and for this reason I love the beginning of a new year or rather the drawing aside in life to seek and to listen for what a coming season may hold, to listen for the direction in which to head, to watch and be ready to align my sails for the wind.
On the 1st of the year I talked about 'things I want to achieve this year' but this post is about the person I want to be this year. In 2012 my word for the year was contentment.
This year I don't have a word as such I have some attitudes that I feel like are seasonal for me
Responsive - this is my word for my marriage, my mothering and my faith. These things matter most to me in life and to these I want to live 2013 with a responsive heart. To hear, to respond, to centre my life around these things.(this is not about doing it is a state of heart and a way of being)
First Fruits - In Jewish culture there is a value of first firsts, that is the giving of the first of your crops, the unspoiled livestock...In Maori culture the first taonga (treasure/bone carving) or other 'hand-crafts' you make are always given away. Last year I wanted to work on generosity and this year I want to work on being less selfish. In order to do that I am setting my sails to bring my firsts and best of.s to others. I won't always manage (I'm only planning on making one mail box!!) but I want to try and give the first ones I make away in order to help me be less self-focused.
Fruitful - kind of hard to explain and quantify but I feel like I want to be fruitful this year as a person - relationally, creatively, in my faith - I want to bring and offer rather than take and receive so much.
Encouraging Creativity - I really feel like this year I want to encourage others around me in their creative journeys, to cheer them along, to give people around me permission to be creative and to value their creative contribution to the world.
I love these words, perhaps they sound lofty and ideal and certainly they are much harder to measure than general creative goals like whether I built a letter box or not but I think in life we need both.
We need the over-arching seasons that bring us encouragement or confidence or hope and we need the practical doing of day to day. Behaviours and actions repeated over and over that in the end make up the larger unfolding seasons.... well that's my take on it anyway.
Do you have a word for this year?
Do you take time during the year to stop and listen and wait for direction?
8 comments:
That is such an open and honest post Miriam. I do reflect on what I've done, where I'm going to, what I can change, what I must yield. I think you read the post already, so you'll know that "Take it easy" is my mantra this year. x
Lovely Miriam, I love your plans for this year.
I have a word on my heart, its community. Im going to blog about why its an important word to me :)
I don't have a word this year, but I think I might come up with a mantra. I have been thinking about it the past few days and haven't come up with anything yet. I was going to make a huge list of goals, but decided it might overwhelm me more than help me.
Sounds like a beautiful goal word :)
Nice post and I always love your landscape photos. I said on New Years' Eve that 2013 was 'The year of saying No' but that sounded quite negative and didn't really sum up what I meant. So I think 2013 is going to be the year of being more discerning and discriminating about what I commit to, doing less and being more satisfied with the results.
What a lovely and thought provoking post!
Thanks so much ladies for the lovely comments ladies xx
I love how open and honest you are on your blog Miriam! You inspire as all to be the same. I don't have a word for 2013, but I do have a thought, 'To be happy and appreciate the moments', it is too easy to get caught up in everything and miss the moments!
:) Hazel
A great post - reflects alot of what I'm thinking and feeling :) I'm going with "less is more" this year. Well I am going to try really really hard at least! I am sure you will achieve your ideals this year x
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