It’s over. 2013 is behind us. A relief for some, a sentimental goodbye for others. Welcoming in a New Year always feels fresh and hopful.
This year, there is even a new moon and a super moon to welcome in the new year. A new moon rises when the sun rises, and sets when the sun sets, so it’s hard to see. (And a full moon rises when the sun sets, which helps you know the “almost full” from the “really full.”)
As the year ended, we’ve been talking about choosing a word for the year. You’ve had wonderful ideas: faith, believe, dare, balance, affirmative, listen, strength, flow, mantra, now, do, fly, focus, persevere, knowledge, wisdom, kindness, letting go, little by little, now, trust, accept, and many more.
Before you jump into using your new word, say a sincere goodbye to the old one. See how it fit. See where it pinched. Honor it in your journal one more time. And then, whether it was great, good, or never-again, put it to rest. It served you well in its own way.
The Sower, by William J. Stewart.
My word this year came to me in that balance of time between wake and sleep. I didn’t want to choose a rubber-stamp-type word, but this one was not something I thought was useful. It is Scatter.
The next day, it came back, and the day after as well. Who am I to ignore a dream? I began to think what it might mean. The most powerful image that came to mind is the ancient manner of broadcasting seed. The seed falls on stone and doesn’t grow. It is picked up by a bird and dropped on rich ground and thrives.
I’ve had too much focus and discipline in 2013. Happy enough to have focus and discipline, it helped me lose 65 pounds and change my relationship with food and become healthier, not dependent on insulin. Thank you. Now, moving on, I am thinking what needs to be scattered in my life–broadcast, spread, thrown into the wind, and carried off, only to be seen in another stage later. Or to fly off like confetti, no longer needed. Turns out, it’s a big word.
I’ve come to like the word scatter, so once a month, when I invite you to tell us what your word has developed into, I’ll talk about my scattered new life.
And the giveaway? Of course, it’s a copy of my new book–the Inner Hero Creative Art Journal. Leave a comment about last year’s word and how you will say goodbye to it. Or, if you haven’t chosen a word, tell us which one you will use. Link the word to your inner hero–the one you will welcome in 2014. The winner will be announced on this coming Saturday.
And then, with joy, welcome 2014!
Note: Shirley Levine from Paper and Threads won the Inner Hero book from the Endings and Beginnings blog post (January 1, 2014). Congratulations, Shirley! I hope you make many Inner Hero pages!
Quinn McDonald welcomes her alter ego, Iron Crow, who will spend some time standing up to her Inner Critic.
QuinnCreative 