What did you learn this Year??

DavineDesign · Post by **DavineDesign** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 10:51 am

hmmmmm...

Lydia Love · Post by **Lydia Love** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 11:48 am

Oh lawdy, this year... *this* year? The whole freakin year not just what I learned in the last couple of weeks?

I have learned that more lessons can be learned in a year than I thought possible.

I have learned that I really know fuck all about anything and the closer it is to my own center and my own heart the less I know.

I have learned that I'm stronger than I thought in some ways. I have learned I'm weaker than I thought in some ways.

I have learned that there are no fairy tale endings. There are no endings. Snow White and Prince Charming have to work damn hard on "And they lived happily ever after". Eventually they'll fight about money and sex and chores and they will be tempted by poisoned apples and loose tavern wenches... it's inevitable. Maybe they work it out and maybe they don't and maybe they work it out now and don't later.

I have learned to never ever again live outside of a city. I don't need a fucking house in the country or the suburbs with a white picket fence. I have to be close to the center of action, there has to be art and parties and bars and cafes and people, lots of people nearby or I go quietly and miserably crazy.

I have learned to feel some measure of joy in my body. I can like who I am at least part of the time.

I have learned that I feel better if I move my ass around some every day. I have learned that I don't want to be a couch potato.

I have learned that the old habits, the sneaky, self-destructive coping mechanisms still lurk in my head and when I'm sad and too tired or hungry or lonely they well up inside me and can still take over and I find myself wanting to do shit I thought I'd given up for good a long time ago. I can backslide and do something stupid. It's scary. I've learned I have to pay a little more attention to when I'm getting too sad or tired or hungry or lonely and take care of that shit and be more vigilant.

I am learning, maybe, to stand on my own two feet. I am learning, maybe, to have it be okay to lean on someone else sometimes. I am learning, maybe, to stand up for myself, to say what I need and even if I don't get it I at least said it out loud and that's a good thing.

It's been a hell of a year.

samtzu · Post by **samtzu** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 1:18 pm

What have I learned this year? ... where to start?...

Old lessons renewed:

I am mortal
I don't know as much as I think I do, but I know more than I'm aware of
I am in "Not yet!" mode, still...
My children actually benifited from my upbringing
I am older than I think I am, but not as old as others think I am, or should be
Life is Good!

New lessons learned:

I currently operate more in the dark than in the light
Contemplation is difficult in the middle of 35,000 party goers
Possibility is always there, the means to accomplish it may not be
The path can be straightened, the obstacles turned to... something else
Life is Still Good!

There is more... and I may share it later... but it is still being digested.

Post by **AntiM** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 2:27 pm

Off-hand:

Mammograms and colonoscopies save lives. Primarily mine this year.

I could care less if a person prefers traditional or alternative or natural medicine and therapy, just GET YOUR FUCKING SCREENING AND A CHECK-UP. Find a free clinic or low income program if you must, but don't kid yourself, no matter how well you treat yourself, how little family history is present, cancer strikes out of the blue sometimes. And deaths from breast and colon cancer are so very, very preventable in the early stages.

Sorry for yelling, this year I feel passionate about nagging folks about check-ups.

All other lessons paled this year next to: I am Mortal, and my body, my very cells betrayed me, and I never would have had a clue until too late were it not for routine tests.

Yes, it is better to know if you have cancer, the soonest the bestest.

Rant over.

DavineDesign · Post by **DavineDesign** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 2:43 pm

Early in the year I realized you have to run into the asswholes, before you can appreciate your true friends...

I am still learning better ways to appreciate my true friends.., and have a good sence of who the asswholes are.

I have learned a lot, I am ever renewing my intentions, and strengthening my perception, so when something hits me I'll now how to look at it, without crying about the bruise... bruises heal...

..........

mars · Post by **mars** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 3:51 pm

I learned I can be an ass-whole and my friends still love me. I learned that my friends can be ass-wholes and i can still love them.

I learned that I can think I'm being an ass-whole when I'm actually not or that someone can think I'm an ass-whole when I'm actually not.

I learned that I can't really tell what's going on beneath the surface and that no one else can either.

Mister Jellyfish Mister · Post by **Mister Jellyfish Mister** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 7:22 am

I learned:

To shut up about Burning Man in front of most people and that just because I am passionate does not mean I must talk about it to everyone.

I am politicaly conservative and artisticly liberal and I don't want to talk about it.

Children eventually reach an age in which I can relate to them.

I have reached a comfortable cuising altitude in my career accompanied with guilt and a creative hole in my heart conveniently packed with playa dust. I don't want to build an empire after all, and I think I always knew it.

I have a childish sense of humor that I never want to lose.

I have had a very managable mid-life crisis, almost like I was observing it from the outside.

I compare myself to others my age who have saved/invested plenty and it scares me that I'm way under prepared for the future.

My body aches in the morning, and fights back if I neglect it.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 9:58 am

I didn't LEARN a damn thing this year, but for once I remembered stuff that I learned long, long ago in time to actually do me some good. Stuff like:

-Bend your knees and keep your back straight when lifting.
-Every other drink should be water.
-Keep flossing.
-Don't stay in bed after you've gotten eight hours of sleep.
-The weatherman is wrong.

Rian Jackson · Post by **Rian Jackson** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 10:35 am

i have learned a lot about loss, and grief, and recovery.
i have learned even more about being on the outside than I've always known.

i have learned to trust again... and how it is when that trust is broken.... again.

i have learned (sometimes) to let other people help me (a little).

i have learned some deep ugly corners of myself, and how they change when exposed to sunlight.

stuart · Post by **stuart** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 11:09 am

I have learned that I am no longer young
I have learned to be a little bit tolerant of the idea

I have learned that burning man just might not be fun for me anymore
I have not learned to be a little bit tolerant of the idea

I have learned that I am living a wonderful life
I have learned that that is O.K.

I have learned that friends of mine are pregnant
I have learned that I will miss them

I have learned that even when all is right I can still feel alone
I have learned I need to figure that shit out once and for all

I have learned that one of my furry coats has magic powers in non-burner environs
I have learned to embrace that

III · Post by **III** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 12:02 pm

i learned that even though you may have a whole lot of life experience, when you start over, you still have to start over from the very beginning.

cowboyangel · Post by **cowboyangel** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 8:51 pm

it is a wise idea to listen to ones wife

DavineDesign · Post by **DavineDesign** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 12:36 am

I have learned that true love is hard to come by

gigglesnort · Post by **gigglesnort** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 1:10 am

well, among other things I continue to remember to learn that I know I believe (and I feel so silly that I've forgotten *again!*) that true love is everpresent everywhere and I seem to keep discovering that the source emanates from within my very own heart.

Simply Joel · Post by **Simply Joel** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 4:27 am

love will stick to your face.

Ranger Genius · Post by **Ranger Genius** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 5:33 am

And I don't know if you've noticed, but if you don't clean it off glass right away, it leaves streaks.

Post by **AntiM** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 6:30 am

You learned how to wash dishes?!

Ranger Genius · Post by **Ranger Genius** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 6:32 am

Well, I've learned the deep satisfaction of having a dishwasher. Infinitely preferable to BEING one.

Simply Joel · Post by **Simply Joel** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 6:39 am

I have learned since this weekend's earthquake, tsunamis and loss of life, that all the ranting and raving done here on the e-playa and/or in the default world doesn't amount to a hill of beans.

helitack · Post by **helitack** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 7:01 am

Simply Joel wrote:I have learned since this weekend's earthquake, tsunamis and loss of life, that all the ranting and raving done here on the e-playa and/or in the default world doesn't amount to a hill of beans.

Yep Joel, that's it. So I learned that if I can make one person smile then I have done OK.

cowboyangel · Post by **cowboyangel** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 5:55 pm

Simply Joel wrote:I have learned since this weekend's earthquake, tsunamis and loss of life, that all the ranting and raving done here on the e-playa and/or in the default world doesn't amount to a hill of beans.

ah....finally........a crack of reasonableness in the ceramic cranium of the post-paste-master!

GuinivereElise · Post by **GuinivereElise** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 6:54 pm

I have learned when to talk.

I have learned when to listen.

I have learned what the loss of a close family member is like.

I have learned that there is always some form of regret over said loss.

I have learned that puppies will eat anything.

I have learned that puppies will ROLL in everything, especially if they're white.

I have learned that I need community, and community needs me.

I have learned that finding oneself means losing oneself first.

I have learned that true love exists.

I have learned that some people just want to be told what to do, instead of thinking for themselves.

I have learned that I am a closet rockstar.

I have learned that needing another person is not always about weakness.

I have learned that i sometimes think agree with Plato's Symposium about the origin of love.

I have learned that life can't NOT be complicated.

I have learned that finding IT, that special something, is worth all the looking and seeking and losing and hurting ever.

I have learned that the whole is sometimes greater than the sum of it's parts.

I have learned that there are things too beautiful to describe in mere words.

I have learned that I have a home in the middle of the desert in late august.

I have learned that this place calls to me, beckons me, pleads with me.

I have learned who I am, more and more...

and there's still three more days, to learn even more!

tonytohono · Post by **tonytohono** » Fri Dec 31, 2004 10:54 pm

I have learned that there is a whole lot more out there yet to be learned.

I have also learned that there are people out there that defy description.

And finally, I have learned that in order to find something all one has to do is continue looking...

...and even so, what you are likely to find is most likely not going to be what you expected.

Simply Joel · Post by **Simply Joel** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 6:30 am

i don't require anyone's approval or acceptance, although an occasional beer with friends is nice.

buckethead alien · Post by **buckethead alien** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 7:56 am

I learned how to really love and be loved in return, and that it is exactly as the poets say it is. The larks really do fly out of your chest.

Simply Joel · Post by **Simply Joel** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 8:25 am

i have other priorities to address in 2005.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 9:38 am

Simply Joel wrote:i have other priorities to address in 2005.

^
that's it for me,also

Donita · Post by **Donita** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 10:09 am

I have learned that grief and loss of a loved one is an ever ongoing process, but that you learn from it, grow from it and eventually accept...and that time heals.

I have learned that getting a DUI for the first time really sucks, but that you learn from it, grow from it and eventually accept.

I have learned that I don't always have to be the first one to apologize.

I have learned that I, too, believe in the origin of love by Plato (thanks to Hedwig).

I have learned that I can love family members, but not necessarilly like them.

I have learned that I really do underestimate myself sometimes, that I really am smarter and stronger than I give myself credit for.

I have learned that we never really know how long a person is here on this planet and to appreciate and love every moment we have with those people.

I have learned that fear of anything is something to be conquered.

I have learned that when a child grows out of her rebellious teenage years, she actually does turn back into a wonderful human being again...and that the wait is worth it...and you learn and grow from the whole experience.

I have learned that the more Burning Man people I get to know and meet, the better my world is.

tonytohono · Post by **tonytohono** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 10:27 am

Donita wrote:I have learned that grief and loss of a loved one is an ever ongoing process, but that you learn from it, grow from it and eventually accept...and that time heals.

I began learning this one going on two years ago, and this year I finally accepted it.

cowboyangel · Post by **cowboyangel** » Mon Jan 03, 2005 9:14 pm

3 six packs are better than one