100 Days of Observations

 

Compared to last year’s 100 Day Project, which was grueling though ultimately satisfying, this year’s was kind of the opposite: Easier to fulfill each day, but it did not feel as much of an accomplishment at the end. Still, it was satisfying in a different way.

My goal was to write a few sentences a day that focused on external observations rather than feelings. I allowed a sentence or two of feelings but only if they were a direct response to whatever I had observed.

On most days, it felt grounding to connect with nature, usually on my daily walks, which was the easiest way to observe.

I mostly enjoyed the process, though some days I did find it harder to simply observe rather than take an internal deep dive. Ironically, the part I ended up not liking was having a separate Field Notes notebook specifically for my 100 Day Project. I thought that having a dedicated book would keep me focused, but after the first half, I wished I had simply incorporated the habit into my regular scribble journal. I want to continue the habit, but I’ve found a better place for those daily observations: my five-year Some Lines a Day book.

The Some Lines a Day book has changed at least a couple times since I began using it in late 2020. At first it was a place to write “kind thoughts” about people. At some point, I started writing more general statements of gratitude and appreciation, so that the thoughts could be about situations or things as well as people. Now it will be a place to put daily observations unburdened by accompanying feelings and analysis.

The one satisfying aspect of using this dedicated Field Notes is that I completely filled it with the 100 entries! I knew that if I wrote two entries per page, I'd be able to get in 96, so I just squeezed three entries per page occasionally and made it work out. 

Although the project wasn’t creatively groundbreaking, it did instill a new habit I wanted to form, so it was satisfying from that perspective. Even so, 100 days is a very long time. I’m going to think very carefully before I take on another hundred days of anything!

Thanks for cheering me on, Peppermint Patty, Marcie and Snoopy!