I have to be honest here. I’ve been procrastinating. On lots of things. Not least of which is writing this blog post.

I suppose something like this, figuring out my intentions for the new year, is a big deal. Big deals tend to make perfectionists like me clam up. {:

Even so, I don’t think that kind of thing should take as long as it did this year. But, I believe that everything happens in its own time. The way I see it, if I need to do a lot of reflection to figure out my Word Of The Year, I should take that time. And if it takes me until halfway through January, then that’s ok and is what is needed. I think that I have to actually feel the newness before I can set my intentions, and I don’t know about you, but the new year just doesn’t really feel like a whole brand new year on January 1. Maybe it’s because I’m a January baby. (:

So, I took my time. And now I have set my intentions and decided on my Word for 2014. But before we can look forward, we must reflect on where we’ve been.

So we have the Closing Ceremonies. {:

2013 Closing Ceremonies

My accomplishments of 2013:

• I started an email newsletter. It is now over a year old!
• I had a show at Wentworth Perk
• For the second year, I submitted for 30 Days of Creativity
• I participated in Lumière 2013
• I had a table at Holiday Spirit for the second year

And of course there were a bunch of smaller milestones and projects along the way, both artistically and personally. But those above were the biggies.

Additionally, my Word for 2013 was CLEAR. And I accomplished that too, particularly at the end of the year when Hubby and I went on a massive winter cleaning spree and got rid of a lot of stuff that just didn’t serve us anymore. Our home definitely feels more clear now. (:

So, 2013 is officially Closed Out! Rah!

2014!

Which brings us to 2014. In thinking about what I want for this year (ahem, for it to be awesome) one word kept springing to mind. It’s what I want at this moment, more than anything, in more ways than one. In all ways, actually. It’s the perfect thing for me right now.

GROWTH.

For various reasons, even with my accomplishments, the last few years have been a real struggle, but now I feel like the sprout that’s pushed up through the dirt and has finally felt the sun’s warmth. It is at this point that the real skyward growth can take place. And that’s what I’m hoping for in 2014.

Onward and upward. {:

Credit: Mushroom photo from Imageafter.com