We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be
done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through
the rooms of our lives...not looking for flaws, but for potential.
~Ellen Goodman~
Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each
new year find you a better man.
~Benjamin Franklin~
done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through
the rooms of our lives...not looking for flaws, but for potential.
~Ellen Goodman~
Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each
new year find you a better man.
~Benjamin Franklin~
I don't even know quite how to begin looking back at 2009. It was a year of so many surprises, opportunities, first steps, giant leaps, and downright freefalls and I have been continuously challenged - finding growth in rising up to meet various opponents. This year, I have taken risks beyond what I ever could have imagined that I would - and created expectations within my world that I never could have dreamed would be met...and I have encountered the most amazing and inspiring people along the way.
I have to say that the highlight of the year for me has to be the cruise that I went on in November. I am not a traveler for the most part...but I have always dreamed of visiting other places. The particular tour that I chose gave me the incredible opportunity to fulfill that dream, and to make a difference in other parts of the world by participating in local volunteer activities at the same time. It is such a profound concept. I saw sunrises over the ocean, and sunsets in 3 different countries that took my breath away. I got kissed by a dolphin, rode a horse on a Mexican beach, and left my mark in the pediatric ward of a Belizean hospital by helping to paint cartoon character murals on the walls for the young patients to enjoy.
This cruise was so important to me on a number of levels and quickly became a representative symbol of an internal journey that had been taking place for me since very early in the year. When I boarded that ship, I literally left behind everything remotely familiar and entered a world which I knew nothing about and where I was completely unknown. My own anonymity and the knowledge that my interaction with this particular universe was for just one week in time was such an incredible gift. It allowed me to spend time discovering my real self - the self that lies underneath the masks that I wear to fit into my life and to experience, without fear, how THAT self could relate to the people around me. The only disruption to the peace I felt seemed to be a fairly intense level of "politicking" going on at the corporate level among the staff of the travel group - and it somehow cast an air of cliquishness and exclusivity among some of the passengers that put me off a little. One particular moment stands out as I noted some of the higher level staff pointing around and whispering among themselves...and it took me back to a definite "mean girl high school" moment. Even that, however, provided a significant opportunity for self examination and growth in my own heart. Overall, the cruise was an incredible experience that brought about a definite shift in the state of my soul - and as we arrived back in the states I realized that I was done with the masks...there is simply no longer a need.
Weeks later, after much dreaming, planning, saving, and anticipating, I packed my car and moved 700 miles away - again, away from all things familiar and secure and into a world that is unknown to me...and in which I am unknown. It is a new start for me...the darkness of my past making way to a future that I am uncertain about, but that is full of possibility. With everyone I hold dear safe and sound in my heart, I begin a new story.
The pencil is sharp, and a blank page stares at me as I formulate my opening statement:
Chapter One...
I have to say that the highlight of the year for me has to be the cruise that I went on in November. I am not a traveler for the most part...but I have always dreamed of visiting other places. The particular tour that I chose gave me the incredible opportunity to fulfill that dream, and to make a difference in other parts of the world by participating in local volunteer activities at the same time. It is such a profound concept. I saw sunrises over the ocean, and sunsets in 3 different countries that took my breath away. I got kissed by a dolphin, rode a horse on a Mexican beach, and left my mark in the pediatric ward of a Belizean hospital by helping to paint cartoon character murals on the walls for the young patients to enjoy.
This cruise was so important to me on a number of levels and quickly became a representative symbol of an internal journey that had been taking place for me since very early in the year. When I boarded that ship, I literally left behind everything remotely familiar and entered a world which I knew nothing about and where I was completely unknown. My own anonymity and the knowledge that my interaction with this particular universe was for just one week in time was such an incredible gift. It allowed me to spend time discovering my real self - the self that lies underneath the masks that I wear to fit into my life and to experience, without fear, how THAT self could relate to the people around me. The only disruption to the peace I felt seemed to be a fairly intense level of "politicking" going on at the corporate level among the staff of the travel group - and it somehow cast an air of cliquishness and exclusivity among some of the passengers that put me off a little. One particular moment stands out as I noted some of the higher level staff pointing around and whispering among themselves...and it took me back to a definite "mean girl high school" moment. Even that, however, provided a significant opportunity for self examination and growth in my own heart. Overall, the cruise was an incredible experience that brought about a definite shift in the state of my soul - and as we arrived back in the states I realized that I was done with the masks...there is simply no longer a need.
Weeks later, after much dreaming, planning, saving, and anticipating, I packed my car and moved 700 miles away - again, away from all things familiar and secure and into a world that is unknown to me...and in which I am unknown. It is a new start for me...the darkness of my past making way to a future that I am uncertain about, but that is full of possibility. With everyone I hold dear safe and sound in my heart, I begin a new story.
The pencil is sharp, and a blank page stares at me as I formulate my opening statement:
Chapter One...
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