The Theme for the Year - Reflecting On Many Possibilities

A friend is someone who supports you in growing and becoming even better. Phyllis and I are friends in the truest sense. We don't see one another often - very seldom in fact. But we are linked at the heart. She encourages and supports me in whatever aspirations I set for myself. She seldom offers advice, but she's one of the wisest women I know. She gently guides and supports me, but she challenges me too! Her humor is one of the sharpest, most intelligent and most "right on" of anyone I've met. Whenever I feel like driving off a bridge, her laughter and quick wit have me hysterically laughing and seeking solutions where I previously felt despair.

Knowingly or unknowingly, we often end up reading the same books! Several years ago, we both read a novel called THURSDAYS AT EIGHT by Debbie Macomber. You can read an excerpt of the first chaper by going to Macomber's website. One concept that we liked best about it was that one of the characters decided that instead of having a New Year's Resolution, a word/theme popped into her mind. The word was "faithful." Each major character in the book came up with a word to use as their mantra for the year. A word that represented something they wanted to guide that particular year. A word beacon.

Phyllis and I have done this for several years now. Instead of doing New Year's Resolutions, which seem too restrictive for us, we select a word. We start thinking about what this word will be and it's very significant for us. For myself, one year my word was "simpify", one time, "gratitude" another year it was "focus." Sometimes it's two words, such as "positive change" but it seems more poweerful to have something short and memorable rather than a whole phrase.

What's strange and amazing is how your year often reflects and meshes with the word chosen!!! So if you do this, choose your guiding word with real intent.

For the last few days, we've been contemplating our themes for 2007. I've considered several including: confidence, courage, persistence, unlimited, serenity, question, choice, and savor. When I asked Emily, the word she immediately came up with for me was "self-control."

At first I REACTED internally in a rebellious and even irritated way - i.e. "What ME need self-control, well by God . . . " GULP. Yeah, that reaction sort of cinched it. I don't like to think of myself, at 46, as someone lacking self-control, but if the reactions fits . . . then do something about it. Right?

Self-control it is. It will apply to many aspects of my life: my diet/exercise, my desire to get control of my finances and spending habits, my work which is very stressful and sometimes makes me feel out of control, especially in relationships. In having a teenager, I need to exercise much more self-conrol, especially in the things I say out of frustration. I live too much of my life out of frustration in fact, and I think that's a pretty counterproductive emotion.

So "self control" is the theme/concept I'm adopting for 2007. Maybe posting this in my blog will help me use it more often.

I love new years, new beginnings and a fresh look at possibilities. Self-control. Ah! I don't have to be perfect. I'm not the Master of the Universe, so I can't conrol reality, but I can control how I react to it - especially if that becomes my intent. So that's my sacred intent for this year, that I handle my reactions in a more positive productive way.