stairs below her don’t look appealing at all. She could feel her heart drop, as the sunlight seemed to get lost in the entrance. She had heard from many that opportunities for adventurers of any alike could treasure hunt and call for bounties for the many monsters. Bouncer’s druid instinct seemed to wonder though what would happen if she continued her hero story differently, making the many levels of a deep dungeon a home of hers! ---- 2 inspirations while I tried to Unplug... "Delicious in the Dungeon" (Netflix Series)and “Walkscape” (game )aka going cold turkey unplugging didn't work and realize I had some really good inspiration around me. A new perspective on how long a journey is and how fluid/open it is. And what type of games/stories are better for me now. Overall goals for 2024: Have a Thriving Base Camp -Fully Unpack, Organize/Declutter, Hygge, Catification Making Delicious in the Dungeon -To be Upfront Money IS TIGHT with my current home, I have a hard time eating only from home while being busy AND staying frugal. Also realizing to work on some financial goals (paying off student loans, having money for needs, and saving for a few dream trips…). The more creative I can get better. Maintaining Making Gold I’m in a lucky life stage, I HAVE many opportunities to make money. My stamina and executive functioning skills are what shortcuts me. Keep my Mana High and Become a better Druid Meditation, mindfulness, Qigong, Eating nutrient-dense food, stay active. All help me keep my energy up and continue my healing. Life is not at my most difficult, but I am in the part of my life to strengthen skills and habits with tools to become helpful in future stresses. Okay, SMART goals for this challenge! Find Base Camp and Learn what Monsters are Edible Restart FlyLady 31 Baby steps, the goal is to do a Morning/Evening routine daily. To make it a little easier I will only continue on the baby steps when I feel confident to continue on the next step (morning check-in). End goal - have the morning/evening goals be a habit. 85%+ - I find a safe place to set up a camp in the dungeon and has what I need, able to start wandering a little safer. Below 85% I might have a random monster attack to get through to keep going through the dungeon. Struggling to write this in a SMART goal. Meal plan/Prep/Eat; stay under budget. Only go out to eat once. Staying in budget is 100% difficult. So will share my thoughts around it.

The dark and emerald path closes behind Sepherina. Staring at the road ahead of her she can feel the power of the druids guiding her footsteps. Armed with some tonics and herbs from their grove she feels more confident in her ability to continue on. Spring is coming here in fits and spurts; and with that my sinuses are a mess. I am pretty sure I have a cold coupled with seasonal allergies. This means I must be diligent in taking my meds if I want to avoid more of the last week of severe migraines. I also think I have identified one food/beverage trigger that I am sad about and will probably have to be more aware of avoiding it. A reminder of what my 2024 goals are. 🏋️‍♀️ (Body) Strength Training: This is going well most weeks. I am excited to get into the gym and lift most days, but I have noticed I do have a week here or there where I fall off the wagon completely. I am at about 80% and really would love this to be closer to 100%. When I am making my days in the gym, I am seeing gains, but the week off usually requires a day or so to get back into the groove. I am trying to give myself a bunch of grace here as I have had two major migraines in the last week. I am communicating with my doctor about this and we are still trying to see if the regiment of meds will help. As a precaution I did have blood work ran and everything is fine on that front. Sourcing a stock of medication is on my list of things to do today as it can be hard to find in the dosage that works best for me. Meals: In the last challenge managed to track about 40% of my meals. For this one I am going to try for 60% as a low goal and 75% for a stretch goal. I need to make this a routine either in the morning or before bed. One requires that I plan what I am going to eat (which I have had some success in doing) and the other requires that I actually take time to do it post dinner/before bed (not so successful). To reduce choices on the lunch front I am meal prepping 4 of my lunches each week so hopefully this will help with tracking. As a creature of habit, breakfast isn’t a concern with the consistent rotation of the same things and dinner is now the meal kits which has a listing of all ingredients/calories. General Care: This past Thursday I enjoyed dinner and an IPA with friends. Friday was a doozy migraine and I suspect the IPA I had with dinner triggered the migraine. I am already sensitive to dry red wines (nearly instant headache for most US wines) and there are many herbal teas I cannot enjoy (allergic to rose hips and hibiscus). We are slowly removing the alcohol from our house since in most cases we can’t enjoy it. Which is sad because I have a nice stock of high quality beers With that said, spring is still coming and I will be setting an alarm for my twice a day medication (I metabolize the 24 hour stuff too fast). I have also fallen off my sleep regiment. This challenge the phone will be placed across the room, the sunrise alarm set and a general push to read before bed instead of scrolling social media. The intent is to be in bed by 10 PM most nights. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑(Social) Goal here is to spend time with friends a few times per month and check in on those I don’t see too often. We don’t have any big plans this month, but I am sure things will come up. We will probably have a monthly community dinner and I know we have at least one monthly creative meeting on the calendar. 💸(Money/Time) By the end of this challenge the goal is to pay the credit card to under $5,700 and keep our spend under control. For the most part we are doing okay sticking to our budget. On Wednesday we had someone come out and measure the area we wish to have fenced in for Maple and hopefully we will have an estimate soon. We are also mulling around the idea of gutting the kitchen this summer and remodeling it. We have money set aside for this. I am also looking mindfully at ways to exchange money for saving me time. Grocery pick up has been a time saver here as have the meal kits. 🌻(Spirit) I have some creative projects that I am attempting to bring into fruition. At our first monthly creative meeting I brought up my desire to create a campaign setting for D&D using Gary Gygax’s 5 week workbook. Instead of doing it in 5 weeks though I decided to do it over the span of 5 months. It gives me some bandwidth to explore and dig in to some themes without feeling rushed. I also have a witch’s garden to plan (herbs and flowers already bought) and some oils/tonics I am looking forward to creating. I considered creating a bujo page for this challenge, but I already have one set up for March and I don’t feel the need to record in two places. Maybe I will play around with a “standardization” of my daily pages. Lastly I am wanting to set a better bedtime routine (in conjunction with myself care) so I will be playing around with some rituals and such in this challenge. I have a lot going on here and to reward myself for hard work, here is what I can look forward to at the end of this challenge. Gym Goal of 90% or higher attendance. I get a new summer workout outfit. (Leggings and top) Food tracking of 60%. $20 towards the espresso machine we have been eyeing to replace the wasteful Keurig. Food tracking of 75% or higher: $50 towards the espresso machine. New Sleep routine - No phone, in bed by 10 pm for at least 75% of the time: A new silk or satin pillowcase. My old one ripped and I haven’t had the time or the talent to mend it. Medication adherence/alcohol avoidance: No migraines (hopefully). Credit card under 5,700 by end of challenge: A full day off of work and a home self care spa day. Thanks for reading and I hope to see all of you out on your adventures!

The comforting forest eventually gives way to wasteland.... the trees around here are smaller, younger, and farther apart. While the landscape is beautiful and the sun warm, Scalyfreak has learned the hard way that being out in the open like this makes her an easy target, and the lack of cover is making her more and more uneasy. And so, when the road she has been following leads away from safety, Scalyfreak stops following the path and turns back towards the shade of the treeline. Leaving the paved road means progress is slower, but Scalyfreak doesn't mind this at all. The trees are powerful and when she focuses and stands absolutely still, she thinks she can hear them sing to each other... maybe...? Scalyfreak keeps an eye on the wide open field to her right as she continues on her way. The treeline and the paved road are running parallel to each other as far as the eye can see and Scalyfreak can't think of a single reason for why she would want to travel where everyone else travels, exposed to all the hazards of the road, not when she doesn't have to. So she stays with the trees, mindful of her surroundings and cautiously optimistic that she'll reach her destination by nightfall. A brief “intro” for anyone who doesn't know me very well: The quest for better physical health continues, because my doctor's orders to get my blood pressure under control are still very much relevant, because that's what it means to have a chronic medical thing like high blood pressure. The management measures don't go away. One of the most important management measures is that I need to move more, to build my Strength and Constitution attributes, to help my myocardium get stronger, and also to give my body an alternative to storing excess food as body fat, by raising the higher daily energy needs a little bit. Another measure is to stop consuming stimulants that raise my heart rate and blood pressure.... in other words, cut back on caffeine. That last part might not sound like a big deal, but I'm starting from a position of drinking a little over a liter of coffee per day, and that is after already starting to cut back. I like to make my coffee a lot stronger than average (for the US anyway) because I like coffee to actually be black while it's being poured into a cup, and to generally have flavor. I have, as mentioned, started my gradual decaffeination by switching to black tea on weekends. I tend to sleep in for several hours when given the chance to do so, and it seemed unwise to start drinking coffee at noon. So I am drinking tea on weekends, and on workdays I have given myself a cutoff and am not drinking coffee after my lunch break. I'm also starting to collect black teas and herbal teas, and have started searching local stores for coffee alternatives that provide the savory and rich “coffee-type” flavor without dosing me with caffeine. Smokey black teas definitely live in this niche, but a fully caffeine free option that has some kind of coffee flavor would be nice. And no, decaf coffee is not an option. It has a weird kind of side-effect taste that makes it gross. I'm hoping that reducing caffeine for blood pressure reasons also will have a generally positive impact to my sleep. All of these vague descriptions need to somehow solidify into goals though, so here we go: Health Either go for a walk or do a workout, every day. “Workout” is defined very generously as any kind of deliberate movement done for the sake of moving”. The Daily Dare most absolutely counts, and so does stretching on days when that's all there is energy for. Mana Meditate every day. I am still struggling with remembering to do this on weekends, and until that habit is automatic this needs to remain a goal. Stamina Reduce caffeine intake by gradually switching away from coffee to tea and other beverages. Since I have coffee at home that needs to be consumed before the switch can fully take place, there's not a fixed timeline on this.

My last challenge wasn't entirely successful, but I've identified a major obstacle: screen time. Once I sit down and pick up the tablet or phone, I lose track of time and get nothing done. Hence not enough sleep, inconsistent exercise, and a cluttered house. So similar goals as last challenge, but with the addition of paying attention to screen time. 1. Screen time - stick to the time limits I set on the time-devouring apps. No more hitting Ignore Limit --> Remind Me in 15 Minutes. This will help with getting everything else on the list done. 2. Strength - dumbbells and PT twice a week. 3. Space - still need to do some decluttering. We're starting a bathroom remodel in a few weeks, so time to clean out the vanity/medicine cabinet/walk in closet. One thing that has been going well is cardio. I've been doing the Walk to Mordor (although I haven't updated my distance here for a while) and doing fairly well with walking before work. Next week my gym starts it's annual virtual Ironman (5 weeks to cover Ironman distances running (or in my case, walking), swimming and cycling, so I'll be adding in some stationary cycling. It will also be the kick in the pants I need to get back in the swimming pool, for which my back will be grateful. I've also done well sticking to my reading goals. I had 2 LONG books for my book groups so I had to set a page goal, which I managed to meet most days. I would like to keep this up - less screen time = more reading time.

Years ago I instituted a Silent Sundays ritual, a way to create a pause in the workaday life that seemed relentless and inescapable. Lately I’ve felt called to revisit this, and there seems to be a lot of reflection on this idea from others, including Pope Francis’Laudato Si’, the Green Sabbath movement, and one person’s individual reclaiming of Shabbat. The idea is that the earth is damaged by our ceaseless efforts to remake everything, to interfere through work and toiling, and this seems true to me. My immediate world, too, is affected by the ways in which I shape and change it through my efforts, from building shelves to doing laundry. There’s a lot of making my world that will be going on during this challenge as I move to the new apartment and begin the process of settling in and making it mine. I’d like to build in a sense of sacred space, and space for peaceful rest. All of this is happening during a season when I can feel my life becoming more visible and interwoven. This is good, and is part of the Alliances quotient that I noticed needed nurturing. Finding a way to continue nurturing the public, community, social side of being while also having peaceful rest and creating a sacred space is the Way of Ma.

Hey guys, I've made it to my fourteenth challenge, which has brought Bilbo to mind, as the lucky fourteenth member of the dwarfs' party. I would've made an extensive title using his line "from under the hill and over hills and under hills his path has led," but that felt a lot longer than last challenge's "Off the Beaten Path." I'm satisfied with my efforts so far this year to attempt to do Turkish Get-Ups three times a week, and very pleased with how well I've been doing going on a walk during my lunch breaks! I could bring my bike to make distance more feasible, but even taking it slow and easy allows me such delights as yesterday when I encountered a squirrel and mockingbird! I'm contemplating how best to orient my goals, and I think continuing to encourage myself to walk in addition to my three full body workouts is a great boost to my brain even if it's demanding to know when I'll give it video games and mindless scrolling. 🥲 I clearly need to establish this behavior to maintain some distance from my devices, and sustain the opportunity to enjoy real air. Goals: Three days of doing Turkish Get-Ups each week, bonus points for doing them with weights One to five days walking while on my lunch break, bonus points for observation of wildlife Continue to maintain my Sudoku puzzle streak, and bonus points for having at hand a book or Zemi, rather than a device, if I'm good to stay snuggled in the couch I think that's good for my agenda of starting small as I build up my momentum from the respawn. Having walks on my lunch break really isn't something I would've considered since my days of playing Pokemon Go, but I'm liking the direction it's taking me. And hopefully that and the TGUs will add up in a good blend of improving my attitude toward my physical well-being. I hope you've had a good day, and I look forward to seeing you around this challenge. ❤️ Maerad

Sepherina’s soul is weary of the next challenge. Up ahead she notices the path leads into the Enchantress’s Forest. She thinks to herself, I could use some magic and insight to aide me in my quest. With a spring in her step and a sureness of heart, she steps off the path and into the woods. This Warrior is taking the scenic route to her next mission. I feel the need for a bit of self reflection and therefore some Druidic help. A mini quest as part of my larger quest. A reminder of my 2024 goals and where I am heading Goals for this challenge 🏋️‍♀️ Continue with my current lifting schedule. Monday is all body, Tuesday is lower/leg days and Thursday is arm/upper body day. I am holding the line here but I am mulling over some changes. Mostly around if I want to continue to invest the outrageous amount of money I am paying for personal training and maybe find a more affordable option. I will also strive to take at least a 30 minute walk every day with Maple. This is good for her health and mine. With food, I am trying to eat for muscle gains. But the last challenge the scale didn’t budge in either direction despite me eating until I am satisfied. For now that may need to be enough. Additional things needed for this goal. Really try to get water in, keep alcohol to a minimum and nail the sleep schedule. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Make more forum friends. Spend a least 4 days this month doing something with a friend in person. Continue to cultivate relationships I currently have. Get a couple of date nights in with the hubs. 💸 My credit card balance is now under 7K. I have some extra money this month so I am going to try to bring it under 6500. It may be hard but it is doable if I am diligent. Look into some new ways of being frugal and spending my money based on my values. 🌻 I used to have a very diligent self care and yoga practice. But injury and then life got in the way. The injury now is mostly healed and other things in my life are more stable. I miss my self care. I miss my space on the mat. I will be prioritizing this. More to come on this goal. Plan out my garden for this spring and spruce up our outdoor living spaces for summer. I am a warm weather gal. Soon it will be time for bare feet in the dirt and sun kissed arms. Svastha: There are some things/relationships in my life I am not satisfied with. I no longer accept them as is. If I can change something I will try to do so with empathy, but sometimes you have to cut things loose. A good friend told me that I shouldn’t sacrifice my happiness just to accommodate someone else’s bad behavior or continue to accept the status quo to keep the peace. I also shouldn’t keep habits/lifestyle choices that make me miserable. I will be rooting those out as well. And because it has been awhile since I have shared, here is a Maple picture. She is getting soo big. She is about 7-8 months now.

The shrine to The Iron remains a comfort for Scalyfreak, who is starting to feel quite comfortable in her tent in front of the altar. It is safe, and it provides much needed rest on her long journey. But regardless of how comfortable the shrine camp site is, it is not a full temple and as such it cannot provide either fresh water or provisions or any kind. Since Scalyfreak does need to eat and drink water both regularly and frequently, she finds herself forced to pack up and move on from the Iron Shrine sooner than she wishes to. Ah well. She does still need to reach her destination before the next new moon after all. Decision made, Scalyfreak packs her things up and leaves the safe haven of the Iron Shrine, to once again set out towards the nearest road going west. Every now and then she stops to look for the hoof prints that led her to the Iron Shrine, but most of her attention is spent on being aware of her surroundings and listening for changes from the forest around her. The large demons who have stalked her for as long as she can remember are never far away, and they move swiftly and silently. Still, the further Scalyfreak walks, the more she comes to realize that there is no danger to her where she is at. The forest around her path is teeming with life and all the sounds that creates, but there is a calmness to it, a steady rhythm that knows it cannot be stopped and has no need to hurry. If Scalyfreak concentrates she can feel the ground hum faintly under her feet, and the air is moving around her although there is no breeze underneath the canopy of tall and dense trees. It's fascinating, and soothing, and Scalyfreak cannot help but feel nearly as safe here in this forest as she did by the iron altar. Something about being close to the trees is comforting, and Scalyfreak soon realizes that she appears to have slowed her pace, extending the time she'll spend in this forest, before her path eventually reaches the open valley where the trees are younger, and further apart. A brief “intro” for anyone who doesn't know me very well: I dislike New Year's Resolutions. For one, I subscribe to the notion that if I am serious about waiting to make a positive change in my life, there's no valid reason to wait until the end of the year, I should get started as soon as possible. For another, there's this weird pressure about making them, as if it's mandatory to resolve to either lose weight or exercise more or something else that I should be trying to do regularly anyway, and the extra pressure of New Year's Resolutions being so special and serious makes it more likely for me to give up on them. Yuck. But, with all that in mind, I do need a bit of a fresh start, or rather I need to get back to what I was trying to do as a fresh start a few months ago, before Self-Sabotage “helped” me stress myself out more than I should over just how much adjusting I need to do in order to work well with everyone around me in my new job. So here we are, with a shiny new challenge where my goals are to reestablish good habits I have had in the past, that I know work for keeping me happy, physically healthy, and keeps my anxiety disorder at a level that allows me to live without metaphorically self-immolating the moment my stress levels spike. Physical Health Move intentionally every day. If all else fails and I can't get anything else done, I will do the exercise from the Daily Dare PVP as my bare minimum for that day. It's time to grow stronger again. Mental Health Mediate every day. As is my habit, I lose this habit when I take time off work. This is in large part because the biggest source of stress in my life is work, so I have less of a need for meditation when I am not working. I need to reestablish meditation as a part of my morning routine. Emotional Stamina My old bullet journal only had a very small number of pages left at the end of the year, so I am starting a new one for January. I'm creating pages for things that I have been wanting to do for a while, but never seem to get around to (like sorting through the contents of our linen closet and get rid of the things we haven't used in years), and will also track things like daily walks on weekends, gym visits, et cetera. But emotional stamina is also about doing things for me, that make me happy, just because they will make me happy, so that will also fall under this category. Gym visit tracking will start next challenge. I'm opposed to sharing a small space with a large group of strangers who may or may not be plague-bearers, and historically the New Years Resolution crowd thins out after about 6-8 weeks. I can work out at home while I wait.

So. January?! Last fall I worked hard on getting my life (myself?!) in order. Mentally I’m in a better place, with some new and improved planning skills, and nothing significantly on fire, so this challenge I want to tackle some long-standing Things I Want. Weight loss. It crept up during the house remodel a few years back and just stayed. I feel awkward in my body and I want to deal with that. How: calories under 1900 average/day, workouts as usual, walk 10 miles/week. I’m aiming at very gradual, slow progress is fine. If this doesn’t do it I’ll drop to 1800. Writing. Tackle some projects and build momentum. How: after breakfast, any amount of time, days when I don’t go to the office. And I signed up for a class. Living space. Get things cleaned up and set up. Repair things that need repairing. How: 10 minutes/day, working clockwise around the whole house. And say yes to my husband’s ideas on this, to support and build on his momentum. Can include the garden too. Work. Try some new stuff. Partly for interest, partly to sort of future-proof my thinking in case there are layoffs (feels like there should be more to say about that, but I don’t know what). How: blocked time on my calendar, made a list of things to research. I actually started some of this last week. I’m amazed at how incorrect my assumptions about calories are, but feels pretty good overall!

The Word of the Year for 2024: Ma, the Japanese concept-word that means making space. Some people think of it as negative space, but that sounds too much like a void, and this is not that. This is that space that holds something within it, and it’s a sacred-feeling concept, like the space inside a temple. The Japanese concept of Ma (間) is a philosophical concept of the space between the edges, between the beginning and end, the space in between literally meaning gap, space, or pause, a place to be, and a place for being. Last challenge I stumbled again on this concept-word and thought “yes, this is what I need, not more material things, but more ma— in my material world, yes, but also in my spiritual, intellectual, and emotional world, too.” And the more I sat with that response, the more I knew it was an Insight, and one that was right and true. And then, because the Universe loves me and wants me to be happy, out of nowhere I found that a larger apartment in the same building was available. I asked to view it, and it wasn’t until after I put in my application that I realized that the Universe was opening the Way to Ma. Through embracing Ma, I hope to cultivate the space for connections with others and have more nimbleness in my activities and commitments. While I was writing my vision board for 2024, I found it interesting that Health & Wellness and Alliances came into central focus, while Classes took a decidedly less-prominent placement. This might be because I got deeply burned out (and straight-up burned) last Fall and ended up digging my way out of burnout while still doing the classes, and it likely also reflects a deeper truth: I have nothing left to prove with these academics; this is an activity of mine, but it’s not my sole focus, at least not for this coming year. What’s missing, and what I’ve neglected over the last year, is Health & Wellness and my Alliances, and here we are, working to put balance back in all things. Druid is as Druid does. Making space for all the parts of me to have an equal voice and to be well-nurtured is important. Welcome to 2024. The focus for this challenge is to feel my way through, creating some new structures along the way. Where will the space for alliances and wellness come from? What shape will they take? What energy requirements will they require? Feeling my way through into the new spaces is the Way. In 2023, I started tracking my progress using the old-school D&D ability scores. It served me well, and I’m pleased with where I am. For 2024, I’m not certain I can advance my skills set much further; kind of like being however tall you are, that’s what you have unless you stand on a chair. This year I’m looking for what I can add that elevates and leverages my existing skill set. +1 here and there, and then the always-coveted bonuses for collecting whole sets of assistance. Opening Stats Constitution: 10 Strength: 11 Intelligence: 14 Dexterity: 15 Wisdom: 15 Charisma: 13 Stamina: 6

Tentatively sticking my toes back into the challenge waters after a 2 year absence.... Short and simple refers to posts, not the challenge itself. If I try to make it too long and/or complicated and/or interesting I'll never update. So here it is in a nutshell: 1. Sleep - this is the most important. If I get to bed on time I wake up on time to exercise before work, have more energy and focus at work, get home sooner to eat sooner to go to bed sooner.....I need to plan backward from bedtime to be sure I get dinner, dishes, reading etc in before lights out. The goal is 8 hours. 2. Strength - I haven't been doing this consistently for a while, and I feel better when I do. The goal is at least 2x /week, dumbbells and/or body weight/PT. 3. Space - My office is a mountain of papers. My home office is a mountain of papers. My closet hasn't been cleaned out in ages - and we're getting ready to have our bathroom remodeled, so I need to get it emptied out in a way that's organized so I can find what I need during the process. The goal is to spend 2 hours each week sorting, organizing and discarding stuff. Since all of my goals require me to be mindful of how I use my time, I'm going druid this time around.

I think I'm in the middle of, or at least recovering from, a nervous breakdown from work. I didn't work all last challenge, and basically spent the month drinking and snacking and eating and randomly crying and having anxiety anytime I thought about work. I was 168 lbs. two days before Thanksgiving and was 180 by Dec. 3. I got back to 172 and am back at 180. On a good note, my goals to get into a homeschooling routine is a 100% success. And my goal to get the entire house decluttered, organized, and clean is nearly complete. I have the Master Bath and the boys' bathroom to do. I was hoping to get to my studio/office before the New Year, but I don't think I'm going to make it. Not that big of a deal though as I won't really need it as a studio until April (at the earliest, when the super stressful 4+ year project is finally over). Every evening, I've been binge watching decluttering videos (and ADHD burnout/nervous break down videos) and by day, homeschooling and decluttering. I am hoping that as soon as the house is finished, all that decluttering interest will switch to weight loss focus. So...the year of Wu Wei (pronounced Woo Way for those who care, lol). Going with the flow of the universe rather than working against it. Effortless Action rather than Excessive Effort. Effortless action is working in the zone and going with the flow but "involves letting go of ideals that we may otherwise try to force too violently onto things" such as deadlines on work projects in which you let your ADHD hyperfocus takeover for 16+ hours a day for months at a time...and then you think you are done and you send it out and customer feedback comes back and you have to pivot and go 16 hours a day for a few more months and then you think you are done and you sent it out and customer feedback comes back and you have to pivot again. And again. And then you have a nervous breakdown. Breathe. Breathe. So...Wu Wei. No more deadlines. Which is hard. Because I want this project is done. And I think I can finish by the end of March. So there is a part of me that wants to do the 12 Week Year for the next 3 months but that is not just a 3 month deadline, but a monthly, weekly, and even daily deadlines. And then I feel the panic attack coming on just thinking about it. Part of me things that I should break the project down into micro chunks so that it seems manageable but don't assign a time frame to it. But then I start to panic and think, but what if I can't finish by the end of March? What if it takes longer? I want it done. I want the stress gone. Because once I finish, I can move onto the project that brings me joy. But anyway...goals for this challenge.

I posted a challenge last challenge, thinking I was on the other end of some health stuff, and it turns out the worst was just beginning. It was a tough month, but after a ton of appointments and a quick surgery, I should be back up and running and back to "normal" by next week, just in time for this next challenge to start. So I'm taking my last challenge and almost duplicating it, only simplifying it a bit Spezzy is a Korok If we look back at the periods of time when I've been the happiest and healthiest, they're times when I'm spending significant time outside. Even in my years that I spent hours every day in the gym - I was either doing additional training outside or in open air gyms in Texas. The periods of my life where I haven't had the gym and I was the happiest, I've spent the majority of my time outside Now that I'm back in the darkness of new england, I've been finding myself skipping workouts and other things just to optimize the amount of time I am able to just be outside during the day - and why would I want to be in the gym if I can be doing projects outside? This will be me attempting to build out this new life embracing the fact that I am not a magical humanoid race (Hylian) like I have wanted all along, but am, in fact, a child of the forest (Korok). (Now of course, this doesn't mean I can't do things Hylians can do - Koroks are very versatile little creatures. But it means that I need to prioritize the things that make me the happiest, and for me, that's being outside and interacting with nature/animals/plants/etc. ) It's going to also focus on re-solidifying some older habits that have stopped (like a daily walk or regularly strength training). With recovery, I'll have to focus on doing better each week so may not hit everything the first week, but I'll get there. I'm not concerned about nutrition all around, so no goals around that. Just focusing on reintegrating movement and a solid schedule that includes lots of time outdoors. GOALS: Exercise: Daily Walk - non negotiable. Bonus: a second walk, even if it is on the property. Strength 3x/week Unfortunately, this will have to be inside most days, but bonus points if I can figure out wintertime outside strength work! Rowing or yoga at night - the rower is in the house now. I do best at sleeping if I exercise lightly before bed, so 10 minutes of either yoga or rowing every night. Spellbooks/Schedule: I now have complete freedom of schedule in my new role at work, and since I don't have kids or anything else with a specific schedule, I can really do whatever I want. The problem is, I'm not sure what the BEST schedule is, so part of this is figuring out what that is. I'm also focusing on getting up earlier and earlier, to optimize sunlight since it gets dark very early here. Get up when I wake up or by the last call alarm time (if I wake up before alarm, just get up) Nightly spellbooks review + prep everything for next day (as a part of this challenge, make checklist of things that need to be prepped for next day) Follow schedule plan with work blocks (shifting schedule to do a large portion of work when it is dark out). notes: work when I'm supposed to be working, even though I have my own schedule. Use ADHD coping mechanisms - headphones, timers, do it up. Outdoor Farm Life / Mindset - these specific things will be built into my schedule A few minutes each day either focusing on breathing/meditation. If I do yoga, this can be included at the end there, but I'd prefer to do it outside. Sitting out by the river in the morning sounds like it could be a good thing. Take a break from work and spend at least 20 minutes with the animals during the day - this could be training huckleberry, sitting with the chickens, or hanging with the goats. Doesn't matter, but spend time with the animals. This makes a huge difference in overall mood. Get outside for at least 30 minutes before sundown in the afternoon. And that's it!

Druid related discussions! *Note: You can participate in guild discussions regardless of your chosen guild. Druids spend a majority of their time training in the arts of yoga, tai chi, and other movement-based disciplines. Each movement has a purpose, and that purpose is to further improve the dexterity, agility, and strength of the druid. * Fictional example: Lady Galadriel & Gandalf the Grey (The Lord of the Rings) * Real-world example: Josh Waitzkin, Tai Chi Push Hands US champion and chess prodigy; Kate Merolt of Nerd Fitness Yoga fame! * Typical Activities: Yoga, Tai Chi, Meditation, Dance, etc.

Challenge Tracker

Regular challenge posting will commence after the holidays. When exactly that happens, is still under consideration. I almost skipped challenging this period, because holiday stress is a thing that happens every year and burns through the Stamina bar practically daily. The fridge was repaired last week, and it is wonderful to be able to store food safely again. One of the neighboring appliances, the washing machine on the other side of the wall, celebrated by giving up its own proverbial ghost so we've spent about a week without the ability to do laundry. So there has been stress, and The Flame has thrived. But just as I had decided not to bother with a challenge thread, I remembered that I want to post weird Christmas music somewhere, and and these forums are the ideal victims target audience for such a project. So here we are. Since today is the 13th, we're kicking the music off with a Lucia choir.

I have failed every challenge I ever did since 2018 or 2019 when I first joined except the last one I did over the summer. And I didn't even pop on the last week of the challenge to mention that. Then, I gained all the weight I lost in that challenge and literally went back to the same habits (because the same work stressor came back). But, I realized something. I fail because of excessive action. Work takes over everything, and even if I am technically "in the zone," it is not effortless action because I am pressuring myself with deadlines because every other aspect of my life is put on hold and so I just try harder to get it this particular work project done because then I can move into a much more enjoyable work project. And so I stress eat. I eat because the project is stressful. I eat because I feel guilty that I am neglecting everything else. I eat to get the dopamine and concentration boost that food gives (esp. as an unmedicated ADHD'er). And then I gain weight. And I stop working out. And I fail at everything. And then I get discouraged because this has basically been the story of my life for the last 15 years. The opposite of excessive action is wu wei, which is effortless action. Effortless action is working in the zone and going with the flow but "involves letting go of ideals that we may otherwise try to force too violently onto things." such as deadlines. When there is no deadline, everything else doesn't have to get neglected. There is much less stress, and if the project becomes stressful, it's time to take a break rather than force myself to continue for several more hours until I get so burned out I have to drink myself silly. Just to get up the next day and do it all over again. So anyway, 2024 is my year to practice wu wei. This challenge I am getting all the other areas of my life on track (such as minimalizing and decluttering my house yet again, losing the 10+ pounds I gained so I can start the new year with all areas of my life in balance and ready to maintain rather than in havoc. I want to start 2024 with only 20 pounds to lose not 35, and getting back into habit of going to the gym, and starting the habits of yoga and tai chi sword. Practicing wu wei in regards to work basically means, work during work hours ONLY. Stop making deadlines. Yes, it could be finished sooner if I worked all day and several hours into the early morning, but the goal was to finish before 2024 and that is not going to happen. So I may as well just let all the deadlines (and the stress) go so that I can find balance. Prequel Wu Wei Challenge Practice wu wei. No deadlines. Work, clean & declutter, exercise, homeschool & engage with family effortlessly and without guilt. Get back in the habit of going to the gym (barbells and treadmill). Add yoga and tai chi if it is effortless to do so. No snacking and no drinking (for this 3 week challenge).