#reverb10: Achieve

Today's #reverb10 writerly prompt is: December 28: Achieve. What’s the thing you most want to achieve next year? How do you imagine you’ll feel when you get it? Free? Happy? Complete? Blissful? Write that feeling down. Then, brainstorm 10 things you can do, or 10 new thoughts you can think, in order to experience that feeling today. (Author: Tara Sophia Mohr)

Though it feels a bit weird to frame this topic in terms of achievement, probably because I’ve been feeling a lot of movement and possibly Braxton Hicks contractions today, what is top of mind today for me for next year is experiencing a smooth delivery, ideally sans food poisoning and -- hopefully -- naturally. One of the strangest things for me about Laurel’s birth was how out of body it was; I didn’t experience any of the typical labor transitions. If I can come out the other side of this pregnancy experiencing this natural rite of passage, I imagine that I will feel blissful, fulfilled, and as if I have discovered a new side of myself -– both physically and mentally.

And here are 10 things to do or thoughts to think in order to experience that feeling today:

When I feel a kick (or possible contraction) today…

1. …stop what I’m doing and experience the physical sensation.

2. …remember that I’m almost 29 weeks.

3. …envision the little person doing kung fu in there.

4. …breathe deeply and imagine the sensation cranked up about a million notches.

5. …think about my mother, who delivered seven babies.

6. …remember that the birth experience will be perfect however it turns out…even if it seems utterly imperfect at first.

And also…

7. Reflect on the self discoveries I have made to date.

8. Remember that bliss comes in small and large forms.

9. Look at my daughter and husband –- both people who have helped me discover new physical and mental sides of myself.

10. At the end of the day, find contentment in whatever it was that I was able to achieve today.