Learning from the Gifts of CoVid…

Routine and Special Projects are Life Enhancing

WOW! I did it, my second big creative pandemic themed project is complete, 75 vlogs, Monday to Friday for fifteen weeks, plus a weekly follow up blog. I’m astonished, 15 weeks flew by! It was a fun project that engaged my husband’s dramatic and comedic side while chronicling our pandemic journey. In addition, the sense of accomplishment is extremely satisfying. Moreover, I’m feeling a touch sassy for jumping into a new arena of creativity, vlogging without any prior training or experience. It has been a confidence booster and continued to feed my thirst to quench my needs of creativity (which according to Dr. Glasser – Choice Theory, is linked to the need for freedom).

CoVid the Wake up Call!

“If we never experience the chill of a dark winter, it is very unlikely that we will ever cherish the warmth of a bright summer’s day. Nothing stimulates our appetite for the simple joys of life more than the starvation caused by sadness or desperation. In order to complete our amazing life journey successfully, it is vital that we turn each and every dark tear into a pearl of wisdom, and find the blessing in every curse.”
― Anthon St. Maarten, Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny

This quote pretty much sums up what the CoVid pandemic has done for our world. Specifically, it is teaching us to step back and appreciate what we have and has ignited a creative renaissance.

The String of Wise Pearls I Have Collected

Routine: Both Mark and I have repeatedly discussed the importance of establishing new routines especially during the imposed pandemic shift. Daily Mark makes his tea, cooked oat bran with blueberries and flax then sits at his computer and either begins his part-time work or engages in personal research and reading. I leisurely sit and drink my 2-3 cups of coffee that can easily evolve into procrastination but after brainstorming creative ideas (for writing, sketching or vlogging) I commit to my daily fitness. I found that blogging for 100 days railroaded me into writing structure and the vlogging had me committed to planning activities of interest to share. In particular at night, I was determined to assemble the photos or short video clips in iMovie, regardless of fatigue or late hours. There were times that I could have forgotten the project but my pledge to completing it Monday to Friday and the weekend blog gave me purpose, defined the day/night and a sense of accomplishment (SMART goal).

No matter what the activity, routine helps define and guide the day and the week. As a retiree, it is all too easy to follow the passing distraction (squirrel! Lol) which can be a welcome change to the stressful daily commitment of a working life, BUT, like anything too much of squirrel chasing can leave us to feel restless and aimless.

Jump!: Ironically, in our world of abundant resources at our fingertips and the emphasis on perfection, comparison and competition, we often delay or not engage in an activity because we don’t have enough training or experience. We are afraid of looking stupid or that our activity or product will not be adequate. Funny that the more information we have available can cause us to be more insecure and careful.

Go for it! As Nike says, “Do IT!”. Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Summon the courage to take that deep breath and try something new or something you don’t do well. Remember practice makes perfect. I came to the vlogging project with some experience in playing with iMovie. Do I know the application thoroughly? No. Did I plan out the project with exacting detail? No.

Did I have some reservations that the project might be cheesy and of no interest? Yes, but, ultimately my goals were:

  1. to offer a simple sharing of daily story, in hopes of bringing a smile to someone else
  2. let others know that many of us over sixty crowd have similar lives (challenges and points of laughter)
  3. possibly inspire someone else to take the jump in tell their story either through written or video form or begin a new creative project

Did I fear being judged and putting information on-line? Yes, however, I thought discernment was the name of the game. First, if someone wants to judge that is their issue not mine. I did get feedback from a number of people who said that they enjoyed the vlogs. Even if it was just from one person that to me made it worthwhile.

Second, I would only upload a video that I was willing to share with the world and know it would stay forever. Of course, we experienced sad or embarrassing moments or there moments of dark coloured language, yet those were times I chose not to share in the video.

Above all, in using the iMovie program and the photo editing daily, I did gain some proficiency. As it is said, practice makes perfect. Technology can be intimidating, especially for those of us older folk who didn’t grow up with it from young ages. Using devices and experimenting with other accessories, like iPhone lenses, gives us more confidence to experiment.

The weekly blogging and YouTube references embedded in my blog posts on my website, organizes my posts. It gives me control of my creative content and easy organizational access. Our lives during the pandemic are chronicled, which is kind of a cool piece of family history.

Whatever the creative project, hobby or new adventure carpe diem! Why not document it either through journaling, photos, or technology?

FUN!: Fun is that which provides us with an enjoyable distraction, entertainment and is often a new experience. Dr. William Glasser felt that fun was the byproduct of learning. These projects have turned out to bring a ton of laughter and play between Mark and me. When one is retired or semi-retired the time spent with one’s spouse increases greatly. Add CoVid restrictions and suddenly you might find life is becoming boring or habits might be irritating. The spontaneity of some of Mark’s playful humorous reactions reminded me of his great sense of humour and insights. There were moments I also felt, wow I’m learning a new dimension of Mark that otherwise would remain shadowed. It is through play that we learn new aspects of each other, even in our mid-sixties and after 37 years of marriage.  Play = Fun = Learning more about those in your life.

In summary, although there has been great tragedy with the pandemic, there have been many good things that have blossomed. For our household we have learned that routine and fun are important to our development personally and as a couple. We have also embraced playing and trying something new. Trust, discernment and courage to share have allowed us to document a time in history, in our shared life, that in the future will bring happy memories and reflections.

Last 15 Vlogs

I am listing these as a group. This was a point in our filming that was difficult as we were not comfortable in sharing the infinite details and our high levels of stress. We gave out hints that something was up. It definitely could have been more dramatic but that’s a prime example of using discernment in sharing on social media.

The week of negotiating the sale

Phew The Final Pack and Move

Now for those of you wanting a bit more info on vlogging:

Equipment

Oh my goodness …. The only new equipment I purchased were the mini lenses for my iPhone. They were fun to use but I didn’t use them often enough as I was too impatient to fiddle with them or didn’t carry them around with me when filming. Next time…lol

Learning from the Gifts of CoVid…

Routine and Special Projects are Life Enhancing

WOW! I did it, my second big creative pandemic themed project is complete, 75 vlogs, Monday to Friday for fifteen weeks, plus a weekly follow up blog. I’m astonished, 15 weeks flew by! It was a fun project that engaged my husband’s dramatic and comedic side while chronicling our pandemic journey. In addition, the sense of accomplishment is extremely satisfying. Moreover, I’m feeling a touch sassy for jumping into a new arena of creativity, vlogging without any prior training or experience. It has been a confidence booster and continued to feed my thirst to quench my needs of creativity (which according to Dr. Glasser – Choice Theory, is linked to the need for freedom).

CoVid the Wake up Call!

“If we never experience the chill of a dark winter, it is very unlikely that we will ever cherish the warmth of a bright summer’s day. Nothing stimulates our appetite for the simple joys of life more than the starvation caused by sadness or desperation. In order to complete our amazing life journey successfully, it is vital that we turn each and every dark tear into a pearl of wisdom, and find the blessing in every curse.”
― Anthon St. Maarten, Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny

This quote pretty much sums up what the CoVid pandemic has done for our world. Specifically, it is teaching us to step back and appreciate what we have and has ignited a creative renaissance.

The String of Wise Pearls I Have Collected

Routine: Both Mark and I have repeatedly discussed the importance of establishing new routines especially during the imposed pandemic shift. Daily Mark makes his tea, cooked oat bran with blueberries and flax then sits at his computer and either begins his part-time work or engages in personal research and reading. I leisurely sit and drink my 2-3 cups of coffee that can easily evolve into procrastination but after brainstorming creative ideas (for writing, sketching or vlogging) I commit to my daily fitness. I found that blogging for 100 days railroaded me into writing structure and the vlogging had me committed to planning activities of interest to share. In particular at night, I was determined to assemble the photos or short video clips in iMovie, regardless of fatigue or late hours. There were times that I could have forgotten the project but my pledge to completing it Monday to Friday and the weekend blog gave me purpose, defined the day/night and a sense of accomplishment (SMART goal).

No matter what the activity, routine helps define and guide the day and the week. As a retiree, it is all too easy to follow the passing distraction (squirrel! Lol) which can be a welcome change to the stressful daily commitment of a working life, BUT, like anything too much of squirrel chasing can leave us to feel restless and aimless.

Jump!: Ironically, in our world of abundant resources at our fingertips and the emphasis on perfection, comparison and competition, we often delay or not engage in an activity because we don’t have enough training or experience. We are afraid of looking stupid or that our activity or product will not be adequate. Funny that the more information we have available can cause us to be more insecure and careful.

Go for it! As Nike says, “Do IT!”. Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Summon the courage to take that deep breath and try something new or something you don’t do well. Remember practice makes perfect. I came to the vlogging project with some experience in playing with iMovie. Do I know the application thoroughly? No. Did I plan out the project with exacting detail? No.

Did I have some reservations that the project might be cheesy and of no interest? Yes, but, ultimately my goals were:

  1. to offer a simple sharing of daily story, in hopes of bringing a smile to someone else
  2. let others know that many of us over sixty crowd have similar lives (challenges and points of laughter)
  3. possibly inspire someone else to take the jump in tell their story either through written or video form or begin a new creative project

Did I fear being judged and putting information on-line? Yes, however, I thought discernment was the name of the game. First, if someone wants to judge that is their issue not mine. I did get feedback from a number of people who said that they enjoyed the vlogs. Even if it was just from one person that to me made it worthwhile.

Second, I would only upload a video that I was willing to share with the world and know it would stay forever. Of course, we experienced sad or embarrassing moments or there moments of dark coloured language, yet those were times I chose not to share in the video.

Above all, in using the iMovie program and the photo editing daily, I did gain some proficiency. As it is said, practice makes perfect. Technology can be intimidating, especially for those of us older folk who didn’t grow up with it from young ages. Using devices and experimenting with other accessories, like iPhone lenses, gives us more confidence to experiment.

The weekly blogging and YouTube references embedded in my blog posts on my website, organizes my posts. It gives me control of my creative content and easy organizational access. Our lives during the pandemic are chronicled, which is kind of a cool piece of family history.

Whatever the creative project, hobby or new adventure carpe diem! Why not document it either through journaling, photos, or technology?

FUN!: Fun is that which provides us with an enjoyable distraction, entertainment and is often a new experience. Dr. William Glasser felt that fun was the byproduct of learning. These projects have turned out to bring a ton of laughter and play between Mark and me. When one is retired or semi-retired the time spent with one’s spouse increases greatly. Add CoVid restrictions and suddenly you might find life is becoming boring or habits might be irritating. The spontaneity of some of Mark’s playful humorous reactions reminded me of his great sense of humour and insights. There were moments I also felt, wow I’m learning a new dimension of Mark that otherwise would remain shadowed. It is through play that we learn new aspects of each other, even in our mid-sixties and after 37 years of marriage.  Play = Fun = Learning more about those in your life.

In summary, although there has been great tragedy with the pandemic, there have been many good things that have blossomed. For our household we have learned that routine and fun are important to our development personally and as a couple. We have also embraced playing and trying something new. Trust, discernment and courage to share have allowed us to document a time in history, in our shared life, that in the future will bring happy memories and reflections.

Last 15 Vlogs

I am listing these as a group. This was a point in our filming that was difficult as we were not comfortable in sharing the infinite details and our high levels of stress. We gave out hints that something was up. It definitely could have been more dramatic but that’s a prime example of using discernment in sharing on social media.

The week of negotiating the sale

Phew The Final Pack and Move

Now for those of you wanting a bit more info on vlogging:

Equipment

Oh my goodness …. The only new equipment I purchased were the mini lenses for my iPhone. They were fun to use but I didn’t use them often enough as I was too impatient to fiddle with them or didn’t carry them around with me when filming. Next time…lol