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And no, I don't mean the painter's/welder's mask I use to protect myself from the pandemic! But seriously though. Now that I'm (mostly) recovered from surgery, I need to start building up my mind and body again. I've gotten too tired, too soft, too blah. So it's time to fight back and try some new things... as if I have time for all that, on top of everything else! #1 MUSIC Last June, my in-laws bought my daughter and I an entry-level digital piano (88 weighted keys). It is not too much to say that it has actually changed my life. I've been playing the guitar for two decades, but the past half-year has revolutionized my understanding and feel for musical composition. Maybe it's the piano, maybe it's just exactly the right time... I dunno. Can't be sure. What I CAN be sure of, though, is that I'm finally able to bring some original music to life! And it's about gosh-darn time, too. I've created a SoundCloud account where I am posting original instrumental songs under a CC-BY license. These are learning, study pieces. They're not intended to be revolutionary, or mind-bendingly awesome and technical. Over the past few years I've developed a deep and abiding joy in simple melancholy and ambient instrumentals. "Meditation music", if you will. Quiet, textural pieces that evoke a mood or a feeling, instead of songs with direction and purpose (though I do love some of those too). I'm posting them as CC-BY because I like the idea of giving art to the world without trying to make a buck off of it. Of course, that has a lot to do with the fact that I have a job that pays me enough to live, which I realize is a privilege not everyone enjoys. So, I want to post a minimum of one new piece for every week of this Challenge. Doesn't have to be long or complicated, just something new. Here's my most recent one. #2 MEDITATION It's time for meditation again. Right now I'll settle for five minutes of quite respite per day. That should be achievable. #3 MOVEMENT This one's the trickiest. I need to get my body moving again, and I need to not take it too fast. It's arctic cold where I am, which is keeping me inside and away from my wonderful 4-mile walks (oh how I miss the walks). I have a whole house, but few rooms with actual room to move in them. (My personal space has steep eaves, for example, meaning that I can't even stand up in the middle without hunching my neck). So, for Week 1, I'm going to figure out WHAT I can do inside and WHERE I can do it in order to facilitate movement. After that I'll figure out a goal of actual working time. That's it for now. Back to work. WEEK 1 MUSIC [ X ] MEDITATION [ X ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] MOVEMENT [ ]

Snow Falling on Warm Ground When I sit Let the thoughts come. Welcome them even! With an open heart, I can receive them Drifts of snow falling On warm ground. When I am work, Let the chaos come. Welcome it even! With a centered heart, I can embrace it Drifts of snow falling On warm ground. When I am play, Let the obstacles come. Welcome them even! With a calm heart, I can resolve them Drifts of snow falling On warm ground. When I am in the world, Let the difficulties come. Welcome them even! With a full heart, I can release them Drifts of snow falling On warm ground. This is a mindset challenge. My goals are about restoring my heart and spirit after a long and difficult dark night of the soul, one that feels as though it is finally beginning to recede. What I learned on my path through Hell is that I have no enemies; there is no fight. I am an agent of the Spirit. Simplicity: storage unit; monthly housekeeping; local food subscription for 2021. Peace: the path forward to togetherness with Vivian; continued thoughts and efforts with the boys; meditation. Integrity: the dance with the job*; begin doctoral classes Restore: acupuncture; massage therapy; milk and honey and yummy goodness; meditation. Initiative: paralegal for those facing eviction; research proposal for honesty project Teamwork: rely on my advocates, the attorney and TheTherapistsThree; maintain contact with my Jedi Council; the morning call; and the Forum Friendship.

OK, this is going to be a hard one because my project will be coming to an end in February so I'll be busy AF, but here's the plan: Oh hang on, let's do a Fallout 4 Theme because it's our game of choice at the moment at home. My Challenge... My Challenge Never Changes Since I'm over 200 years old*, I need to take care of myself. What will make me even more S.P.E.C.I.A.L** than I already am? Well, sticking to what works, of course. Oh and adding some new things to make it interesting too. 1. Strength/Endurance - move every day, including one long run per week, at least two short runs and _something_ on every day of every week. This has been working well for me, so I'm keeping it up. Got to outrun those mirelurks 2. Charisma/Agility - eat sensibly. I tend to be a bit slack around Christmas and New year so week 0 will probably be a bit rubbish but after that, paleoish, with added oaty breakfast. No cannibal perk (we scouts have our standards, unlike some I could mention) no booze and no eating unopened packs of Cram I find in a dustbin behind a raider encampment. 3. Perception/Luck - I'm going to try and take care of myself more, building on last challenge's don't-ruin-your-spine theme, I'm going to keep doing that, stand up straighter and - I can hardly believe I'm writing this - try some meditation. It's hard to explain how not-in-character this is for me, but you know, just like occasionally trying foods you don't like, or poetry, sometimes you have to try things you're written off, just to see if something about you has changed in a way that makes it make sense now. Er... If you see what I mean. I've heard a few people (notably Sam Harris) talk about it in ways that didn't make me cringe recently, and the final impetus came from @sarakingdom's revelation that I could do meditation in the time it takes the kettle to boil***. OK, that's the kind of commitment level I'm capable of. Sign me up! 4. Intelligence - follow my daily schedule of Duolingo dilettantism, more serious Portuguese study, etc., and staying on top of my to-do list. *=In reality, I'm not quite as old as the Sole Survivor, but pretty close **=if you're not familiar with the game these are the basic in-game abilities you start with: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck, ***=disclaimer, this isn't a very accurate description - you can read what she actually said (here) if you want to know more.

SYRRAN: [My name is] Arev. T'POL: That means 'desert wind'. SYRRAN: Does it. Why are you here? ARCHER: We could ask you the same thing. SYRRAN: I follow the path of Surak in meditation and study. Challenge goals: Walk Meditate Study Bonus: Do logical things when there is emotional resistance. Just three goals this time, but my head is feeling in need of a clear-out and my physical conditioning is feeling blah, so I want to hit those three hard, to see where I feel health improvements. I'm going for endurance on all three. My end goal for the challenge is two hours a day of walking (though a substitute of half an hour of yoga and alternate day half hour strength workouts will count towards the activity total if I want to mix it up with more mobility and strength), and half an hour of meditation per day. There are two things qualifying for study at the moment, one professional and one brain hacking. I'll count either, with a goal of two hours a day. I won't hit these goals right away, I'll be stepping up to them. No, they're not sustainable amounts of time long-term. But for a focused short-term reset, I think they'll be worth the time I put in. Like a deep spring-clean. The catch: My sleep, hydration, and food need to be fairly stable for this, and they're not. I'm hoping the increased activity will help stabilise my sleep, and the activity plus meditation will take down some brain focus issues that will improve my routines. But there's a hidden hydration reset and diet reset in here. I'm thinking about batch cooking on weekends to keep the diet reset from being a daily concern, at least. I'll be testing this a bit in zero week, though I still have a week of Hogswatch to go. Fortunately, there's enough overlap that I can run both simultaneously.

When we last left our hero... I was last active here in 2015-2016, but have had a few false starts since then. The short version is that I've been dealing with depression most of my life, and since 2013 have lost both parents, ended two relationships, and of course have recently been dealing with the effects of the pandemic as someone who works in and is finishing up a degree in hotel and restaurants hospitality. It's been really, really hard to have any motivation to do anything. My depression has gotten a lot worse, I haven't been doing well in school or work, and I have gained about 20lbs. I've tried to jump into a challenge a few times recently but for whatever reason get immediately overwhelmed with the challenge and keeping up with the forums, so I've decided to sort of slip through the back and work on my battle log while commenting on others' challenges for the time being. Anyway. Hi. I'm Cody, she/her, 35 from Michigan. I'm 100% a Druid that low-key wants to be a Ranger. I very much miss when we were doing subclasses/professions like Innkeeper on the forums and would love to bring it back.

Not sure what this challenge holds for me, so I'm coming in with an open heart. Stay tuned, because this is the mindset that usually means the doors get blown off. ❤️

I had a plan. I really did. And then during my devotional/prayer time, this verse came up: "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son," -- Colossians 1:13 Message received. I have been in some emotionally dark places this year, instigated mostly by current events and being too much in my own head. If you've been following me for a little while, you know that some old bad habits have crept back up, and I have been fighting some demons, slaying some dragons, and bouncing between feeling like a failure as a husband and father and feeling hopeful that I really am doing as well as I can in the circumstances. This challenge, like many that have come before it, will have three categories: Mind, Body, and Spirit. It will be themed after things that give me hope: scripture, poetry, music, nature, fictional and real-life characters, motivational videos, stories of success and overcoming adversity, and of course lots and lots of time with family and friends. I will use a daily point system based on the level of personal difficulty. For example, even though I love to read it is difficult for me to sit still and focus for for an extended period of time. Therefore, that task is worth more points. Every 250 points I will "level up" and will reward myself in some way (sleep in, eat a cheat meal, buy something for myself, etc.). Mind (17 points): wake up early Monday-Saturday -- (1 point) read for at least 20 minutes a day -- (5 points) learn something every day (via podcasts, articles, videos, etc.) -- (5 points) complete the daily goal on Duolingo (Spanish) -- (1 point) journal daily -- (5 points) Body (22 points): intermittent fasting (at least 16 hours) -- (5 points) practice the Wim Hof Method daily using the WHM app -- (5 points) daily workout -- (5 points) integrate creative movement throughout the day (walking, squatting, crawling, sprinting, etc.) -- (1 point) eat mostly (75%-80%) whole foods -- (5 points) no sodas and at least 11 glasses of water daily -- (1 point) Spirit (11 points): meditate at least 10 minutes daily -- (5 points) daily prayer/devotional/scripture reading -- (1 point) reach out to at least one friend or family member a day via message or call -- (5 points)

It's been a minute, and the world has changed quite a bit in 2020. I'm here and I'm well. Numbtongue's Language Lessons I'm in an odd place with linguistics, between covid stealing some of my spoons and me being happy in an unprecedented way, language study fell in my priority list over the last 4 months. This challenge is part of finishing 2020 with a daily German news and duolingo habit. 2021 has me adding French again, and slowly working on my Icelandic vocab, but for now this challenge is about daily success with my old workhorse friend, Deutsch. Grimalkin's Cruel Tutelage This project is to set end of year targets for the big four lifts, and hit my mid quarter goals by end of challenge. Garden of Sanctuary This project is to track minutes per day spent in sitting practice. For this challenge, I'm only counting minutes spent in seated meditation or prostrate in seid-work; sleepily drifting while I'm in bed at night doesn't count, nor does sneakily counting yoga time. The larger goal is to grow my practice, but I'm not setting target metrics yet, just tracking. Octavia's Workbench I have a few backlogged orders for mediation beads and percussion instruments I'm behind on. This goal is to log what projects I have outstanding, get them all completed and mailed before holiday shipping craziness locks everything down. Olesm's Chess Journal I'm playing a few tabletops via video call during covid. A dear friend is running a small forgotten realms 5e heroic tier, and I'm running a Dresden RPG campaign set in milwaukee. Expect to hear nonsense about either campaigns in this section.

The Meditation Chamber is the place to seek the stillness of the mind, where you can share your views, experiences, questions, and challenges with your meditation practice; whether you're beginning to meditate or on a two-hour daily practice.

I missed you! (Thank you Salinger for getting my ass back here!) Im fighting the ear infection from hell. my ear is so swollen that my face isn't symmetrical anymore... crap! ( saw a doc twice and am treated. it just doesnt get better) My counselor tells me to chill the fuck out. She and I think that Ive reached important goals. And I will be here to keep up the work and look for joy and happiness in what I've created for me. I live such a privileged life, being able to do whatever I want, during my days. I work 3 hours a day max.. I made my most important weightloss goal, I stood up after back surgery, recovered like a boss and made it back to cross fit! Its time to shut up about not doing enough and just to enjoy what I have build. but fearless, when you are here you need to have goals!? you ask well my goal is to enjoy what I am building for myself. I want to get up in the mornings exited to start the day! I do not want to push myself further at the moment. intentions: ( totally stole that from you, Iatheyeti ) develop a morning and evening ritual that covers all the fun things you want to do ( stretch, meditate, journal) see if you can include a daily writing hour in your day without stressing about it keep up cross fit 2x /week ( once recovered from the plague of the ear) keep eating healthy keto meals and prepping them to make it easier make sure dog child is happy make sure you are happy

Hi guys! It has been a while, but this NF thing really worked for me in the past. As this is my birthday month, there is no better timing than now! So having already on mind what it wanted as goals this time around, I decided to use my Ouitch oracle cards to see what I needed in the upcoming month. I did a 3 card layout. Here is what I got: 1) First card represents current energy and the present. Yule: rebirth, resolutions. What do I need? 2) Second card is the subconscious, desires, what needs to be healed, the past. Uranus: eccentricity, difference, predictability and unpredictability. Am I happy in my current routine and choices? Do I need to stand out more? 3) Third card is what you need to do, the solution, future energy. Anahata: Heart chakra, connection, love, link between the spiritual and physical chakra. Self love, putting oneself as a priority. I drew it upside down, which means: stop choosing harmony over self care, doing so means people walk all over me. Time to say what I think and take my place. This draw is incredible! What it tells me is exactly related to this challenge mindset. I am in a questioning energy, wondering what I want to change and what to keep in my daily routines. Does it nourish me? Does it bring joy? Does it need to be changed or does it need to stay as is? What do I need? Can I embrace my spiritual eccentricity? What resolutions do I need? I need to put myself in priority, with love. And stop letting people (my kids especially) walk all over me. Take more space; stop fearing that I bother others when I am myself; putting some good boundaries. Here are my goals this time around: going back to the times a few year back when I felt my best, which was when I took 1h solely to myself every morning to take care of my mental and physical health. The ‘’SAVERS’’ miracle morning appeals to me so I will do it like so: S – Silence: meditation, 3 min cardiac coherence breaths. A- Affirmation: mantra signing and affirmation. Currently the Green Tara mantra appeals to me. V- Visualization: see myself in a safe loving bubble; see myself interacting with the people around me with calm, love and compassion. So that it becomes more a part of me E- Exercise: The monthly yoga with Adrienne calendar, this month’s theme is INQUIRE. R- Read: current read is the miracle morning for this savers routine, I’m about half through. After that, will see what calls me. S- Script: journal a little every morning, just to see what thoughts are there, trying to calm the mind and asses how I am in this day It will look like this in reality: - Wake – do some deep breaths in bed, doing about 3 min of cardiac coherence. - Do some yoga, from the calendar 30-60 min, followed by some Green Tara mantra, and then my own daily intention. - Go take a shower, take time to embrace the moment in water, then take care or my face, teeth and general look. Get dressed. - Go downstairs to do my treatments (I have Cystic Fibrosis) and read while doing them. About 10-15 min. - Take my coffee and journal a few minutes - Eat breakfast and take my morning pills. Loving the overnight oats, I am waiting on some new flavors I ordered, to try some new mixes. This routine should take from 1h to 1:30h I suppose. I work from home because of Covid, so it should work out fine without being stressful for this whole month. Will see how I will adapt it in September when kids have to go back to school. So here are the actual 3 things this represents in this challenge: 1) Meditate daily 2) Practice daily yoga 3) Eat a good breakfast everyday (overnight oats) Self reminder : all this is to put myself as a priority, be more grounded, be more calm, in a loving caring way, towards myself first to I can be a better human for my loved ones.

Hello Friends and Nerds! I'm annyshay. I'm an adventurer at heart, and I'm going to spend this challenge with the druids. I'm finally starting to see the end of a long, deep depression, so I am prioritizing my mental health. I'm working to maintain my current habits and expand the last one. Mindset Pack - every morning - meditate - joy journaling - intention mantra Compassion - at least once per day show compassion to my inner child Drop into Body - every evening Allons-y!

So since I am in a much better mental state these past couple months and have moved back into my house after the ex left I figure I can now focus on the next 5 months. I have a lot of cleaning/purging to do in my house of junk as well as clothes and kitchen things. I need to buy some more furniture and set some things up here and there. My back yard is an overgrown mess and the garden is a nightmare. The garage is ummm, did a hurricane already come? So I am going to set some 5 month goals in here and refer back to them over the next couple challenges as well as challenge goals and weekly goals moving forward.

For this challenge, I'm going to tackle a couple of things that I've been meaning to do for a long, long time: Improve the quantity of my weekday sleep by getting to bed earlier. By the end of the challenge I want to be in bed before midnight on a regular basis. Establish a regular daily meditation practice, starting at 5 minutes and working towards 15 minutes a day. The third health/fitness item is to continue my daily walking to and from work. Epic quest will be to make my garden into a more attractive place that's easier to maintain. A lot of this will be design work, things like getting quotes for a garden path, but I suspect there will be some actual gardening as well. Those weeds aren't going to pull themselves...

Back to the Star Wars themes Putting a big focus on mindset for this challenge and Jedi always scream "mindset" for me. I've also been re-watching The Clone Wars cartoon because I want to see the new season. So get ready for some gifs because that show is fantastic, and I love the Clones (and Anakin, Obi-Wan, etc). (I've also been rewatching the prequels. We don't discriminate about Star Wars in this thread.)) Think I've mentioned it in a couple posts lately, but I've been managing anxiety / panic attacks. It's not even recent -- I've had episodes on and off for years and it reared its ugly head back in Aug 2019 and recently actually has been less severe with the stay at home orders. I still have "down days" but the panic attacks are no longer "multiple times a day throughout the week/month" type of thing. Back in November / December when it was really bad I had reached out for professional help and was suggested to start meditating, among other things. Of course as soon as I reached out for help, work insurance changed with the new year and I'll need to start from scratch... which I haven't worked up the energy to do yet. Not currently sure when I'll actually be going back into work. But here's the plan while I'm still working from home. 1 ) Mindset: Daily Meditation (at least 5 min) + Journaling (at least 1 page in A5 notebook) 2) Fitness: 20 minutes of movement (cardio, bodyweight and/or yoga), 4 days per week. ((Debating if walking counts.. leaning towards no.)) 3) Nutrition: Food & Drink Log. Mark down time and what I ate/drank. Water I’ll probably just sum up what I drank throughout day to make it easier. Loot List: 1) Fountain Pen Ink (Meditation & Journaling >80%) 2) Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order Game (Move > 80%) and FFVII Remake (Move 100% of goal) 3) $20 towards new tea samples (Track food > 80%). Extra $20 for kitchen cabinets purge/declutter.

So obviously I’m over a week late in posting, but I’ve been keeping track of my challenge in the meantime. I’ve been here on and off before but it’s time to be on again. Hi. I’m Cody, I’m 35 and I am, in the grand scheme of things, a pastry chef and in school for Hotel & Restaurant Management. I’m not currently working and took the summer off classes, and not being in the kitchen full time has changed my daily activity levels quite a bit. I used to be pretty active in yoga and Pilates, but really haven’t gotten any exercise in a few years now. My ‘main quest’ is definitely depression related at this point, and I’ve chosen a few light physical exercises and changes to get back on track. Diet My diet honestly isn't too bad right now, so I'm choosing only one food goal that I am currently struggling with; eating an actual breakfast that is relatively healthy instead of leftovers or, more often, absolutely nothing for most of the day. My goal is to eat breakfast every day of the challenge. Eat Breakfast [0/35] Exercise My life has become very sedentary in isolation, so I have two fairly light exercise goals for this challenge. One is to get outside and go for a walk three times a week. The other is to get out the yoga mat and do some stretching at least every other day. Take a Walk [0/15] Yoga #EveryOtherDamnDay [0/17] Level Up Your Life One of my biggest struggles currently is a lack of concentration, and doing things like being unable to focus long enough to post this challenge for a week straight. I’ve been paying for the Headspace app for over a year now, and I would like to actually get daily use out of it. Headspace [0/35]

Bringing back another past challenge that I created three years ago; I think it may actually be my favorite and possibly one of the most impactful. It's hefty, and I likely won't be able to do all the things, but regardless I recall feeling very free and in tune with my natural self during this challenge. I have made some modifications to fit my more current life (i.e. I can't spend more time with my grandpa because he passed away), current abilities, and current goals, but the essence of the challenge will remain the same. Connect With Environment: The Na'vi are deeply connected to the natural world around them and they take care of it. When completing each of these challenges, engage all of your senses and stay mindful of the impact nature has on your body and your spirit. At least 30 minutes outdoors/day in a natural setting Go barefoot at least 30 minutes/day; wear minimalist shoes when necessary. Explore an unfamiliar outdoor area, or explore a familiar one as if seeing it for the first time. At least one wild swim/week At least one tree climb/week Give at least 5 minutes/day of your attention to a lifeform other than human (pets, wildlife, plants, etc.). Download Joulebug and complete at least one challenge/day. Do a litter cleanup in a natural area at least once/week. Avoid using plastics of any kind (unless impossible). 1 trail run or hike/week Connect With Food: The Na'vi are omnivorous hunter-gatherers with a deep connection to the available provisions that surrounded them, both meat and plant. When completing these challenges, savor each bite, eat mindfully and pay close attention to how this affects your body and spirit. Eat full vegetarian at least one day/week Eat at least 1 vegetable/day Eat fresh meat instead of processed/boxed/canned meat at least 3 days/week; this includes fish (BONUS: game meat when possible). Forage at least once/week (dandelion, plantains, onion, etc.) Intermittent fasting Eat locally at least once/week Connect With Body: The Na'vi need their body to be in top shape in order to survive such a harsh environment. When completing this challenge, use a variety of "wild fitness"/primal/paleo natural movements and be mindful of how this impacts your body and spirit. At least 5 minutes deep squat/day practice WHM breathing or some breathing practice daily cold shower daily Drink at least 1/2 gallon of water/day. Dead hang for at least 30 seconds 3 days/week. At least 2 minutes of planking at least 3 days/week. 30 burpees/day At least 15 minutes of free-running/sprints 3 days/week on uneven terrain (barefoot if possible). "Natural" movement HIIT with plenty of variety 3 days/week (see Mark Sisson's WOWs for ideas). Connect With Tribe: The Na'vi have a deep connection with members of their tribe, especially family but also tribal elders and leaders. For this challenge, be mindful of your relationships and how you strengthen them. Spend every afternoon with your daughters ('ite); at least one technology-free playtime/week. Use intimate physical touch with tribal members (for family: hugs, kisses, holding hands, snuggling; handshakes/hugs for friends). At least one uninterrupted/technology free evening with wife (muntxate) Call your mother (sa'nok). Connect With Self: In spite of living in a savage environment, the Na'vi are very self-aware and practice a disciplined self-control and humble appreciation of all life, including their own. Become toruk makto: tame the beast and take control of your temper by pausing and being mindful of your emotions. Seek wisdom: read works written by great tribal leaders and elders who have come before you. Choose your words: be mindful of when to speak and when to be silent; don't waste words, but choose them wisely. Be grateful: keep a log each day of things for which you are grateful. Connect With Eywa (God): The Na'vi believe in and commune with a being greater than themselves. This is the essence of their culture and it drives their actions and lifestyle. While completing these challenges, be mindful of where your heart and spirit rest on these issues. Greet each morning with a grateful smile and a spoken "Thank you." Pray/meditate in silence at least 10 minutes/day. Integrate prayer throughout the day. Treat each person you meet as spiritually connected and as image-bearers of God; treat all lifeforms as God's creation. Practice agape love (unconditional love). Bonus Challenges: Practice another language (Duolingo) Spend at least one night outside (in a hammock, if possible). Take a long hike deep into the woods (off trail, if possible). Ride a horse. Harvest spring water. Climb the Hallelujah Mountains: Go rock climbing (freestyle).

Hi, fellow Druids, I am fearless, a long time German member (f.52)who has missed a lot at NF during the last years. I used to be a Scout (running and hiking) and have been heavily into CrossFit for some years. After knee surgery I have been sedentary for 2 years. Result: a slipped disc in my lower back, muscular dysbalance and a lot of pain since the beginning of lockdown in march. I choose the Druids for this challenge because I want to do a mix of yoga, physical therapy exercises and meditation as well. Today at my PT I presented her my "routine" which is about 30 minutes long. Its mostly core stuff to heal faster. 2018 and 2019 I did Keto successfully and cooked all meals for myself. Then I needed a break and had all the bread and fruit Now its time to get back to my way of eating. It helps me to lose weight ( still need to crush about 30 pounds.) and also helps me a lot with mental health issues ( I am clearer and more alert on keto ). my life goal is to be able to write again. I have published a book in 2018 about my way out of mental health hell into the mostly happy person I am now. Its part autobiographic, part self help. After a lot of feedback I was asked to write another book describing the technics that helped me get out of the hellhole. Like what do you do when you are in bed, have not showered in days, find yourself depressed and motionless... how do you get back into a well lived life. I have started research ( science and my diaries) but have my doubts if its a good project.. nevertheless I want to get back into creating regularly. clarification: I am a writer and Cello teacher, so I always work from home and I have a lot of free time because I retired early and only work for 20 hours/week. Only responsibility is my dog ( who plays in my garden mostly since I've been injured.) FEARLESS IS BEATING THE PAIN DRAGON ...THE QUEST... Everyday: 5 Minutes of breathing/meditation as part of my morning routine a short walk with my puppy as warm up 30 Minutes of PT/Stretching/Yoga Food Prep so I have 2-3 keto meals every day. ( I can have greek or Turkish food from takeout 2 times during the challenge. ( only meat and veggies) sit at desk for 30 Minutes a day and see if you can get your groove back. I don't have to write but am not allowed any other activity during this half hour... Thanks for reading, guys! Ive read all of your first posts and look forward to getting sh*t done during this challenge! ❤️

Obi-Wan Kenobi’s exile on Tatooine has always interested me. A few sources (such as https://screenrant.com/star-wars-obiwan-kenobi-tatooine-exile/) have addressed what “Old Ben Kenobi” was doing between trilogies, but how does one recover mentally and physically from losing nearly everything? (I’m really hoping that the Kenobi series actually goes forward and doesn’t end up scrapped.) Thankfully, I have a lot more going for me right now, but I am feeling inspired by Obi-Wan’s exile as we are all surfing the changes the pandemic is triggering. I am definitely trying to focus on what I have and not what I am missing. However, the situation here is definitely fluid, and I am planning to make changes as restrictions and shortages increase. Cardio TThSat: Run (I have a schedule I’ve been working on for my 5K) If I can’t run, I’ll walk/hike (30+ minutes or 2 miles) If I can’t leave the house, I’ll use the stationary bike for 30 minutes If I can’t bike ….. then I’m probably sick and on the couch, watching Firefly. Strength WMF: WOD --- thanks to our fabulous coaches who are still posting daily WODs online in our gym’s app, I can do a WOD every day but Sunday. NerdFitness 20-minute Kettlebell workout Flexibility/ROM - Daily ROMWOD …. give the 7-day free trial a try Yoga with Adriene (YouTube) Spirit - Daily Meditation Liturgy of the Hours Knowledge I’ve been looking at a book that @Tanktimus the Encourager recommended (Stop Walking on Eggshells ….) but am going to read this one first: Stop Caretaking the Borderline or Narcissist: How to End the Drama and Get On with Life by Margalis Fjelstad since it seems to focus more on helping the caretaker (me) get out from under the weight of that role. No matter what the diagnosis ….. or lack thereof ….. of certain family members, I can work on my response to odd or dysfunctional behavior. So, I’m starting there. And FUN!!!! I want to do something every day that is interesting. Thanks to @Elastigirl, I have the freestyle staff spinning video links. And our community is working on finding ways to help amuse and entertain kids so there will be things to do. This week, we’re putting teddy bears in windows for the kids who are reading We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. So far, with the snow, I’ve seen families drive by, pointing out the two bears we have put up for them to find. We’ll see what next week brings …..

After years in the wilderness (lifting weights in my local gym), undergoing countless horrifying ordeals (queuing for the one decent bench press, getting annoyed as the awesome gymnastics rings setup is used for crossfit classes), as the outside world burns I have returned to my spiritual home: The Guild of the Assassins. Whilst others may be lamenting their lack of a squat rack, the assassins know that all that one requires is the weight of their own body (plus maybe a pull-up bar and a few other bits of equipment) to maintain and even increase their strength. Solitary confinement is all too easy an excuse to allow laziness to take hold and for personal well-being to be discarded so I call upon my fellow assassins to bear witness to my attempts to not just keep in shape but to improve myself and be reborn in the forge of the fires of this insufferable pestilence. As you may be able to tell from my challenge title, in the intervening years I've also been learning 日本語 so for this returning challenge, my goals shall centre around learning from the Japanese chapter of our illustrious order: 忍者 (ninja). I aim to become more balanced, both physically and mentally, return to testing myself on my beloved gymnastic rings, and take my language studies to the next level. Goal 1: Regain my physical balance. At one time I could happily hold a wall handstand for a minute as was even making some progress with supporting myself away from the wall. Recent attempts however have revealed that 40 seconds upside is a challenge for me. My first goal therefore is to practice handstands every day with the aim of being able to consistently hold a 1 minute wall handstand by the end of the challenge. Goal 2: Regain my mental balance. Like with my handstands, at one time I was achieving great success with maintaining a consistent daily mediation routine but this has slipped in the last year. To regain my composure, my second goal is to spend at least 5 minutes a day meditating using the Calm app. The daily 'Calm' meditations are around 10 minutes so I'll try to do those most of the time but if I get pressed for time (unlikely at the moment) I'll make sure I do at least 5 minutes sitting quietly. Goal 3: Back on the rings. Pretty simple really, just create a new workout to be done 3 times a week using my gymnastic rings. I'll look through various sources including the NF rings course and Overcoming Gravity and put together a new routine. Previously, as I would have to be out of the house to got to work by a specific time each day, my workouts had to be kept to under 30 minutes so that i could do everything I needed in the morning. Now that things are much more time flexible, I want to incorporate and proper warm up, skills section, main workout and then decent cool down/ stretching session. My goal is to create this, then test and modify it over the next few weeks so that I have a sustainable workout to see me through however long we are confined inside our houses. Goal 4: Take my studies further by spending 15 minutes a day reading 日本語 text. Along with my anki flashcards and my (now online) tutorials, if I start reading some Japanese every day, I'm sure this will help both my grammar and vocabulary but also improve my reading speed. I was given a variety of dual language texts for Xmas so it's about time I started working through them. Even if I only manage to get through one sentence a day, as long as I feel like I really have a good understanding of it, then I will be satisfied. I also have some traditional folk tales (including some ghost stories) as well as the 4,500 sentences from Tofugu to work through. Those are my goals then. 1. Daily handstands 2. Daily meditiation 3. Create, refine and implement a new rings-based workout 4. Daily reading

It's that time of year here in MN! This time of year has been the hardest, with or without school. Last year, it whizzed by with little problem (except for my dad passing away, that was a whole other thing). I was able to get through it with my support and my own car. Just need to a little grinding with my goals and tracking. The Long Dark Game By the end of the challenge, the winds of Spring will be coming (even if snow does stick around through March). While also getting through Spring break. Now with my Dad's death anniversary (March 9th) coming up(dark memories surfacing) and me working on narrowing down on my goals i want to work in the next 38 Challenges here's what I came up with: Main: (Life) Meditate/Journal Daily (Hoping to get 30 this challenge) One Pomodoro of Schoolwork each day (on my own) (Hoping to do 30) YNAB Side : Nutrition - A daily Green Shake (the one thing that stabalizes my blood sugar and helps bring me a better idea with food). Fitness - Tracking walking through GoogleFit on phone (Walking to Mordor?) Reward If I update with weekly counts of each (better if I update daily), I'll get this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0779SKCXW/ref=cm_sw_r_fm_apa_i_zodpEb6X1GH5P (A cheaper tracker). I've been wanting a fitbit since before NF, but I'm worried I'll get bored or break it. This one I found through a friend that is half price of the kids fitbit. FIgured it will be the trial one before I buy brand name. Since any tracker connecting to my phone will make it easier to track, since many times I have to let my phone charge when I get home. Again big on tracking and finding my way through the grind. This is my survival. I have this semester and Fall before I do my internship next year. School work is my daily job outside of my two jobs. Priortizing it for the next few months will help! My wolf fights is daily with school to get those points I need. Wish I had more brain space... but a cool way to kind of theme it. Also will be looking up my old challenges... maybe have a write up. Curious on how others are doing it. 4.5 years probably not going to find a whole lot.

It's been a year since I last did a challenge and 2019 was a year of letting go and laziness. Not purposeful laziness but just not caring enough. Not only with my physical self but my mental self as well. I stopped doing the things I enjoyed and was more hermit like than ever before. I changed things up for 2020 and did my Whole30 in January instead of in the fall. Not sure I'd do that again but it was a nice way to bring myself back to better eating habits. But what do I do now, where do I go from there? This has lead me to mindfulness. I've been going on and on for a year without living purposefully, I need to try and change that. These are more Druid goals but I've missed the assassins and decided to create my challenge here. Plus, I want this to be the push I need to get back into body weight exercises. Goal #1 : Meditate 1 Reach session a day. 0/34 Days Goal #2 : Yoga 3 yoga sessions a week. 0/15 Days Goal #3 : Mindful Tasks 1 of the following tasks each day. 0/34 Days Eating without distractions Walking with purpose Go somewhere new Do something I love Actively listen Pause between actions Tracking will be here and I'll make my updates 3 to 4 times a week.

Wow, what a journey we have been on, Dear Readers. The process all began in 2015, but we never know it at the time. I realized I was on some sort of soul journey in mid-2016, then really ramped up through 2017. By the beginning of the year in 2018, I had a name for this path. I can confirm: the past two years have been crucible-level intense. The name "nightmare of the soul" is apt. I even got cocky this time last year, celebrating my new vantage point. I think I might have even said something along the lines of: FOR THE RECORD: DO NOT DO THIS. This was ill-advised. Confession: I kept this attitude through most of the crap that came my way all last year. I don't think the attitude can be beaten out of me, because this year the Universe gave me every reason and opportunity to quit. It would have been easier, for certain, to stop. To take my wounds and call it all a good fight, but over. No. This new land will be mine, and yet I have no idea what it is or what it will look like. For all I know, it's a barren potato field that not even sheep will graze in. I have this vision of cresting a ridge only to see this notice tacked to a tree: There were brilliant moments this year. Real watershed events one after the other (full list) January I wrote a song it went in a tv movie! February I went to a philosophy rave; I went to a Philosophy group; I got a Fellowship to do philosophy all the time; I had a head injury that crippled me; and even through the sidewaysness of it all: the legal situation is a protracted mess that doesn't seem to get better the healing of the head injury is so slow I don't even recognize what I was before intellectually I still can't drive I haven't been to the gym since September. I managed to find my way through by feeling for the next centered thing: I founded a local Philosophy Roundtable I signed up people to vote, raised the roof, amplified messages for causes using my digital life to be active when I had no voice or mobility physically. I am the lead for Philosophers for Sustainability's Public Philosophy team I am a member of the Philosophers for Sustainability Outreach & Social Media team I developed a topic and presented it at a national-level (international?) conference I am presenting a piece on Authenticity, Connectedness, and Hope at the APAPhil Division Conference in Chicago (any Chicago Nerds who want to join the 5e D&D game that is going to happen, or who want to meet RealLivePhilosophers™ drop me a line! It's at the Palmer House Feb 26-29. I'll be in town on March 1, too, mostly because I want to see the Art Institute and because I present on Saturday afternoon, so I wanted extra recovery time). I took my writing to the Thesis Level, and my advisor now refers to it as The Book. I developed the conference presentation into a structure for a book and am working on the proposal and article for submission (see #Goals2020). And now we are here. 2020. I'm not certain how this last part of the Hero's Journey will play out, but I know I'm capable and up for the challenges, whatever they might happen to be. There's a cool lunar eclipse that just happened with the December new moon, and a solar eclipse that is happening at the new moon in January. This challenge is "between the eclipses," so to speak, and I think that has some nice poetry to it. I know that there is a lot of possibility and potential swirling about -- sort of a liquid electricity looking for a channel of expression as it seeks the ground. I think that any number of opportunities await; I have the chance to bring my new sense of self (attitude is everything!) to focus and claim my path forward. I am grateful that you have been part of this with me. I have no idea what I will grasp from the air. Have you guys read the Kingkiller series (by Patrick Rothfuss, first is Name of the Wind) yet? This feels like the moment in the second book, The Wise Man's Fear, when our hero has to go through the willow tree to get the Thing at the center. In ways, it's almost like starting all over again. Thanks for being part of my Fellowship. I can't wait to see what we get up to.

I am Chris Tarly (formerly Curl Brogo). I have been on the NF Forums for over six years now. My primary goal is and was to lose weight. And I've managed some progress in fits and starts and have been yo-yo-ing for all that time between 240 and 270. I have decided that to kick off the new year (2020) I'm starting over with a a hard reboot, and I'm joining the NF Academy. This challenge will focus on racking up XP points in with the NF Academy, then I have a few other goals that don't fall under that umbrella: writing, meditating, and homesteading. NF Academy: This is my big fitness goal. There's a lot going on here. I've got a lot of missions and quests and tasks dealing with mindset, nutrition, and workouts. I am going to focus on applying the "Never miss two in a row" rule to these three things. Mindset: Never skip morning stretching and Zazen (daily) two days in a row. AND Never miss eating a mindful breakfast (daily) in my mindful eating space. Nutrition: Never skip bringing a homemade lunch to work (M-F) two days in a row. Workouts: Never skip a weekday workout (M, W, F) two days in a row. I must keep this up until the end of this challenge. I will allow 3 strikes total. Missing doing a thing 2 times in a row is one strike. And you bet, not getting it the third time around is another strike. If I make it to the end of the challenge with < 3 strikes, I can open my treasure chest: That's $50. And I know those denomination actually look a little sketchy, like 2-3 drinks, $1 tips for the ladies, and a private dance... no. $20 is for two group boxing classes at this gym in town. The rest is for a trip to my new favorite Bar-cade, $20 will get me a couple drinks and the singles are for quarters so I can play the retro arcade games. Fitness Sidequests: For the weekends NF Yoga Saturday: Do a NF Yoga session on Saturdays Big Mind Sunday: Do a 45+ min Zazen session on Sunday Chinup play: Do 20 min of chinup/pullup assistance exercises Clean the Apartment: Todo list, to complete before the challenge is over Clean out wardrobe and give old clothes to goodwill Clean bedroom including under the bed Clean THE WHOLE bathroom Declutter (to GW) and clean the office Declutter (to GW) the office closet Declutter (to GW) the living room Declutter and clean the kitchen Clean the floors Writing: I'm still working on the novel I started for NaNoWriMo. Heh. I still haven't 'won' Nano. I really want to at least finish Part 1 of the novel which should be done around 50,000 words. Track word count. I wanted to do one hour a day, but I don't think that's doable with work and all the other goals happening. I'm still going to post about is so it stays on my mind. Starting word count: 42208 Homesteading: Right now I'm researching buying a fixer upper in the country where I can garden and have chickens. I'm looking at USDA guaranteed home loans, and am researching lenders. This will be an evolving To-do list. I'll aim to cross one thing off each week. Contact Lender A -- I tried a few weeks ago, then they recently tried back... I'll get in touch with them during week 1, then we'll see what's next regarding if I qualify vs. what I need to do to qualify Research realtors/companies TBD

There's something about December that calls for a reflective approach. Not blindly charging into the unknown (you might freeze to death around here, after all) but instead taking a moment to sit, pensively sipping at the edge of a paper cup full of hot cider, and wondering about the year behind--and the one ahead. What defeated me this year? What brought me low and into the dangerous mired swamps of sloth and sadness? Where were the highs--the soaring victories, the moments that shine golden in the memory as if to be treasured forever and ever long? My life changed forever in November 2018, when my little girl "Bubbles" was born--an event I had been waiting years and years for the opportunity to experience. Very little ended up how I imagined it, and yet it could not have been any other way. The struggles of the early months of parenthood, coupled with the bliss of parental leave through a harsh winter--curled up playing video games at odd hours while that tiny helpless life restlessly slumbered in my arms--remain a haze that is still hard to penetrate with the eyes of hindsight. Those early tribulations gave way to a brighter and clearer time, as we passed the 'fourth trimester' and Bubbles started to rise from the sleepy potato stage into a smiling, learning, playing and exploring stage. It seemed to accelerate every day throughout the year, as she gained mastery over simple movements, and then more complex ones. We quickly discovered that Bubbles loved music (no surprise, given my own proclivities) and spent much of the late spring and summer listening over and over to the Original Cast Recording of Hamilton, which made Bubbles happy like nothing else (thank you, Spotify). The change from sitting => creeping => crawling => standing seemed to happen almost instantaneously, as though one day she would stay in one place when you set her down, and the next she was tearing across the room almost faster than I could catch up from a sitting position. In truth it took about a month for her to go to immobile to crawling confidently, but it felt like much less. Despite an early disinterest in books, Bubbles suddenly discovered a massive voracious love of them, demanding they be read over and over, leafing through them on her own (her fine motor skills are a bit advanced for her age), and even choosing to wake up gently from her naps over about half an hour, 'reading' a book in her crib... yes, they're just like people! I swear she'd nurse a bottle of coffee if I gave it to her. Now, at about 13 months old, it's amazing how much of ourselves we see in Bubbles. She's got an ear for music (all kinds, from kiddo to cello and even Mom & Dad's tastes), a burning desire to read every book a hundred times--quite possibly in a single sitting--and what appears to be a genetic aversion to being put on the spot. She will volunteer all kinds of sounds and insights, but ask for one, and you'll only get what is remarkably adult embarrassed silence. She loves dogs: her favorite sound to make is woof, woof. She loves to be understood, as all children do, I think--figure out what it is she's trying to say or communicate, and the sun comes out and the room fills with rainbows and unicorns as she grins from ear to ear beneath her tousled golden hair. I think she has a need to give--she's always trying to feed me, her mother or the dog (despite our best entreaties that the dog is too fat and needs to lose weight!), and the imaginative play game she's taken from her favorite children's show involves taking toys and putting them somewhere for someone else to find. Not so interested in things for herself, but sharing them--that is the key to her boundless and overflowing joy. There are so many things that are nearly impossible to describe without the context of knowing her, but I'll try this one: at one point, not too long ago, she was unhappy about getting dressed. So, to entertain her while I finished up, I made her pants dance and made a dog panting sound. You know, basically a pun on 'pants'. She thought this was hilarious at the time, and it served to defuse some frustration about getting dressed, so I kept doing it. Then it stopped working, as so many things do, so I dropped it and moved on to other forms of entertainment to get us through that. A few days later, do you know what she did? While I was getting her pants ready for the day, SHE made the panting sound, and then looked at me with a big silly grin on her face. She fed me back my own dad joke at a year old. I am in so much trouble. So why do I describe this year in the context of Bubbles? Well, it's because that's what it feels like. For me, this was her year. I pursued some of my own interests this year, mostly while she was sleeping, but they feel somewhat inconsequential in comparison. Work schedules have limited my options for fitness, and that allowed me to become complacent again, slipping back into old, unhealthy habits. For me, the lesson of 2019 is that I need to pay more attention to me in the time that I have--time that doesn't already belong to Bubbles or my job. My options are limited--family work shifts mean that I'm basically housebound after Bubbles goes to bed (which, miraculously, is about 6:30 PM -- entirely by her own choice!), so my old choice of being out of the house 4 days a week for Kung Fu training is not available for the foreseeable future. Sad, because I miss it, but simply a reality of existence now. The truth is, I am and have always been terrible at motivating myself to do anything beyond be physically comfortable--I don't particularly care for being active unless I'm learning something. Kung Fu fed my brain AND my body, which is why it was a perfect synthesis for me. Just lifting weights or doing bodyweight workouts in the living room DOES NOT FEED BRAIN, and so I'd just rather not do it, instead, and do something that does feed my brain. Realizing all this, there are things that I can do TODAY to start working on better habits for myself, and so I'm going to spend December trying to do those things. Some changes I made before the November challenge and before have brought me back down about 10 pounds from the high water mark I set in about June, so that's a start. I've changed food availability and my batch cooking to (FINALLY) adjust for the lowered amount of exercise that my new life consists of. For now, I'm going to focus on getting my headspace in the right place, so that I can start figuring out solutions for myself going into the new year. 1. Meditate for 10 minutes, 3x/week at least (come on, this ain't that hard) 2. Review the Kung Fu that I do know, 2x/week. Maybe diving into the well I built over 4 years will spark my brain, at least to raise my heart rate for a bit 3. That's probably enough for now Here's wishing everyone a peaceful and reflective December. May the end of 2019 bring to you some insights to the year behind, and the year ahead. Cheers!