As the new year approaches I eagerly look forward to a fresh start. I know there is no magic in a date set by human wisdom but I enjoy the symbol of a new beginning. There are three main facets of the ritual that I enjoy:
Gratitude
-This year I am especially grateful for this blog. We went around our table at Christmas and talked about people who had shaped our lives in the past 12 months. My readers were most definitely high up on the list. Blogging has been a transforming experience, as much from reading as from writing.
Boundaries
-Something I also cherish about the new year is leaving the past behind. I feel like January 1st is a line of demarkation upon which I shrug off my regret and pain from the year and move on into a fresh start. I like to remember that you have to breath out all the toxins before you can take in the fresh air.
Expectancy
-Of course there are the infamous New Year’s resolutions. I hate that for many people these resolutions become shackles or emblems of hopelessness when they are not attained. So, I offer my own aspirations with trepidation. I do not claim to know if we shape our own destiny or if we have little control over the events which unexpectedly carve our lives. Either way my prayers and hopes for the year ahead dance around the following concepts:
*To complete at least one if not two or three works in progress.
*To continue with this blog and become more involved with other blogs.
*To know my own mind better and to be able to write, speak and act more boldly.
What are you grateful for, leaving behind or looking forward to?
Kate - How wonderful to meet you & to share in a common encouragement. I just posted my reply on the blog but wanted to say hello.. Another fellow sister in Christ and writer, I see.. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm like you and love to shrug off the past year and start fresh! I hope to shrug off an undisciplined life and buckle down and get serious about my writing. :)
ReplyDeleteI guess my little mac won't allow for comments so I am in the den writing this. I love your blog & hope to follow you and carry the same expectations into the new year.
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful to leave behind all the drama...UGH!!
ReplyDeleteBonnie- It was so nice to “meet” you and I have enjoyed following your posts. “The Joy of What-Is-It” was especially meaningful and I have since read and reread it. Thank you for your wonderful work.
ReplyDeleteSherrinda- I totally agree with you and I plan on making this “The Year of Creativity” as one friend dubbed it. I truly want to pursue writing in a more disciplined way. Thanks so much for letting me know I am not alone in this.
JRD- Thanks very much for commenting. I look forward to hearing more from you and to following your blog!
The Rejection Queen- If 2010 is a drama-free year I will be one happy camper:)