One litle word...

I think I've got it.  My one little word for 2012.

Light.

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1824

For oh so many reasons, this word is calling to me. In big and little ways it will help me focus on my goals.  And I know that it's a little cheesy.  But I am ok with that.  It works for me.

So, here's how I am defining light for my year:

1. I often take myself far too seriously.  This year I want to lighten up a little - learn to laugh about my challenges, have perspective on the weight of my worries. Spending time with friends and with Dan gives me occasion to joke and play in a way that hasn't always been present in my days.  Being silly and goofy with the boys, not worrying about what others may think will bring more joy to our relationship.


2. Now, this is cliche, but health-wise, I am working to become lighter - I need to lose about 10 pounds and improve muscle tone to feel better in my own skin.  I am going to do this through more mindful eating and exercise.


3. One of my goals is improving my photography.  Light is the key element that draws me into the photos I love the most.  I want to be more conscious about the physical light in my space.

 In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary.

Aaron Rose 

 

4. My job as a teacher and as a mother is to educate.  This year I am going to work to help them find their passions, their inner questions - to desire the search for knowledge and wisdom.

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.

William Butler Yeats

5. I want to make things better for those around me.  To be mindful of these definitions of light:
       As a noun:
                an illuminating agent or source, as the sun, a lamp, or a beacon
       As a verb:
                to cause (the face, surroundings, etc.) to brighten, especially with joy, animation, or the like

6. I want to live lightly.  Not accumulate a lot of stuff I don't need.  Not put undue burdens on the planet.

And finally,
7. I can be the source of my own peace and happiness.  I don't want to wait for an external source of light - someone or something or the weather or whatever to be joyful. I want to find a way to be my own light.

When you possess light within, you see it externally.  

Anaïs Nin

SO, there you have it.  My one little word.  If you're interested, here are my previous words:

Practice Love - 2011

Mindful - 2010

Cultivate - 2009