one word
{reverb11 – day 1}

::

One Word. Encapsulate the year 2011 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing
that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word
to be that captures 2012 for you?

::

Oh, this one is easy. That word, the one that best encapsulates 2011, would be chaos.

Somehow, I never got ahead of myself this year. I was always one step behind, always scrambling to catch up. I raced through this year with one eye on the clock and one leg out the door. I stood in my studio and spun around in circles, never quite reaching an edge.

My house has been a mess, all year. I was supposed to lose ten pounds, all year. My garden was a shambles, no, my garden was the definition of chaos, all year. Half of the things I planned to accomplish are still scattered about on the floor of my mind.

2011 was the year of not getting things done.

And yet.

I worked really hard, all year. And considered it a blessing. (Except for the times I complained about how overwhelmed I was, which okay, may have been every day.)

I fed a chickadee, and a nuthatch, and a titmouse out of my hand.

I hurt my knee, had surgery to repair it, and ran again. Also a blessing.

I wrote a lot of poetry and every so often, my heart clicked back into place.

I created and created and created.

I spent a lot of time with a camera growing out of my face.

I looked for tiny bits and pieces of beauty, and I found them, everywhere I looked.

I smiled more. I sought out the things that make me smile. I became easily amused. (It’s not so hard, you should try it.)

I spent an afternoon with my windmills.

I worked really hard, all year. And considered it a blessing.

I took care of my parents. I made lots of soup. I went to my mountains, twice.

I cried about shootings and earthquakes and abuse and intolerance and droughts and floods. And a cat that broke my heart.

When I could, I smiled through my tears.

I learned new things every day. About life, about myself, about the people that I love.

I read several amazing books.

I found a lot of hearts.

Did I say I worked really hard, all year? And considered it a blessing.

And after about 10 months, I opened my arms wide and I embraced the chaos. Gave it a big ol’ bear hug. Welcomed it into my life.

Because secretly, I know how bored I would be without it.

::

I went back and looked up the word I chose last year, the word that encapsulated 2010 and then the word that I wanted to bring with me into 2011. The word I chose, for both, was crazy.

I think I did good, don’t you?

::

And now I’m supposed to choose a word for next year. One to set the tone, to capture what I want 2012 to be all about. I’m a little nervous, considering that I was right on the money with last year’s.

So I’m going to go ahead and choose a word that I know I can handle.

::

Words.

::

And there you have it.

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{reverb11} check it out here

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{reverb11 – day 1}”

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