Happy New Year!

I would be lying if I didn't admit that I'm somewhat relieved that the holidays are now behind us. We've had a wonderful - and extremely busy - couple of weeks, and I'm longing for life to return to its normal pace. If I have time in the next week or so, I'll share some of our holiday memories with you...but I'm just not going to make promises!

For now, it's time to move on and look forward to a happy and promising 2010!

With that in mind, I thought I would share with you today my word of the year. I first heard of this delightful practice in late 2007, and have faithfully chosen a word for each of the last two years. Each time, my word has come to me with relatively little thought...clicking into place as if it was just meant to be. Interestingly enough, it then takes on a life of it's own.

My word for 2008 was 'Possibility', and indeed I did find Possibility in my life that year as I discovered that I could indeed make changes in my life. Things could be different, and they could be much better. My acupuncturist helped to cure much of what ailed me that year, and I began to let go of long-held assumptions about myself. It was a beginning, and a much needed shift in perception.

Last year, I chose the word 'Pleasure.' To be honest, I'm not entirely sure that I understood why I made that decision. Perhaps I just felt it was time to learn to enjoy life more, or perhaps I wanted to start paying better attention to what surrounded me. Either way, what ended up happening is that I became a gym rat, and in the process a whole new world opened up to me. Each and every time I stepped through the doors at the gym...each time I logged into My Daily Plate....each time I did everything my trainer asked of me, I said yes to myself and to the world. I learned to take enjoyment in the things my body could do, and I learned that my body could do so very much more than I ever thought it could. As a result, my entire life has changed and I've learned to appreciate and enjoy all of the good things around me.

It's perhaps not so very surprising that this year's word is also a 'P' word. I swear I didn't do it on purpose! This year my word is 'Persistence.' Why? because I'm at that stage in the game where stubborn persistence is needed to carry me forward so that I can meet my goals this year. I can, and I will, and I chose my word to remind myself of that.