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It's not unusual, for me to not get something.
A lot of things in this culture baffle me. This year-end
phenomenon of list making is one of them.
It's the best of, the worst of, person of the year this,
least person of the year that. On and on the listing goes.
It's as if every publication and industry must publish their
lists of opinions. And the amazing thing is, we read them. I
suspect, if for no other reason, that's why list making
continues, because the lists get read.
Perhaps there is value using some sort of schema to organize
our recent history, that is the year that is ending. Maybe
we learn something from such a review. But, of course, it's
not just year end lists that we make and read. We make wish
lists and resolution lists and shopping lists and gift lists
and lists of parties and lists of people to send cards to
and bucket lists and lists of bills to pay. And we also like
to read the lists others make of these things. After all
that, somewhere between January 1 and January 15, we
collapse, then prepare during the next 10 months to do it
all over again.
Given that many of us are list makers and list readers, here
is my list of suggested lists that might be useful to our
personal growth and development:
-
The Most Boring Period this year of Simply Sustaining,
i.e. chopping wood and carrying water and what I learned
from that.
-
The Middlest List, i.e. things, events, insights that
were neither noteworthy nor unnoticed, those mediocre
happenings that I was aware of.
-
My Most Personally Transforming Experience(s) this year.
-
The Avoided List: things I deliberately chose not to do.
-
List of My Greatest Disappointments this year
-
What I Am Most Pleased About Myself List.
-
The List of High Points and Low Points in My Marriage or
Significant Relationship.
-
List of Things My Body Taught Me
-
List of Ironies and Synchronicities that occurred to me
-
List of Reasons I Need To Make Lists (Or Not).
That's ten. If you need more or different topics, make up
your own. We may be attracted to other people's lists by the
worry that they know something we do not. God forbid we
should miss anything. The problem for me about that is, it's
a focus on others rather than attending to my own awareness
and observations.
Cheers for 2010!
ps. Deliberately choose to not read another person's list
until after January 15. If you must do listing, make
yourself your own authority and create the lists important
to you.
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