Word of the year: Balance

It took me a while to decide. There are so many delicious, terrifying, powerful words out there, how do you pick just one? I spent a lot of time dwelling on "joy" in 2009, but I am by no means an expert on joy now. In fact I feel like it could be the word of the year for the next 3 years in a row and I still wouldn't exhaust its depth. However, as much I want to broaden my understanding of joy, and seek peace, and embrace forgiveness, and live dangerously, what it all comes down to for me, at this stage in my life, is a desire for balance. I want to balance my work with my exploration and my art. I want to balance my social time with my private time. I want to balance the images of perfection and sets of expectations that I hold in my heart and mind with reality. I want to balance my checkbook. I want to balance my wardrobe, and the decorations of my house, and the time I spend watching television vs. the amount of time I spend reading and writing. I want to seek harmony and not be overwhelmed by my to-do lists. I know that balance is not a finishline that you reach once and then you're golden, it's a daily composition of thoughts, believes and actions. And with each turn that life takes, I will be faced with different challenges and put into different currents. But I do believe in peace and I do believe in balance and so I will spend this year seeking those things and bringing them into my life in a more abundant, intentional way.

Some days time just flies right on by,
other days seem as though they will never end.
Some days remind us of how courageous we need to be.
Some days take a little more courage than others.
Some days show us just how courageous we are.
Some days are filled with a bit of sunshine and laughter.
Some days are filled with pleasure, and some filled with pain.
Some days require a little more forgiveness.
Some days require a little more patience.

Here's to holding tight the days filled with hope
and being quick to release those that take our hope.

20 things to do in 2010

10 Personal Goals

1. Reduce the waste that is produced in my home.

2. Work on muscle toning and development.

3. Learn more about the practice of yoga.

4. Post my artwork on Etsy.

5. Begin training for a tri.

6. Become a regular at a used book store.

7. Take an art class.

8. Read at least 3 classics.

9. Bake bundt cakes and deliver them to friends.

10. Spend one day a week exploring, playing, creating, doing.

__________________________________________

10 Shared Goals

1. Visit all of the state parks in NC.

2. Paint the living room, bathroom and office.

3. Start a dinner club.

4. Go on more picnics.

5. Plant a garden in my backyard.

6. Participate in a collaborative art project.

7. Throw a dance party.

8. Volunteer with at least 3 organizations.

9. Visit local vineyards and wine tastings.

10. Go to San Diego.

friend in need.

we
always
feel
less
confident
when
we are scared.

relax,
progress towards peace
let determination pull you through.
meditate on hope
live with tenacity.
embrace the moment,
fuel your spirit
repair your soul.
believe in sanity.

let love whisper
and fill your heart.
take what you need.
take time.

to change course
does not mean that you quit.
pain is a choice.

your friends will stay
and encourage you to perfection.



we will be.

gobble gobble

Happy Turkey Day :)

life is good.

It is here. Fall, that is. My life has been spinning by in a wild blur. Days have been passing, weeks, paychecks, to-do lists, events and goals. Yet, the completion of one merely meant the beginning of the other without a moment for pause. In the 6 months since I have graduated from school I felt like I was just spinning my wheels... making no progress. But as I sat on my new front porch, the wind blowing the trees as the tail end of a hurricane passes through for the season, I realized that time is changing. And it is changing steadily and consistently. And I actually thought to myself, "Life is good." Which is ironic because I have spent the last week mocking the phrase. People walk around in t-shirts and hats claiming, or perhaps bragging that "life is good." Have they ever experienced pain or hardship? Do they ever turn on the news and take a look at all the suffering going on in the world around them? Or do they just accept that painful things exist and seek to highlight the fact that beautiful things exist, like sitting on the porch among friends, in awe of the weather, listening to a bamboo wind chime ring its tranquil melody into the night.

day 4 and feelin' pretty sore

The good news is: I went for a run. The bad news is: it hurt.
I'm not going to lie, I felt like quite the badass because the day after my half-marathon extravaganza I was still walking, standing tall even... perhaps it was all just a facade of pride... there's a knot in my left shin, my right hip region moves like an old door about to come off it's hinges, and the knot in my back seems to be growing. I attempted to strike some fancy yoga poses to loosen up my back today at work, my coworker suggested that perhaps yoga was best done behind closed doors. So I went home and instead of stretching I ate some ice cream (FroYo of course) and drank some bourbon. On to day 5!