Certainty

There is a lot of things that are uncertain in my life right now.  It is to be expected when trying to create a life full of adventure and passion I suppose.

There are plenty of articles and studies done on how what you focus on becomes part of your reality.   It's about perception, the brain cannot process all of the observations it takes in, although it does give it a really good attempt. Therefore, it has to limit what makes it to the conscious mind.  It does so in part by disregarding things that do not fit the established parameters.  In practical terms you often see what you are looking for, what you expect to see.  Looking for a new specific car, you'll start seeing it every where. Expect to be snubbed, you'll remember every time someone didn't talk to you at the party instead of the four people who did.  There was even an interesting video done that demonstrates this phenomenon. Or the video might show that people are not observant in the first place, or that people don't want to seem dumb - any of the above.

All that to say, I could list out all of the things that I am uncertain about right now, but I have decided to stop dwelling on it and instead write out all the things I AM certain about in my life with the hopes that this will start my brain in the positive mindset of looking for more certainties.  It worked for my month of Thankfulness back in November where by the end I was struggling to just pick one thing to mention.

The order is stream on consciousness and I can guarantee they will not be all of equal significance (Look at that, the certainty is starting already)

I know being near (relatively when compared to half way around the world) to my family is important to me
I know I have the skills, and in truth, enough stubbornness to eventually find a job.
I know I can beat almost anyone is Settlers of Catan
I know I will eventually make it to my final continent and hate the cold every moment that I am there.
I know ballroom dancing is therapy, exercise, and a great way to meet people all in one hobby
I know there are people in my life who love and support me no matter what.
I know I have family and friends who will help me during these transistion periods.
I know that transition periods are just that, periods of time that will not last forever
I know driving a standard transmission car is way more fun than an automatic
I know running a marathon is tough work but well worth the bragging rights
I know taking the risk to move to Australia (and then back again) was well worth it
I know my sister and I are going to take a bazillion pictures at her wedding in April
I know asking for help when I need it is hard and yet important
I know voluntourism is an amazing way to travel

Prisons

Over New Years vacation I was introduced to a program called Books for Prisons. 

The process is straightforward for a new volunteer.  Prisoners write into the program requesting books.  Some of the requests are for specific books or authors, others are more general such as westerns or business development.  Volunteers open a letter, try to find a few books that match the request as best as possible, wrap them up, write a quick note to the inmate, and send them out to brighten up someone's life.  

DC Books for Prisons does not limit its participation to prisons by geographic area and therefore supplies books to 150 prisons around the country.  However, if you are not able to attend the Wednesday night volunteer nights, there are quite a few similar programs throughout the country. A quick Google search will show you local options for volunteering.