January 2015 Update

Hi my dear friends. How I have missed you. I am currently on a pretty gigantic adventure and my laptop happened to die the morning of January 1st. It's as if it just refused to face 2015. That is causing me a bit of grief because I have been way too busy to even think about what I want to get to replace it but luckily we were able to retrieve the data. So except for my phone I've pretty much been offline for almost two weeks now. Quel nightmare.

Unfortunately I can't give you all the details yet of what I'm up to, but will look forward to doing that soon. (Every blogger says stupid stuff like this, right?! haha) Anyway, I'd love to be blabbing all the details to you but can't yet. But soon I hope. It's a incredible opportunity and I think it will be a lot of fun. Right now it's a bit of a "drinking from a fire hose" experience but getting better every day.

Here are some things I've been thinking about in the new year:

Change: I had a funny talk with my FIL who has experienced a lot of change due to a military career. We were talking about change and he said we all say we love adventure and want change but when it really happens we all bare-knuckle what we know and don't want to let go of our comfort zone. I thought he nailed that on the head pretty well. Change is hard. Goodbyes are hard. It's tough when you can't yet see the rewards to come when you say goodbye to things you like and feel comfortable with.

Doing your best: It's good to know your limitations and pay attention to how you're doing. I have probably been more honest with myself and others in this regard over the past few weeks than I ever have before. And while it's a little hard to admit I'm not invincible (like everyone else wasn't already aware, haha) I'm learning to appreciate being able to say, "I can't do any more today" and be able to know within myself why and that it's totally, totally okay. There are shades of moments of feeling like a bit of a failure or weak but owning my real state of well-being in the end always feels better!

Receiving help: I have been asking for help a lot lately and I'm learning to have no qualms about taking people up on their offers to help. Because I've been so tired and so busy I've asked for help even for small things that I know I could eventually figure out but that I know family members or friends could do even faster and would be glad to do for me. Again...feels good...and I know from when I serve others that it makes both parties feel good. I have a special love for people I've had the opportunity to serve in my life. So it's a win-win.

Moisture: It's great to sleep with a humidifier, especially in the winter. I have recently heard several people say they sleep longer and better with a humidifier in their bedroom. I'm a believer and just bought a small personal humidifier that I can take with me anywhere I go. You just connect it to a regular drinking water bottle. Super easy and compact.

Hopefully in the next few days I'll have a chance to share with you a few thoughts on good basic clothing that I've picked up the past few weeks. Because I have to order Tall sizes online, I did a ton of research before I purchased. I'm still waiting to see a few items but will let you know what I liked. I'm super glad I didn't order the pants that apparently ripped in the crotch area the first or second day the women wore them. Zoinks. Oh the things you learn in online reviews.

I send you out my very best, shiniest wishes. That reminds me I also have a little craft project up my sleeve. Maybe I'll get it done and written up next week. Anyway it will be all about my theme for 2015: SHINE. I hope wherever you are you find yourself in the light of SHINE. I send you my heartfelt best. Until next time...

image by kalanicut

My Theme For 2015: SHINE!

A few months ago I heard a beautiful Southern gentlewoman say the word "Shine" repeatedly. In her charming drawl the word really stood out to me and it struck me after hearing it a few times what a beautiful word it was and that it might just be the perfect word to theme my 2015 year.

And so I began to mull the word over in my mind. I began to think about what shine could mean in my life.  I looked up the word and loved the words Google used to define my word, a verb meaning to "to give out bright light," or to "to be very talented or perform well."

Even better I liked the noun definition, "a quality of brightness, especially from reflected light." Synonyms included "gleam, glimmer, brightness, radiance, luminescence, incandescence, twinkle, brightness, light."

I liked all those words and it seemed like the perfect transition from a year focused on my own well-being to then focus on turning that light outward and shining. Of course the foundation for all the hopeful shining is built upon self-care and continuing to make my well-being of body, mind and soul my number one priority.

So during the last three months of the year I honed my idea and studied the concept of Shine. I gathered inspiration and in all the decisions I made I tried to see how the concept of Shine could be manifested. If there was a choice that would not help me to shine, I knew it wasn't a good option for me for the coming year.

In the final weeks of December it came to light that I was meant to shine in some very surprising new ways. I'll be sharing those with you in the coming weeks. I have been sharing my theme with family and friends because it has felt right to help them see where I am going and what I am using as a yardstick for my decision-making.

It's charming how The Man has adopted this theme into his vocabulary too and talks about all the ways he's excited to see me shine. I love having his support. And so we're off into the new year with a new theme. It's my Year To Shine.

Do you have a theme word for 2015? I'd love to hear it! Check out my inspiration board, all about SHINE on Pinterest.