MetaChat - Coffin & Cradle, 2011

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03 January 2011

Coffin & Cradle, 2011 *whispers* Are we going to do coffin and cradle this year? I really liked this the last two years' threads.
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Mine were:

coffin: I guess it sounds macabre, but my sick, wasted gallbladder, meaning my health problems.

cradle: new, refurbished marriage, and as I mentioned before, world peace.

I did mostly leave my health problems behind. It's been a really healthy year for me and the family, and I've been really happy about that. I'm still overweight, but I can run with my kids and keep up with them, lift them both (50lbs each) for short periods of time, and do a decent workout at home with a yoga ball and some eight pound weights.

The world peace thing went a lot more slowly. I gathered pennies for a year, and got about $3 worth - not much, but there were a couple in there worth about $1.50 as collector's items, so I replaced that value in the donation. I'm going to see if I can't get my church to try this.

This year's c&c was hard for me to visualize. I wanted to put whole trunk fulls of stuff and finally decided to get a little meta:

coffin: my present house. I bought it 20 years ago after the S&L crisis created the Resolution Trust Corporation. It's been a decent house, but it's too far away from where we need to be, and getting too expensive to maintain. I own it without a mortgage, and that's saved my ass more than once. But it's time to let go of that security blanket and move forward.

cradle: books and weights. The books are for the graduate degree I'm going to get, by God. I won't lie, cheat, or steal, but I'm going to get in one way or another.

The weights are me getting further into shape and keeping my body healthy so my mind doesn't fall and keep me back.

How about you?

post by: lysdexic at: 13:19 | 14 comments

In the coffin: my miserly ways. I've resolved to use my money in ways that make my life easier and happier this year. I'm tired of making do and scrimping when I don't have to.

In the cradle: taking better care of myself. I realized that I've spent the last ten years kind of ignoring my mental and physical health, and I deserve better. I'm taking a lot of inspiration from this AskMe thread. So far it's been nice. It's more than physical (because I'm technically not in bad shape; I just don't feel AWESOME all the time) - I really want to nurture all of me this year. I'm looking forward to it.

posted by punchtothehead 03 January | 13:36

Yes! this is it! Let's do it!

I think I'll adapt the thread title a little to indicate that it's definitely Coffin & Cradle, if that's OK with you. Thanks for remembering this cool tradition.

I'll need a few minutes to think about mine.

posted by Miko 03 January | 13:43

For reference (I'm afraid to look)
Coffin & Cradle, New Year's 2010
Coffin & Cradle, New Year's 2009

posted by Miko 03 January | 13:46

Coffin: as with last year, it's still cancer. I have seen it take such a toll this past year that I am just weary of it, I haven't nearly the vitriol that I did last year. Still, fuck cancer, boo.

Cradle: All of the good things in my life remain, fantastic marriage, financial stability, awesome pet, great family and friends. The one thing that I will nurture to full bloom is my health. My stroke in November really threw me. Normally, I am a disturbingly healthy 38 year old (seriously, I've never even had a cavity), and rarely have any health complaints. The big issues have started to add up, though. I lost sight in my left eye three years ago. April, 2010, I had a hysterectomy. November I had a stroke. I can no longer think of myself as that "healthy" person I have always considered myself to be. It's like slipping on a new identity - I am no longer msali-Superwoman In Disguise. I am msali, bearer of serious health issues. And I don't like it, not one bit. Who would? The point of this rambling (and I'm sure everyone has stopped reading by now) is that 2011 is going to be the year that I listen to my body. I rest when I am weary, I eat when I am hungry, I don't overdo it. Ever. I don't want to drop dead in 2011.

posted by msali 03 January | 13:46

punchtothehead said mine for me. I need to be kinder to myself when it comes to buying things I know I need and can afford. This may involve a new car later this year.

I also want to be healthier this year, which means dropping some weight and exercising more, as well as nurturing my emotional health, which I often tend to ignore.

posted by Senyar 03 January | 13:59

((msali)) I read the whole thing, and I know exactly what you mean. I didn't have anything near as serious as you, but I know that wrenching transition to needing to remember to listen to myself and deal with it up front. It's humbling and angry-making at the same time.

Thanks for the fix, Miko!

posted by lysdexic 03 January | 14:01

coffin: me

cradle: me

Good bye, old self. Hope the new me is incrementally better. Whatever happens, I'll try to be kind to myself.

posted by Eideteker 03 January | 14:12

I kinda hate to do one of these this year, because I had a fantastic 2010. I pretty much want it to live forever.

posted by richat 03 January | 15:57

Yay richat!

Ok, I thought of a cradle one for this year -

I'd like to be more active on the weekends. I'm pretty hard core about moving around the office and getting gym time and jogs and walks logged, but I think my weekend sloth, brought into sharp focus by a holiday pedometer, is keeping the extra few pounds on me. So I'd like to move around more, and this could also lead to hiking or museum going or whatnot - with or without people publicus.

posted by rainbaby 03 January | 16:27

Coffin: Death. I lost four friends last year to (separate) motorsport accidents. I don't want any more death this year and will keep working to improve safety in our sport to this end.

Cradle: New job, new beginning. My team's work is being taken over by the feds later this year, presenting an opportunity to either continue with my current work (more or less) for a new employer or take up a different opportunity with my current employer. Either way, it's time for me to put more of a personal stamp on the work I do instead of marching to the beat of other drummers.

posted by dg 03 January | 17:08

Last year:

coffin: depending on views and opinions of others to run my life

cradle: getting healthier, but in a safe, normal way, not crazypants obsessive way

Slowly working on both. Still. It's hard when my folks try to control everything and don't seem to want me to make decisions. (Case in point: my property tax assessment that I'm going to fight to get lowered because it's still wayyyyy too high comparative to other properties. I told my father that I wanted to go through the process to see how it works (first time homeowner, blah blah blah) and he basically just took all the forms and said he'd take care of it. Fucking irritating.)

I'm doing better with the cradle. I started treatment for my depression (since 2nd grade, never had treatment before because my folks don't believe in it) and I've been going to the gym and I make my own food (although I do still have a weakness for pizza and french fries but I've put those on the weekend) and I eat wayyyyy more fruits and veggies than I used to. And I haven't been all crazypants obsessive and dangerous, which is nice. Now, only if I could get my mother to quit making snarky comments about how I'm not losing weight fast enough to suit her. (FTR, she takes all those weird OTC diet pills that are super sketchy IMO and then thinks she can eat EVERYTHING.)

posted by sperose 03 January | 18:35

Sonofabitch, I didn't mean for that to post. Grar.

This year's coffin: Giving up. Saying that it's okay to not do things because doing things is frightening.

This year's cradle: More creative pursuits. I want to dance more. And write more. And put myself out there more.

posted by sperose 03 January | 18:38

I really started on the mental health things last year, so that's good! Sodium isn't entirely in the coffin yet, but I am still aware of it, so that's good, too! This year, the mental health issues are going back in the coffin and I think I'm going to put "yearning for a lifemate" in there, too, because I'm starting to think that as I become more aware of my mental health issues, I'll regain my confidence again and will be ready for a lifemate. So yeah, the "yearning" part is what's going in the coffin.

What is going in the cradle are going to be a stronger connection to my sister, renewed devotion to writing, and another raise.

The "yearning" part is definitely well and buried because I had a "soulmate"-ish romance which ended, and then about a month after that, I found someone else who is more compatible with me, so I'm good on that part! Mental health isn't entirely dead, so that's going back in the coffin and this time, I'm throwing fiscal irresponsibility in there for good because this is the first year I feel as if I can really make an impact on that.

The writing thing's going back in the cradle, as is another raise (I'm 2 for 2!) and I'm adding two new things to the cradle: my chutzpah and mojo. If I can get those back and still be "nice" then I win!

posted by TrishaLynn 03 January | 20:37

Coffin: work stress. Turns out all the crazy stress I've been having didn't even help me launch my product on time, so what good is it? People have been telling me this for a while but I didn't get it for myself until now, after disasters happen anyway.

Cradle: dental health- get back to the dentist, brush and floss more. Also, art classes, I need to take them and have a structured time to do things otherwise I never get around to it and never do anything but work and see friends.

posted by rmless2 04 January | 10:17

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