August 24, 2010

Not Yet

How odd, I thought singing in the shower would be the easiest goal to achieve yet it has not happened yet. Two mornings, I completely forgot my goal. One evening I was at the gym and I was just NOT prepared for that kind of singing, and this morning I am not taking a shower because I took one late last night. I will conquer this and make myself happier!

August 18, 2010

My First Task

I spent two days trying to determine if such a mundane and silly task could go on my list.  In the end, singing in the shower finally won out as my first task. I bet you are wondering why I chose such a silly, easy to fulfill task first aren't you?

I suppose this all relates to my youth when I would sing in the bathtub as I turned into a prune and played in no longer warm bath water. I loved the sound of my voice as it echoed off of the bathroom walls and resonated throughout the house.  I spent my time singing just two songs; I sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and the US National Anthem. Laugh if you will, but those songs sound amazing in the bathroom.

I eventually stopped singing in the shower when I left for college. First of all, I had roommates that needed the bathroom and soaking in a tub until prune-like was no longer fair. Then I thought about how loud I sing and I decided that I could try humming. Finally, I was asked to stop because the bathroom was directly between my room and my suite mates room and it just wasn't fair to sing or hum when everyone could hear you during study time or early int he morning when I awoke.

I later moved on to my first real apartment without roommates but then I had the issue of bothering my neighbors. My entire apartment backed up against the other and our kitchens, bathrooms, washer/dryer set, and bedroom were all back to back. I know that if I could hear her showers running than she would be able to hear me singing my rousing edition of the national anthem completed by a hearty, "play ball" at the end.

I never could get back to singing in the shower. Fear of annoying my neighbors is the main reason but now I am just out of practice and self conscience. I sing in my car when I am alone (and I think I sound great but that clearly stems from my lack of knowledge on the actual lyrics.) I also enjoy going to karaoke but I never sing out loud. This last problem is compacted by my brother being a DJ and Karaoke host with an amazing voice. I can never sing in his presence, he makes me nervous.

To make myself happy I will again start singing in the shower. I will also take a stab at singing karaoke in front of a crowd and report back on my findings.  The task will be easy to achieve and it is something that can be done quickly as the month is ending in just two weeks.

August 16, 2010

The Reason For Beginning

The Jewish calendar is currently in the month of Elul. The month of Elul is used for introspection and preparation for the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. The time is supposed to be spent getting closer to G-d and evaluating one's life. It is a time for evaluating one's actions and determining what needs to be changed so one can merit the blessings that are determined at the new year on Rosh Hashana. (For more information on Elul or the High Holy Days please go to Aish.com or Chabad.org)

Coincidentally, I love the process of planning. Nothing makes me feel more useful than pulling out a pen and a moleskin notebook and jotting my ideas down. I have always been an "idea" person. The time has come to turn those ideas into actions and become a "doer".

This year, I am going to work on counting my blessings and creating opportunities for blessings to be appreciated.  I am currently sitting with my moleskin notebook and I am creating a long list of things to work on over the coming year. I will post my 12 ideas (one for each month) as soon as I get my list finalized.