Seeds for a New Year

I've planted a lot of seeds in my life, but rarely have I had the time and patience to give them the care and comfort that they need to adequately grow. From time to time I've killed house plant after house plant because I was too lazy to water them. I could go long periods watching them thrive only to cut them off from the water they so desired. I've treated lots of things in my life with the same sort of haphazard care and the results have all been the same. And so when I was searching for a word to define 2012 I almost laughed when I realized that the word to which I kept returning was "nurture."

Last year was the year of the "reveal" - for better or for worse I laid a lot of my feelings, emotions, thoughts and demons out to the world of those that surround me. It was one of the few times in my life when I carried through from start to finish with one of my "plans." Early in the year I'd stumbled upon a story about defining the new year by choosing a word for all you wanted to accomplish. I shared with a few friends and one went along with me for the ride. It was one of those things that really helps set your goals and priorities and if you reflect upon it enough it can really make a difference - last year for me it made a world of difference. And so this same friend and I set upon once again to think of words that would define our year. I give myself some credit, because last year it took me a few months to discover my word, but this year it was only a few weeks into the new year when I realized that I wanted to have a year of "nurturing."

It's such a simple word, but it says so much about where I am, what I want to do and where I want to be at this stage in my life. Last year I planted the seeds and now this year I'm actually going to "nurture" them. I laid myself out for all to see and for those that are in my life I want to further "nurture" my friendships. I began writing and I want to utilize this blog to "nurture" this love. I want to "nurture" a healthy lifestyle - one that I abandoned a few years back, but one that I want to embrace again by eating well and exercising. I want to "nurture" and grow in hobbies that I've developed along the way like the jewelry making and photography. And I want to look at an overlooked part of my life and "nurture" a spiritual side that I all but left by the wayside years ago. I hope to also find a volunteer project that I can grow with that will be part of this long-neglected aspect of my life. I want to discover and "nurture" a network of respectful and respected professionals that will hopefully lead me into my dream job. And, if I'm so lucky I hope to have relationships and things to "nurture" that I haven't even thought about yet. 

I told everyone that last year was the "year of me." And in so many ways it was. I finally felt like myself, I made choices (like moving) that were all about me. This year I want to start a fresh, new decade that will hopefully make me a better person in the end and I'm so happy to have incredible people with me along for the ride. 

And, as I "nurture" this writer side of my personality I hope to explore so much more than me. I have stories and thoughts and things that I've wanted to write for ages and just never did - part of the littered path of neglected things I've left by the roadside of my life. I hope that you can join me and help me grow in my writing when ever you choose. 

And now, let the nurture of writing begin ...