And so it begins...

by Kim

"Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning 

but a going on with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us."

- Hal Borland -

Yes, and so it begins...a new day, another sunrise, and yet even at the start of a new year...it is still all about the continuation of life, not of starting over. In fact, I don't know of many things that are dependent upon the ending number of a year, except maybe for calendar makers. 

Most things are instead relegated to days, to snippets of time, minutes and seconds....to right now. I try not to blink, or make too many unrealistic plans or really long lists. Not that this doesn't work for many other people, just not for me. Because when life throws those curve balls, and we know it does, I need to be able to go with the flow.

Just the same way that these milkweed seeds will often find themselves quite a distance from where they started, but will grow where they land anyway. Because the Monarch depends on it.

And often, we will find ourselves in chaos, far from where we started and our lives will depend on being able to grow where we land.

Much of the time we tend to be so concerned with the end results that we forget about some of the small, sweet beginnings in between, the ongoing process of life.

"What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly." - Lao Tzu

Last year almost to the day, I shared here that because I'm an epic failure at New Year's resolutions that I have for the past three years chosen a word instead to be a sort of guide. My word was possible. Not just to know about the possibilities but to believe them possible. This last year was a difficult one for my family and through it all I learned possible in a way I didn't expect, and certainly not in a way I would have ever imagined it would play out. I learned what "possible" means from my teenage son through his diagnosis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and his fight back to what he loves (if you're interested in the full story, click here). 

This year I want to be more mindful about moving with intention. More intentional about what is important and what can be left out, and more intentional about letting my passions drive my actions. This year my word has a wing man...intentional, while keeping it as simple as possible. 

In case you missed our announcement, we now have a 365 day project going on over at Flickr called Focus on a photo a day. We would love to have you join us and it doesn't matter if you start today or tomorrow because, "All glory comes from daring to begin." - Eugene F Ware

See you there,

Kim