Forward

If you've been following me for any length of time, it probably won't surprise you to discover (or to be reminded) that New Year's is my favorite holiday. This *does* seem to surprise some folk, though – usually those most enamored of Halloween, Thanksgiving, or the Big C.

Not to down any of the others, but since I was a kid, the New Year has had a huge appeal to me. While I'm very traditional in some ways, and the themes of my life (wordsmithing, kitchen magic, craftiness) tend to remain the same, I also like to always be moving forward, to discard what's no longer working and forge ahead into new, exciting things.

I'll admit that's a tendency that's refining itself over time. Old habits do, indeed, die hard, and baggage (both material and otherwise) is often hard to lighten or throw away. I've seen this and struggled with it over many years, and most certainly throughout 2009.

Still, despite losing momentum, I'm looking back at the year and realizing that, in fact, I did keep with my theme of Motivation. Sometimes (frequently, in fact) it was a baby step, sometimes several. A couple of times it was a great leap forward. And still others, it was a good hard shove (sometimes REALLY hard) from the Universe.

So how did it turn out? Let's see: I found my knit-mojo. I leapt back into the kitchen with gusto. I started dancing again. I'm getting my house in order, literally. I'm eating vastly better. I'm paying attention to and getting care for all my medical issues.

I'd definitely say all this belongs in the WIN column. And that surprises me a little, because there were several times I thought that Motivation was out of reach. But something I remember from reading others who have chosen a Word (or Theme) of the Year is that often, your Word will express itself in ways you didn't expect. That's turned out to be true, despite the fact that I originally refused to embrace it.

2010 gets a bit of a different approach. I've chosen a new theme (instead of a single word), and while I know some of the plans I already have, I'm fully prepared to accept that I won't see all that's coming, and that what I want or need might change. I also know that there will probably come a time when I regret being that open. :)

But, for better or worse, here it is. My Theme of the Year for 2010 is: Taking Action.

I can't wait to see how it takes shape. Want to join me? If you decide to choose a theme, I'd love to hear about it. In the meantime - Happy New Year, and may 2010 be your best year ever.