December 3rd and 4th - Reverb 10

December 3: Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

What the hell am I looking at?

We were in a small town called Cong in the west coast of Ireland. Me, my husband, my sister, her boyfriend and their friend Mina, and we were riding bikes. Terrible loaner bikes from the castle we were staying in (Castle. Yeah I said it - it was AMAZING!). My butt hurt, my legs hurt and I was nursing a cold. Oh, and it was like 40 degrees. 

Super awesome lake near the castle.

We were rocketing down a steeper than it looked hill, sans helmets*, and I remember feeling the wind on my face, every bump on that dirt road and feeling exhilarated. For a few minutes, the world just fell away and I felt like a kid again (I could hear the sound "Wheeeee!" in my head the whole time). 


Then we went and flew falcons. FALCONS! Rough life right? Ireland is awesome.

L-R Jason the Falconer, my mom and me - flying an MF-en falcon.

Each time I look at the photos we took that day I get giddy - it's a day I think of when my current day is failing in it's ability to be awesome. And I also watch this video of my family and remember that life is so much better with good company.
*(I know. The Irish aren't known for their bike safety. I once saw an old man with a sheep - a SHEEP - in his bike basket riding down one lane of a two-lane highway near Galway.)

December 4: Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?


Well for starters, I flew a falcon this year, which was pretty wonderful. Look at the above photo - I look like I just won a ticket to the all puppy/all cupcake parade. The falcon-ing, the bike riding, the Ireland exploring all boil down to one thing - learning.

This is Dingle the owl. We didn't fly him because
he doesn't like people other than Jason. So emo.

Having a sense of wonder means that you can't be a know-it-all. You have to be open to learning something new and be open to letting things happen. 


Full disclosure on the biking: I was nervous and kinda pissed off about going at first. I had a cold, was like 20 lbs overweight and was worried about falling off the bike. Thank God my natural stubbornness didn't prevent me from having one of the best days of my life. 


Is stubbornness preventing you from doing something wonderful?