As much as I love the holidays, I love the last few days before the end of the year. I love to reflect on the year that is ending and look forward to the year to come.
This year is extra special because it's also the end of a decade which reminds me of my favourite New Year's song I listen to every year. If you could travel back in time to 2009, what would "2009-you" be amazed to know happened in the 2010's?
Imagine it's the end of of 2029, what do you hope your life will be like then? If you like lists or resolutions, write down your hopes and dreams and store them somewhere special.
I wrote my dreams in this journal for the first time in January 1996.
Life is the music
that dances through our days,
our nights and our years.
It's interesting to see what I dreamed of then, to see the ones that happened and also how I feel about those that didn't. Am I disappointed? Do I still hope they happen? Using a journal also allows for future edits or additions.
Since 2005, I have made a playlist of my favourite songs every year. At the end of 2009, I made a list of my favourite songs of the decade (2000's). I am continuing that tradition by creating a playlist of my favourite songs of 2019 and the 2010's. If books or movies are more your thing, would you enjoy making a yearly list of your favourites?
I spent some time this week looking back at my photos from 2019. If you had asked me to tell you what I did all year, I wouldn't have thought of some amazing moments. Looking back at the photos reminded me of experiences I loved and want to remember.
What were your favourite moments of 2019? What experiences do you want to remember?
Some experiences are unforgettable. I won't forget breaking my arm, going on vacation, attending the Raptors NBA Championship parade or launching my Revive55 Project. What are some smaller moments that are worth remembering but could be forgotten?
I love the colours of the Caribbean Sea.
This is one of my favourite photos of the year:
Can you guess where it is? Some of you can but if I had seen this photo years ago, I wouldn't have guessed.
This is not a perfect photo, but it's a moment when I am reminded that I can see beautiful Lake Ontario colours a short drive from home. I didn't have much time to admire it on this fall day. I was with friends and we were going for a quick dinner by the beach before a movie. I want to remember this moment as a reminder to go next summer and truly enjoy Lake Ontario and the beach we have. I'm adding that to my New Years Resolutions.
Celebrate the past
Create a time capsule or best of lists of what 2019 or the 2010's were like for you.
Ideas include:
Favourite Photos and Videos
Stories or things that happened to you
Mementos or Purchases
Accomplishments or Celebrations
People you spent time with, you met or your favourite celebrities
Outings or Activities
Places like a country, city or place in your neighbourhood or in your house
If this seems overwhelming, you can just spend a bit some time remembering your favourite moments.
Did you start a Memories timeline? Take a few moments to add 2019 or 2010's events on it.
By looking at what you love from your past, you get clues of what you will love in the future.
Dream for your future
What kind of photos and videos do you love? What kind of outings and activities do you most enjoy?
How can you plan to create more moments that you'll love just as much in 2020?
By looking back at 2009, I was reminded that I was about to go to the Olympics in Vancouver for the Opening Ceremony and Men's Moguls - our first Olympic gold win on home soil. That trip is one of my highlights of the decade. Before we had children, we used to go on a yearly ski trip to Whistler. I have wanted to go back especially since they co-hosted the 2010 Olympics. As an Olympic host city, it would be even more special.
Since starting this post and doing my own reflection, I have booked a trip to return to Vancouver on the 10th anniversary of the Opening Ceremony and then to go to Whistler where I will see the Olympic rings and ski the Olympic downhill run.
If I am super lucky, one of the Olympic cauldrons will be lit while I'm there.
Sometimes, we need to reflect and to plan in order for our hopes and dreams to happen.
There are other days that are also worth remembering and could bring happiness to our lives by reminiscing and reliving these moments.
Revive55 Challenge:
Create a memories timeline. You can do this in a spreadsheet or document.
Find dates to add to your timeline. For example (besides the obvious ones), find:
dated photos - especially the ones you added in your memories folders from Revive55 Challenge #1 and #5
your mortgage for the date you bought your house
ticket stubs for a sports event or concert
Google for dates like:
Jays first World Series win October 24, 1992
Raptors NBA Championship June 13, 2019
Mike Weir Masters win - April 13, 2003
your city or town's birthday (Toronto - March 6, 1834)
Live-Aid - July 13, 1985
date your favourite album or movie was released
work dates on your résumé
graduation
passport stamps
Timehop app and Facebook Memories remind us of what we posted on social media on certain dates.
Add events to your calendar or Day One-type app to be reminded of them on anniversaries.
Keep the timeline handy to add more events as you are reminded of them.
Result:
As you add more events, you'll end up with a list of wonderful memories that you can remember and celebrate.
As a New Year's resolution last year, my husband and I started a timeline of our lives that included dates for our significant life events. This is a sample of a long document. I have taken out some of the personal identifying details but it looks like this. The colour codes refer to work, home and travel.
As I started the Revive55 Project and was going through my childhood mementos, I wanted to add dates that were on programmes, photos and certificates of minor events.
I found that minor events were cluttering up the prettier table so I decided to make a spreadsheet that would hold more information. Here's a sample that includes major and minor memories:
Eventually "fun memories" will be divided into concert/music memories, sports events, family and friends memories.
For example, on the anniversary of the day we went on a special trip we can celebrate by enjoying the photos and videos we took; by making a meal or going to a restaurant that reminds us of that trip; documenting the stories or travelling back to the location.
We can celebrate the anniversary of a special concert by listening to a playlist we make that duplicates the setlist of the concert or watching videos of the band playing live. I love the setlist.fm website that posts setlists to most concerts I have attended.
Do They Know It's Christmas was recorded on November 25th 1984. In 2009, I wrote this blog post about listening to that song every November 25th.
I am posting this specific challenge today because it is Friday the 13th. December 13th may not be significant to most of you. I normally remember it as my friend's birthday. This year however, I am remembering it differently because it reminded me of December 13th 1996 which was also a Friday.
I was pregnant with two due dates: December 9th and 12th. Throughout the pregnancy, I thought it would be cool to have a 12/12 birthday boy. With my due date past, 23 years ago, my husband and I went to see The English Patient at Varsity Theatre on Friday the 13th. We sat in the last row close to the exit door in case I went into labour. Luckily I didn't.
I am being reminded of the time before we were parents. I got my pregnancy journal out and reminisced about the days when it used to be just the two of us. Rewatching The English Patient, as much as I enjoyed it at the time, isn't something that will add happiness to my life today, but I watched some clips on YouTube that I enjoyed.
We had plans to go see a movie at the Varsity Theatre tonight, but with a tickle in my throat, that's not meant to be. I still enjoyed reminiscing, writing this post and coming up with the term "Memories Timeline".
By travelling back in time to meaningful memories, we can look forward to future moments that will be worth remembering by reminiscing, reliving or creating new memories.
In a future Revive55 Challenge, we will make future plans to create new memories inspired by our past experiences.
Christmas is considered a magical time of year. One of the reasons is because of our traditions associated with the holiday.
Blue Mountain Christmas Lights
Are you taking the time to enjoy the holidays or are you on auto-pilot and putting decorations out or baking just because it's what you have always done.
Do you sometimes find yourself in January with the disappointment that the holidays got away from you and you didn't enjoy them as much as you could have? I certainly have some years.
By being mindful and taking the time to reflect and plan, we can ensure that this Christmas is a memorable one.
What are your favourite holiday traditions? Who do you love to spend time with?
Take a moment to reflect on your favourite Christmas memories.
When you take your Christmas decorations out, what are your favourites that bring a smile to your face when you see them? Do you have decorations that you would rather donate than keep? Sometimes when we have less, we appreciate our favourites more.
What is your favourite ornament? Do you put it in a prominent place on your Christmas tree?
Favourite Ornaments
Some people love the tradition of preparing and enjoying special meals and treats. Do you like the tradition of making and enjoying the same foods year after year? This year, consider getting a new recipe from a Christmas-themed magazine or from a friend.
If you love Christmas music or movies, are they the same every year or do you add new ones?
Introducing new favourites to our traditional favourites can make this Christmas more memorable.
There are many Christmas events in the GTA. Do you prefer to return to the same event like the Distillary Christmas Market or the Nutcracker every year? Or do you like to experience new events?
Most towns and cities have special Christmas events like:
Toronto Christmas Market - Distillery District
A Nutcracker Christmas At The Castle - Casa Loma
Evergreen's Winter Village - Evergreen Brick Works
Toronto Aurora Winter Festival - Ontario Place
Holiday Fair in the Square - Nathan Phillips Square
Terra Lumina at the Toronto Zoo
Christmas Glow at Toronto Congress Centre in Etobicoke
Winter Festival of Lights - Niagara Falls
Blumination Dream Trail at Blue Mountain
Santafest at Santa's Village in Bracebridge
Gift of Lights - Bingemans in Kitchener
Festival of Lights - Kapuskasing (my hometown)
Alight at Night Festival - Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg
Winterfest - Canada's Wonderland
Dream Trail at Blue Mountain
These are just a few ideas. What is happening in your city or town?
Sometimes even finding a beautifully lit street is worth the drive or walk in the evening. Inglewood Drive in Toronto is lined with giant-sized inflatable Santas every year.
Santas on Inglewood Drive
When we recognize what we love, we can create more of these types of memories.
For those who love markets, return to a favourite or experience a new one. If you love music, find new Christmas songs to love.
What brings a smile to your face during the holidays?
The scent of our Christmas tree brings a smile to my face every time I enter the house or room. To have that feeling before we get our tree, I purchased a pine and balsam scented candle.
I love tourtière and shortbread at Christmas time. I used to make peppermint patties but haven't in years. It may be time to revive this tradition or find a new recipe. I just re-read this blog post from 2011 where I wrote about my favourite Christmas foods and traditions. It's definitely a good reminder to keep the traditions I love.
Is there a Christmas movie you haven't seen that can be added to your Christmas tradition? I had never seen Elf until I visited my brother-in-law in DC for Thanksgiving less than 10 years ago. It is now one of my favourites. Click here for a list of Christmas movies for inspiration.
What are your favourite Christmas songs? Did you have a favourite album growing up? Create a playlist of your favourite songs.
Imagine that it's January 1st. What do you hope to have experienced over the holidays?
Revive55 Challenge:
Make a list and check it twice ;-)
Ask friends and family or Google for new ideas
Add events in your calendar
Enjoy the holidays
Take photos and videos
Journal memorable stories
Share the photos, videos and stories!!
It's the last Christmas of the decade, make it a special one!!
I wrote this post yesterday knowing I would be out most of today at a Positivi-Tea event with Brenda Jasmin and Tea with Tracie.
If you're in the Oakville area, I highly recommend their events. One of my friends at the event also told me that the Burlington Lakeside Festival of Lights is beautiful!
I want to share my favourite takeaways from this event as an addition to my post.
The theme of the event was "Infusing Positivity Into Your Holiday".
We discussed many aspects of the holiday season and what is meaningful to each one of us. Just like I mentioned to find the traditions that are meaningful to us, Brenda asked us to list activities that were sources of depletion or repletion. It wasn't only what do we love or not love, but what drains or adds energy to our holiday.
My favourite takeaway from the event is:
Look for the Good.
Instead of being stressed and noticing what is missing or not perfect, look for what you love and what you did accomplish.
Brenda shared this in the context of being an optimalist rather than a perfectionist. An optimalist is a healthy high-functioning perfectionist. An optimalist still has high standards but the vision is closer to reality. You look in the direction of where you're going rather than the perfect destination.
I love that.
I will also add that instead of thriving for the "perfect" Christmas or holiday season; prioritize and focus on what matters most to you.
There's a quote I've read that says "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear". I had this kind of experience recently.
When I started the Revive55 Project, I searched for books, websites and podcasts to learn as much as I could about preserving memories. I found a few and have been reading and listening since.
I already knew a lot about making photo albums from my years as a Creative Memories Consultant. I wanted to learn even more though.
I recognized that digital photography and social media changed the way we make, share and preserve our memories. I wanted to spend the 55 weeks learning and updating the way I used to preserve memories and recognize which memories were the most meaningful.
I am just realizing that the story I'm going to share begins Thanksgiving weekend. I am so thankful for this story so I love that I opened an email from Indigo on Thanksgiving Sunday. I rarely click on regular emails from them but for some reason, I did that day. In the email it didn't show a book I was interested in but for some reason, I clicked on it anyway. Scrolling down through the list of bestselling books, I saw this one:
Coincidence? Serendipity? I immediately walked to Indigo to pick it up. It is EXACTLY what the Revive55 Project is all about.
When I started reading it, I was a little sad in a way because I read about things that I had thought of using as my own in my posts. On the super positive side however, it is saving me SO much time because the book has all the scientific research to back everything up.
As excited as I was to be reading it, I was trying to slow myself down because I wanted to savour it. A week later, I received an email from a friend who thought of me when she received an inviration to an event coming up in Toronto.
Ten days after I bought the book, the author would be in Toronto!
Why is Meik Wiking in Toronto promoting his book? I couldn't believe my luck. Not only had I found a book that would improve my Revive55 Project but I would get to hear the author speak.
I devoured the book before the event and absolutely loved it! It was above and beyond what I had been searching for.
The timing couldn't have been better. I had already written quite a bit of ideas of where I wanted the Revive55 Project to go. I already had thought of many of the things in the book, so I don't feel like I would be copying what was in the book. It came early enough in the process though that it has changed how I see some things. I really feel like I took a huge leap forward by reading the book.
After his talk, I got to meet Meik. I told him that I believe that I will remember reading his book as a before and after moment. My Revive55 Project before reading his book will be different to the project after reading The Art of Making Memories.
Meik Wiking may not actually be my teacher, but reading his book has been very educational for me.
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
I highly recommend it to anyone interested in making and preserving memories.
My main goal for each mini project is to complete what I call: 5Top5.
My Top 5 in 5 Categories:
Stories
Photos
Mementos
Accomplishments
People
My university days included a four year degree plus two years working in research at the University.
I really enjoyed recording the stories while walking my dog. I'm happy that the stories are recorded so that they are available if I want to write them out some day.
1. STORIES:
Fed Hall Days (favourite campus dance bar)
Meeting my future husband
I'm a DJ! (campus radio station)
Stats take-home exam I did without a computer because I went to Toronto to help my future husband who ended up in the hospital. I think I chose well to help him instead of maintaining a high mark.
Technology (typing essays, renting VCRs, working at printing business, telephones, records)
2. PHOTOS:
First day in my residence room.
Pretending to be on the phone calling home.
So many memories in this photo.
Couple of months into first term.
Changed up the room by lifting my bed
and shortening my hair.
One of my favourite sweaters that my Mom knitted for me.
4th year: meeting my husband-to-be
We weren't dating yet but chatting at Fed Hall.
A friend of his came in between us
for a photo taken by another friend who was
taking photos for the Math Society I think.
Walking back from the Molson Indy.
I'm wearing the shirt I bought that day.
I think I was a little cold by this time of day.
I was probably wearing a black and white
crop top and shorts.
We decide to have a little fun on University Ave.
Took a few photos with funny faces; artistic ones
like me lying down on the grass and just my knees.
I love this photo because it is the time
where I loved my hair the most.
I used to take it to hairdressers to try to
replicate it, but I never did get it this great
(in my eyes)
3. MEMENTOS
Olympic Petro Canada glasses
CKMS cassettes (recording of my radio show)
My top scoring test (Science of Aging) and essay from correspondence course I took during my summer in my hometown (Pollution from the Pulp and Paper Industry). The test is in long answer form so love seeing my writing. My daughter asked why I don't write as pretty as I did then. Perhaps I should improve my penmanship. The second was a typewritten essay and has all kinds of feedback from my professor. The memories of typing and making sure there were no mistakes are priceless.
Sugarcubes CD and concert ticket (my first Toronto concert)
Painted t-shirts from Queen Street West (I no longer have the t-shirts but have photos of them)
4. ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Overcoming first year challenges to graduate with a Bachelor of Science.
Member of diving team and pushing myself to the limit of my fear.
Weekly radio show on campus radio station
Jobs during last (part-time) term: Microbiology teaching assistant, Manager of word processing business and tennis instructor
After graduation research position in the Chemical Engineering Department which included co-authoring two scientific publications.
5. PEOPLE
Future husband-to-be
Roommates and Floormates
Co-workers (hometown summer jobs)
Friends (esp. J, C, K and R)
Professors in my research position
I am also excited to have completed putting photos into my childhood to university days photo albums. I originally had one album that I expanded to three albums. I included certificates, report cards, ribbons, ID cards and other mementos with the photos.
I haven't journaled in the albums yet but having the photos and mementos preserved is really rewarding.
Mini-Project #3 will be about my Toronto Days from the time I moved from Waterloo to the time we had our first child.
Music has always been a part of my life. I played the piano and sang throughout my childhood and listened to music on records, albums, 8-track cassettes, audio cassettes, CDs, and digitally on iPods, iTunes, iPhones and computers.
It's amazing to reflect at how much technology has changed over the years.
During my childhood-themed mini project, I took my 45's out of storage and was enjoying seeing my record box on display, however, I decided to go one step further.
Over 10 years ago, I had made a CD with my favourite childhood songs. I didn't find the CD but found the list of songs on it.
I made an Apple Music playlist with these songs and others that I found while looking through my records. There were a few songs that were not on iTunes however. I decided to look at record players to see how much they were. They averaged $75 on Amazon. I saw reviews on Amazon that were not that complimentary. I have never returned something to Amazon so in case I would want to return it, I checked Best Buy. The same record player offered in various colours at regular price was on sale in grey for $27. I figured that it was meant to be and ordered it.
I am not recommending this record player. The Amazon reviews are accurate and the table wobbles but I am keeping it anyway. I initially played my new U2 albums I received from being a U2 subscriber. I figured that once I started playing my old records that would wreck the needle, I wouldn't play new records. I quickly noticed though that I didn't really want to play my new records on it. It's good enough for what I wanted it though.
I have continued this music theme and made a playlist of my favourite songs from High School and University Days.
Listening to these songs has revived so many memories for me of the places and people in my life. It has also reminded me of songs I had forgotten.
Music is profoundly connected to our memories.
Dr. Petr Janata tested the hypothesis that music and personal memories are linked in the same region of the brain: the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). His study entitled Neural Architecture of Music-Evoked Autobiographical Memories was published in Cerebral Cortex in November 2009. His results found that songs linked to strong memories had greater activity in the MPFC. This supported the idea of a "hub" linking music, emotions, and memories.
"What seems to happen is that a piece of familiar music serves as a soundtrack for a mental movie that starts playing in our head. It calls back memories of a particular person or place, and you might all of a sudden see that person's face in your mind's eye. Now we can see the association between those two things – the music and the memories."
It's therefore not surprising that listening to these songs, I can picture myself:
in my childhood home
in my bedroom, basement, living
at a bonfire in the field behind our house
on the dock at Ouellette Bay (Remi Lake)
listening to the radio
going to hilltop rendez-vous in Timmins where cars would line-up to request and dedicate a song live on radio
at school for a gymnastics routine
at friends' houses
at the movie theatre
at the piano
singing/playing in front of the school
in the gym
at tournaments and meets
warming up in the parking lot at OFSAA
at dances
at McDonald's (where I worked)
in my university residence room
at the Jack Pine and the Commercial (hometown bars)
at Fed Hall and Bombshelter (university bars)
walking to campus
at CKMS where I DJ'd
at concerts
and more...
Although I may not like some of these songs anymore, it has been wonderful to think back about these wonderful memories that involved music in my life. It is also a great reminder to continue to enjoy music, especially in the context of making new memories that I will want to remember in the future.
There are 10 months remaining in my Revive55 Project!
I am really excited at the progress I made in my Childhood Mini Project.
My main goal for each mini project is to complete what I call: 5Top5.
My Top 5 in 5 Categories:
Stories
Photos
Mementos
Accomplishments
People
It's difficult to just have 5 in each category but I think it's a great exercise to just reflect and try to choose.
I think even with my childhood long over, it's a work in progress. As I was writing this post today, I remembered my badminton racquet that I kept and was in our furnace room with other sports equipment. I am adding it to my mementos list, bringing it out of the basement and into my memories room.
So here goes my 5Top5:
1. STORIES:
I like it my way
I'm Number 3/Almost Perfect
Childhood Dreams/Ambitions
Family trips
Tourist Hostess Summer Job
Although I have blogged and written many of these stories, I started recording my stories while walking my dog using the Voice Memo app on my phone. When I arrive home, I label the voice memos to find them more easily in the future. I haven't decided what I will do with the recordings, but for now, the stories are preserved.
What are your top 5 childhood stories?
2. PHOTOS:
5 months old
I'll sleep anywhere
At the airport on our way back from Florida in 1977
Back from school trip with some of my souvenirs
Love my school jacket on the suitcase as well
(jacket was originally my brother's)
I'm so happy playing badminton
wearing my favourite outfit at badminton camp
The Terry Fox monument in Thunder Bay
was originally on the side of the highway
Terry Fox died in June 1981
Monument was unveiled in June 1982
We visited a few months later when we drove
my older sister to her new home in Thompson, MN
3. MEMENTOS:
trophies, medals and plaques (I can't pick just one)
badminton racquet
records (45's and albums) (just one? really?)
charm bracelet (and high school ring)
shells from our Florida trip in 1978 (and shells necklace)
I am preserving some of my favourite
childhood mementos in this
heart-shaped Lindt box
I'm not sure if this 45's box was originally mine
(it may have been my older sister's)
but I have taken it out of storage and
enjoy seeing it on display
4. ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
2nd Franco-Ontarien Track Meet 800m
OFSAA competitor volleyball and badminton; All-Ontario track 3000m
Music Festival and Royal Conservatory Grade IX
Offered job at my first interview & tourist hostess job
Badminton training regime, learned to sew to make badminton warm-up outfit I loved
5. PEOPLE:
Family (👋🏻 to those reading)
Childhood friends
McDonald's boss
Grade 1 and Grade 13 English teacher
Coach
Along with my 5Top5, there are other parts to Revive55 Project that are works in progress.
I bought a shelf for the trophies I'm keeping. I need my husband's help to put it up on the wall. It has pegs for medals and a corkboard.
I am updating my Personal Timeline which is a chronological list of memorable events in my life.
I am updating my childhood album. Years ago, I took the photos that were originally in my magnetic childhood albums and preserved them in a Creative Memories album. After making albums for my siblings when they turned a special age, I found lots of other photos from my childhood that I am adding to my original one. I am splitting it up and also adding mementos like report cards, ribbons, certificates and newspaper clippings. My first album is from birth until Grade 8 and my second is my high school years. I will make a third for my university years.
I think that I had decluttered quite a bit from my childhood already so there wasn't too much more to do besides trophies, report cards and certificates. I had one big box of childhood memories that I have split up into smaller boxes that are more easily accessible. Things that could be added to my childhood albums are preserved there.
In my last post, I wrote about decluttering my sports trophies. I looked at my sports trophies before looking at the newspaper clippings. I put some trophies in the "to donate" box before realizing what their significance may have been. I'm not sure if I will reopen the donation box now that I've seen the photos and clippings but for now, I have separated the meaningful ones from the ones I thought weren't as meaningful.
I have a box of music trophies that I haven't opened yet. While working on my childhood photo album, I started looking at newspaper clippings to see what I would want to include in the photo album. Along with my sports newspaper clippings were my music ones. That is the wonderful thing about living in a small town. Every time you win a trophy, you're in the newspaper.
Along with the scrapbooks that my Mom kept the newspaper clippings in (shown at the top in the photo), were file folders that contained the certificates and adjudicator reports for each of my music performances in the Music Festival from 1972-1982 (bottom right).
Tip: Keeping things in yearly folders is an easy way to keep track of mementos.
Unfortunately, I put some of my most special newspaper clippings in a magnetic album (bottom left) that has wrecked the clippings - fading and putting lines along the photos.
The clippings in this album were very difficult to remove. It's a good lesson that we should remove things from these type of albums before they deteriorate further.
Tip: Use a tool like the Creative Memories multipurpose tool to gently unstick photos or clippings that are stuck. If it's a photo, which is more sturdy than delicate newspaper, dental floss can also work.
Tip: Before removing photos or items from an album, have a plan to organize and label the photos with any information you are not keeping (ex. date, location that may be written on the album page). Ideally use a photo-safe writing tool or write on a photo-safe label you can adhere to the back of the photo.
Tip: Be ready to keep photos organized if you remove them from an album. Put them in a photo safe album immediately or label/date each photo.
I initially thought that decluttering my music memorabilia would be simple. I thought I was more attached to my sports days than my music moments. I figured I would keep the memorable ones and get rid of the rest but I am really struggling with that. Do I just keep the ones when I won which was my initial thought? Or do I keep the ones from the music pieces I loved? Or the ones when there was a story with the performance?
As I read through some of the adjudicator comments, I cringed at how critical some of them were. This was a northern town festival. I would say that I competed for fun. The adjudicators came from larger centres in Canada. In hindsight though, many of my fellow competitors ended up studying music at university and making music their chosen career. Just because we were a small town, does not mean that there were not VERY talented musicians. My younger sister competed against Rayanne Dupuis who became an opera singer with the Canadian Opera Company and is now performing in Europe. Those musicians probably appreciated the comments and applied the recommendations more than I did. In this photo that I rescued from my magnetic album, Rayanne is second from the left. I'm fourth from the left. Five people made music their career that I know of in this photo.
When decluttering, Marie Kondo suggests keeping things that spark joy. Is it possible for a negative story to spark joy? For years, I would tell the story of the time I sang a song I loved at the music festival. This is a song that I still play on the piano. I play the original version and if I'm in the mood to sing it, I play it in a different key to sing along.
How I remember the story is that I go up on stage to sing (actually we were in the smaller room so not actually on the big stage in the auditorium - I vividly remember this moment). My Mom is accompanying me on the piano. Before she can start the introduction, the adjudicator says "Brahms in French?" (She spoke in French to say this). I can't remember exactly what she said afterwards but I knew she was not happy about my song choice. So much for my excitement and confidence to perform.
I would later believe that she wanted me to sing it in German. It is only now that I read her comments and see that she explains that:
"in principle I am against these adaptations. It's a shame that you didn't sing...[names of French composers]..that are lovely and the real thing. Your effort is praiseworthy. Diction is clear. Intonation is correct."
[Funny sidenote: I didn't know who the French composers were that she mentioned so I didn't include them in my translation above. The next day, I was reading a book and read the following:
"Bach's preludes and fugues are an exquisite balm for the blues. Gabriel Fauré is a personal favorite when I'm frazzled, and Frederic Chopin's exquisite nocturnes can restore a ravished soul even if a broken heart can't be mended"
As I read this quote, I recognize the name Fauré and wonder if that's what I read in the report the day before. I go back and see that it is. How am I seeing this name twice in two days? The universe is telling me that I should give Fauré a listen.]
I initially put this adjudicator's report in the recycling bin. I took it out to post about it. This is a memorable moment in my childhood. Shouldn't I keep it? I have winning certificates and adjudicator reports that I don't remember. This judge took her work seriously. She was like an early version of Simon Cowell. On another report, she wrote "bad diction. [ other comments - then finished with ] if only we could understand the words - - - -". I can't help but laugh when I read this now. I googled the adjudicator and she had a very prestigious career as a concert pianist (including with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra) and piano professor. She received the Order of Canada in 1980; the year she was adjudicator at our music festival.
I did have a good report when I won in vocal duet with my sister. "Correct intonations. Intervals are good. The voices are lovely. The interpretation is very good. The diction is clear. Thank you!" So she's fair. I'm sure our best musicians had amazing reports.
Most of my reports over the years are kind even when I messed up. Sometimes it's comments like:
I know this isn't your best! (the judge underlined "know" and added the exclamation point)
Better luck next time
with a bit more control, this could be very fine work indeed
some musical playing here, although not always under control today
despite some small memory problems near the ending
I wish I had heard you at your best
a few slips and some confusion near the end but general effect pleasant
If you had asked me how many certificates I had, I wouldn't have guessed this many. It was wonderful to see but I have now recycled most of the 2nd and 3rd places. I kept a couple of special ones.
Each winning certificate has a trophy.
This is how tall the certificates pile was. I sometimes think, they're just certificates, they don't take as much space as trophies, but they do when there are fifty-two.
Having a photo reminds me of how many performances I performed. There were numerous pieces to memorize and perform in front of an auditorium every year. I am so thankful to have lived in a town with this opportunity.
Reading all the comments, looking at the certificates, newspaper clippings and the trophies brought back so many memories. It transported me back in time to the Civic Centre in the large auditorium or the smaller room upstairs. I can remember walking up the stairs to get backstage where we waited for the adjudicator's bell ring that told us she was ready for the next competitor. I would walk up to the grand piano, the only time I got to play such a beautiful instrument, sit on the bench, ensure I was the perfect distance from the keys. My fingers are positioned, I take a breath and play as best as I can in that moment. Some years I knew the pieces better than other years. Sometimes it was luck when I would play it the best I ever played. Other times, it was the opposite.
If we won our individual category, we received a medallion. The person with the highest mark of a few similar categories won a large cup they got to keep for one year and received a smaller replica. The cup winners performed at a gala on the Sunday after the week long festival.
I'm thankful to have taken the time to go through all the mementos but I no longer want to keep it all. I think part of my reluctence to let go was the fear that I would forget. There were moments of "I had forgotten that"! I was reminded because I had all the mementos.
So how do I decide what to keep and what to let go? For many there are four mementos.
This one was especially memorable because I sang a duet with my sister and my Mom accompanied us. We practiced so much to perform this song as well as we did. I enjoyed the harmonies of duets. This slow version of the song is not bringing back good memories though. I don't think I loved the song, but I loved the performance.
The following year, we worked just as hard to perform A Lark in The Air. It was so tough to get the tempo correct but we had a great teacher who taught us to sing it correctly. While we were waiting to sing it, I had a little cough that kept worsening. When I got backstage, I couldn't talk or sing. We were the first performers in our group. I got a glass of water and the other performers went before us while I tried to get my voice back.
It was frustrating to hear the others who didn't perform it with the correct tempo. We thought we could win if we could just sing, but it wasn't meant to be. The way the duet went, I started the song as a solo and then my sister came in with a harmony after the first line. We were performing in the large auditorium and no voice came out until the third word. I could sing the medium and low notes but not the high ones. Being the soprano, this didn't work. We ended up last but the judge gave us praise for singing it with the correct tempo. It's funny that I remember those comments even if I don't have the adjudicator report. I guess I threw it out long ago - or she felt that it wasn't worth writing up a report when it wasn't really performed properly.
There are many songs I sang or pieces I played that I don't remember but I always remembered this one. It's too bad I never saw the film Iris - I would have freaked out! I just found this clip of the song from the film.
This memory brings a smile to my face perhaps more than the trophies or certificates do. It's more interesting to have a story than just going up, playing a piece or singing a song perfectly and getting a trophy. Although I have kept a few trophies, certificates and judges reports, maybe the next time I decide to declutter, I'll be ready to declutter even more of them. I have spent hours looking through the reports, the programmes, looking through the music pieces I still have and playing them. I am happy that I had kept all the things until I had the chance to take the time to go through them and be reminded of what was most special. I just wish I hadn't waited this long to do it.
That is the lesson to take away from this. In the future, I don't want to hold onto everything for decades before deciding what is worth preserving.
I was decluttering my box of sports trophies and as I took out trophy after trophy, I noticed how many silver ones there were. It reminded me of the many times that I didn't win.
A couple of weeks later, I was listening to a podcast where they were talking about gold shoes and gold pens. The two speakers love gold. I had an aha moment hearing this. They are raving about the gold pen from the podcaster's stationary store, and I had bought the silver pen. I also prefer silver jewelry to gold.
This made me wonder, did I love silver before the runner-up results or did I learn to love silver by being runner-up so often?
It turns out that my championship trophies were at the bottom of the box, understandably because they are bigger (and heavier) but I definitely remember being runner-up or third more than I remember winning. I wonder if this is because I thought and analyzed the losses afterwards more than the wins or that I obviously lost a lot more times than I won. We don't have trophies when we don't make a final or podium.
I remember as a young teenager having a button that said "I'm no. 3, I don't try very hard". It was similar to this one but the button was white.
I don't think I actually wore it. The best track athlete in my town wore one. I used to think it was quite funny because she won everything. She was a natural and amazing runner and jumper so it may have been true that she didn't try very hard. Maybe she was number 3 provincially but in our town, she was by far the best.
At the same time, I remember having a t-shirt that said "almost perfect" with the R backwards.
It was the t-shirt I wore at the Franco-Ontarien All-Ontario Championships. I can still picture myself wearing that shirt on television when my race was part of the newscast. Luckily they showed the beginning of the 400m so we didn't see that I was 6th at the finish line. One of my greatest sports accomplishments (in my mind) was at that meet. I qualified to attend All-Ontario for the 400m (the longest distance we raced in my town to qualify) so we didn't have anyone from my region competing in the 800m so they added me to the race (or they added the 800m to the competition). I was 6th in the 400m but won a silver medal in the 800m! In track and field, we normally got ribbons so getting a medal at this championship (at a podium I believe) was very special.
I don't have any photos from that meet but I did get my photo taken when I got home.
Telling myself that I didn't try very hard or that I was almost perfect maybe took the sting out of losing or I just didn't care about winning as much as my fellow competitors. I definitely cared about moving on, so if two competitors qualified for the next meet, I would be at least second. If three qualified, I often was third. So sometimes, I was second locally, then second regionally and second again to qualify for All-Ontario. Maybe I tried just hard enough to move on or had a fear of success.
Looking back at results, it does amaze me to see this pattern. Maybe playing or racing was more important to me at that time. Even now looking at my box of trophies, I wonder why I kept them all these years. There are special ones worth keeping but was the quantity also important then?
I kept all my report cards and all the trophies, certificates and adjudicator sheets from the music festivals, so I guess it's not surprising that I kept my sports trophies - although they take up a lot more space.
Another reason I kept them was that it reminded me of a happier time when I used to play sports competitively. After moving away, I realized how lucky I was to grow up in a small town in Northern Ontario where learning sports was affordable and the competition wasn't too deep so we would travel to other towns for competitions. The number of trophies, ribbons and medals reminded me of all the sports I played and all the tournaments and meets I competed in.
When I look back at my early sports days, getting to travel to meets and tournaments I qualified for by winning locally or regionally are my fondest and most memorable moments. Because I didn't win awards at the more prestigious events and don't have many photos, the trophies were the proof or mementos that helped me remember.
When choosing whether to keep or let go of a trophy, there are a few things that we can reflect on:
1 - Are you proud of the accomplishment(s) and want to display it (them)?
2 - Do they inspire you?
3 - Do they remind you of memorable moments?
4 - Would you be as happy with a photo to remind you instead of the physical trophy?
5 - Are they useful? My sister sent me a video showing me her husband's golf trophies. I was inspired to see "trophies" being used as bookends, filing systems or coin holders. I asked her to send me photos to share.
I think these trophies and medals used to give me a sense of accomplishment. I have probably been ready to let them go for quite a while now, but didn't think they would be useful to the organizations that I donate household items to so they have sat in a box.
I found an organization, Repeat Champions, in Hamilton that refurbish and donate trophies.
"Trophies are refurbished, recycling as much as 90% of the parts and donated to groups and organizations within our community and abroad, which do not have the resources to purchase them on their own. "
My Revive55 Project along with finding this organization have given me the incentive I needed to finally declutter my trophies.
The first five weeks of My Revive55 Memories Project were spent taking inventory of my mementos and memories and reflecting on how I wanted to preserve my memories.
In my 55 week long project, there are 50 weeks left that are divided in 10 mini-projects.
Childhood
University/Waterloo Days
Toronto Days - Pre-Kids
Music
Husband and Children
Travel
Sports
Toronto/Canada (Home)
Me after 30
Dreams and Future Process
My Memories Project is fluid so these are the categories as I envision them today, but they may change.
Childhood is an easy choice for me with where to start.
My childhood home
I have already mentioned that I wanted to improve my childhood album. I thought that this is what I would end up doing for my Childhood mini-project but as I mentioned, things change as I reflect on the project.
I still want to improve and complete my childhood album, but what My Memories Project will entail is what I call 5Top5.
For each mini-project, I will choose 5 categories and preserve my Top 5 in each whether that is a photo, a memento, a story, a video or recording.
Childhood 5:
Stories
Photos
Mementos
Achievements
People
I will write or record my Top 5 stories.
I will choose my Top 5 photos.
I will preserve my Top 5 mementos.
I will describe my Top 5 achievements.
I will tell stories of my Top 5 people.
This is the main part of my Revive55 Memories Project but along with this, I will update my personal timeline.
As part of My Happiness Project, one of the 20 things I chose to do in 2019 was to complete a personal timeline. I started it at the beginning of the year but haven't touched it since. By going back into my childhood memories, it is a good opportunity to have my timeline close by so I can update it as I come across dates.
I will also take the opportunity to declutter my childhood boxes. By choosing my Top 5s, I hopefully will find things that I'm ready to let go of or digitize.
I am returning to my childhood town this week for the third time this summer. These trips are making it easier to remember childhood stories as I visit with my family.
My Revive55 Project began as a project to declutter and organize my mementos and photos.
I imagined spending the next year looking through my past to preserve the memories that were meaningful to me. I hoped to inspire and help others to do the same.
For the past month, along with looking at my past memories, I have researched, read and listened to podcasts to learn more about memories. I have reflected about my project and what would have the most meaningful impact on my happiness.
As I near the end of the first month of my project, I have recognized that it's not just about the past. It's about the present and the future.
Can looking at past memories make us recognize what is more meaningful in our lives? Can we create and re-create these types of memories?
As I work on the past, more memories are being made and getting cluttered in every day living.
Will I end my project with another year of memories to declutter and organize?
Would I end the project without plans to maintain the current memories?
When I was a Creative Memories Consultant and taught photo album-making classes, I used to tell my clients to bring their most recent roll of film to the initial class. They would make a photo album page using the most recent photos.
The lesson I taught then was to keep up-to-date with the photos as they were being taken and developed. When there was extra time, they would go back and scrapbook past photos.
I initially set a first 5 week period to take inventory and explore what I wanted my Revive55 Project to look like for the rest of the year.
An aha moment for me was to recognize that step one has to be to have a process in place for future memories.
As part of my Happiness Project Experience that I signed up for in January, I had chosen "Process" as my one-word theme of the year. My goal for the year was to put processes in place to be more productive and happier.
My Happiness Project and my Revive55 Project are coming together.
When my parents downsized from their house to an apartment, they decluttered many of their possessions. They donated many things and also gave my siblings and I some of the sentimental mementos that we wanted.
I love their mentality. They enjoy seeing us appreciate these mementos while they are still alive. Instead of having all the children split up the mementos after they have passed away, they get to see and enjoy us choosing what we love.
Every time we visit, they tell us to "put our name" on the things we care about. If they still want to keep them, the name is there for the future. Sometimes though, they are ready to part with the items and give them to us in the moment.
A souvenir that I wanted was a wooden sailboat that they had at the cottage. I had bought the boat for my father during my Grade 8 school trip to Southern Ontario that included Toronto and Niagara Falls.
I remember that I had $1.20 left. I saw this sailboat that was $1.10. I was very happy to have found something that I thought my Dad would like with the money I had left. I can still picture myself seeing it in the shop. I think we were given daily allowances for food so although I used to tell the story that I went home with $0.10. I don't believe that I starved on the way home.
After telling my parents the story that either I hadn't told them or they had possibly forgotten, I added a label with my name and the price I paid for it as a reminder of the story.
On a future visit, my father told me that he was happy to part with the boat. It probably didn't have the sentimentality to him as it does to me which is why I love the way that they are parting with their mementos.
They are sharing stories with their mementos and hearing the stories that went with the gifts we gave them. They now get to see us enjoy and display them. The sailboat is even more special now too because we have been reminded of the story that goes with the souvenir.
As I was writing this blog post, this reminded me of the gift my son bought for me at Canyon Saint-Anne on his Grade 8 trip to Quebec City and Montreal. I am now displaying the two gifts together as a reminder of our childhood trips.
Sharing stories and mementos while we are still together adds even more meaning to them. Adding a label or writing the story in a journal helps preserve the memories.
