2012: A Year of Hope

In a few hours my three youngest sisters will join Katie and I for a night of games, food, and general fun as we ring in the new year. But before the festivities begin, its only appropriate to pause a moment and think about what we are celebrating.

2011 brought us:

Our 2nd Anniversary

A new sister-in-law

New job

Back to Plymouth and near family

The promise of a new Godchild in Jan/Feb

New little cousins

New MOB-nieces

New Ameri-nephew

Many good times with friends and family

And much more for which we are Thankful.

In 2012 we look forward to new opportunities and a fresh start to become what we want to be, what we are meant to be. 2012 may yet be the end of the world as we know it. It may be the beginning of a new era of community and cooperation. 2012 may yet prove to be the year when we see humanity at its very best. For myself I choose to identify this as the year of hope.

Here is to the blessings of the past year. To the lessons learned and the joys realized. We embrace 2012 with open arms and full of hope for a year of family, friends, and good beer!

Meth is a Hell of a Drug

This picture makes me laugh every time. That said I've found new meaning in the message in recent viewings. While I don't have a problem with Meth -- I do struggle with excess, as we all do. Work, achievement, food, a good book, TV, prayer without action -- all of these in excess can turn us into the proverbial "Animal." Focused on one aspect of our life/routine and neglecting the other.

The month of November and my participation in the Nanowrimo project brought into sharp contrast the fact that I've surrendered part of myself to those things which seem urgent, but are not truly important. I almost bailed on the writing project twice during the 30 days of hell which included Nanowrimo, hunting season, Thanksgiving, and several projects at work that demanded copious amounts of both my physical and mental energy. I was quick to surrender attention to my physical health, my love of writing and storytelling, and other personal pursuits in favor of "getting things done."

I am thankful that Katie was there to help me straighten out my priorities and examine what really mattered. Yes, work matters, but should it dominate my life? Yes, being responsible is important, but does that mean that we neglect taking care of ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually? Is listening to a frustrated co-worker less important than answering 5 more e-mails and accomplishing one more report for early review? Were the two extra meetings that could have waited until tomorrow worth being an hour late for dinner with family and friends? Is that networking even really more important than my little sister's Christmas play? I think it's pretty clear at this moment that "no" is the answer to all of these.

The kick of this is that in the calm and rational moments the disparity is clear to see. When immersed in the chaos of life, however, it is far more difficult to maintain or find the calm. Seeking this calm, either as a semi-perminant state or a state which can be easily recalled, remains one of my lifetime goals. I continue my struggle, but with knowledge that this too is part of the great mystery and journey of life.

What do you struggle with?

Well that was fun.

Nanowrimo 2011 has concluded. I've taken a week to breath and let the work of the past 30 days sink in. To report out, I spent a great deal of time writing and was rewarded with a good start to a novel. I did not achieve the 50,000 word limit that signifies "winners," however, I have so much usable material it was still well worth the endeavor.

The story is not ready for public consumption as of yet, but I hope to continue to work on it this year and have something to send out by the end of 2012. I'll keep you all posted.