This quote.
I said: what about my eyes?
God said: Keep them on the road.
I said: what about my passion?
God said: Keep it burning.
I said: what about my heart?
God said: Tell me what you hold inside it?
I said: pain and sorrow?
He said: ..stay with it. The wound is the place where the Light enters you. -Rumi
For the past few years, as the new year rolls around, I've picked a word as a theme of focus, rather than a longer set of goals and resolutions. It's worked well in the sense that I enjoy the simplicity of the One Little Word philosophy, and have felt the cumulative effect of the words over time, even after it's year is over.
I began in 2010 with Pause; 2011 brought about Focus. In 2012 I chose Grace, and finally, this year, I landed on Light.
I have done next to no actual writing or participating in the One Little Word world, as my work life and home life have kept me busy. But I wear my token of Light (a pendant with the word and year inscribed) almost daily, and in the act of putting it on, I reflect and remember all the things that Light symbolizes for me, and also Pause for a moment to focus (see, those words from previous years really do come back around again). (If needed, I'm also capable of extending a little Grace to myself, and others.)
My original post on Light says a lot of what I'm working toward accomplishing this year, but I have found a few additional Light-related thoughts to share along the way, as well.
The lamps are different,
but the Light is the same.
-Rumi
"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what Light I have."
-Abraham Lincoln
I have a Pinterest board devoted to OLW2013:Light, with more words and images, if you're a pinner and you're interested.
The view for much of our roadtrip this past weekend.
I have been reflecting on my lack of dietary freshness of late. Some winters I do a better job with keeping up on the salads and such, other winters... not so much. This is one of those not so much winters. So, knowing I should be doing better, I have been looking for some inspiration beyond the box of greens languishing in the fridge, and of course, there are plenty of options.
I was cleaning out my inbox over the weekend--it tends to creep up in number if I don't keep an eye out, know what I mean?--and saw a leftover devotional email from the very end of 2012, talking about a Psalm for the new year, Psalm 90. I saw this paraphrase below, and love how it aligns with so much of what I want to remember every day, as well as what I've chosen for my OLW 2013: Light. I love it when my procrastination results in an a-ha moment when that same email might have gotten a quick delete a month or two ago.
Spring doesn't seem so far away these days. The sun has come out here and there, enough to tease toward whole days of cloudless skies. And the temperatures have been almost balmy as well. Seeing color forecasts from Pantone never hurts, either. I actually saw the fall one first and thought, "Oh brother, surely we aren't fast-forwarding straight to fall?" and went looking for spring.
Which are your favorites? For spring, mine has to be Tender Shoots or Lemon Zest or Nectarine (I know, hard to choose!). For fall, I'm Acai and Koi, with a little Mykonos Blue... Regardless, I do love both palettes!
ight on schedule, the minute I pick Light as my word for 2013... and the darkness descends. Ha ha ha. Not really. But, there were a number of moments when I had little "a-ha" light bulbs going off over my head as we wrapped up the holiday-ing and headed back to work. "See," my little a-ha light bulb would chirp, "You want to focus on Light? Well, little Miss Sweet Tea&Sunshine, look at all the darkness--the sadness, the death, the loss, the anguish, the loneliness, the death, the bitterness, the grief--it's all around us, everywhere. What are you going to do about that?"
Well, my Friday night grateful moment is my chirp back at the darkness. Indeed, there's sadness and anguish and grief, some days in double dose. Not going to gloss that over. Awful horrible things happen, to perfectly nice people. But rather than curse the darkness (though there was a bit of that at o-dark-thirty Wednesday morning), I will choose to light a candle.
This week I am grateful for many things...
A truly lovely holiday break with my guys. It was relaxing, from start to blessed finish. I didn't do a lick of work-related stuff, for which I admit I paid a small price in re-entry. But oh, such a wonderful time it was.
Our fireplace. I have been firing up that beast every night when I get home, and just loving the glow, the warmth, the sound. A fireplace makes winter so much more bearable. I wish I could take it with me everywhere. A pocket fireplace... Isn't that a fun (and a little bit dangerous...) image?
Winter flavors. I have no problem finding yummy things to eat, apparently, no matter the season. Right now I'm in love with the pomegranate, with grapefruits and squashes and artichokes, soups and casseroles and comfort and cheesiness. Oh wait, the last couple there aren't exactly New Year's flavors, are they? Oh well. I'm easing into clean eating; that's my story and I'm sticking with it. Not a couple of times this week I looked around work for the holiday goody platter. Withdrawal. Pangs. Are. Real.
The Christmas tree. Speaking of withdrawal... not sure when that beauty is coming down.
Hulu+ and Netflix. Who needs TV, really? I know, such a fluffy thing to be grateful for, but entertainment is important. Especially on vacation. And, it's fabulous being able to watch episode after episode of something--I discovered a funny sitcom over the break, "Guys With Kids," which is produced by Jimmy Fallon, who I find immensely amusing. Laughed out loud a few times, even. Speaking of which...
Laughter, which does a great deal to help with the post-holiday doldrums. I love laughter. Laughter is right up there with Light.
My prayer book. I have not always been one to write down what and who I'm praying for, it has seemed a little contrived (to me). But then the list at times gets a little long, and I will remember things or situations or people in the middle of the day and think, "Nuts, I forgot about that." And while I'm certainly not opposed to offering up a quick prayer at the moment, it just gets a little scattered. In more recent times I've attempted a little notebook with a list... and then I forget THAT, and well... So, I'm back on the bandwagon. I am grateful for the book itself, with its little green leather cover, so nicely put in my Christmas stocking by dear husband. And I'm grateful for the mindfulness it brings to my day, to begin by putting people and issues and problems and praise down in a tangible way and offering it all to God.
Color. So so grateful for color, in the midst of all this winter weather monotony. I even broke out The Scarf this week, that's how much I was looking to bust the gray! And I made deviled eggs last night, too; Seth and I devoured them, all yummy and yellow and beautiful.
My winter comfort attire. You'll notice I'm not posting a picture of it, but it's my go-to evening get-up: comfy "George Costanza" pants, Ugg boots, long sleeved T, and house sweater (think old, ratty, green, '70s, with a tie belt, even). It makes me happy. And, if you don't know the Costanza reference:
ight on schedule, the minute I pick Light as my word for 2013... and the darkness descends. Ha ha ha. Not really. But, there were a number of moments when I had little "a-ha" light bulbs going off over my head as we wrapped up the holiday-ing and headed back to work. "See," my little a-ha light bulb would chirp, "You want to focus on Light? Well, little Miss Sweet Tea&Sunshine, look at all the darkness--the sadness, the death, the loss, the anguish, the loneliness, the death, the bitterness, the grief--it's all around us, everywhere. What are you going to do about that?"
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