December 17: Lesson Learned

I'm participating in #reverb10, a month-long challenge to blog every day of December based on prompts provided here.

Prompt: Lesson Learned. What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward? (Author: Tara Weaver)

I have learned that I let petty things annoy me too much. I already knew this, but I am working on letting it bother me less. This is especially hard because anytime I am riding my bike, I am thinking about something petty that annoys me. I ride my bike to and from work, over an hour a day total. So that's a lot of mulling over petty things. But I find that if I spend a good deal of time thinking about being disgruntled about something, it's easier for me to soon forget it.

I am working on mantras: It's not that big of a deal. There are other things to worry about. When you've cooled down a bit, you can come back to it.

And I've also been doing yoga, pretty consistently once a week or twice if I can. I am hoping this helps, but I don't think it does (It's pretty much just helping me get closer to touching my toes and stand up straighter, but that's also something I need to work on, so that's just fine).

That's the best thing I learned.

I also learned that I have an unhealthy habit of yo-yoing between extreme fitness and complete lethargy. I began to understand this year that it's probably better for my physical and social health to run somewhere in between zero and 20 miles on a given Sunday, not one or the other.

I learned that it takes the same effort to be nice to someone as it does to be mean to them.

And this isn't so much about myself, but I learned how to be a damn good coupon clipper.