It’s Friday somewhere in the world, and a double celebration — Poetry Friday & the arrival of 2016.
For me, it’s a triple celebration, because Jan. 1 is also my anniversary. Mark and I have been married for 8 years. (GASP!)
Mary Lee is hosting the round-up at A Year of Reading.
Earlier this year I had a conversation that led me to select “mirror” as my One Little Word for 2016. I like that it is a word with multiple meanings and causes me to think about reflecting in different ways. It’s also a word that pops up in poetry and literature. I’ve been researching quotes with the word “mirror” and looking into their history. Even if I don’t manage any of my lofty mirror-related goals/posts for the year, I’ve enjoyed the exploring process.
Here is a quote to begin the new year:
“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”
~ Edith Wharton
For more on the home where this photo was taken, click here. The rest of this post is more for my own reference and processing, but you’re welcome to read it. 🙂
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Somewhat related to mirrors and reflecting, and inspired by a post by James Clear on core values, I spent some time today thinking about five values to work on in 2016. (I blogged about combining my “core strengths” and my “core values” earlier. My five signature strengths are Learner, Harmony, Responsibility, Intellection, and Achiever.)
I decided I want to work on Spiritual Knowledge, Health, Inner Harmony, Friendships, & Fun. Spiritual Knowledge is tied to my Learner strength. Inner Harmony and Friendships connect with Harmony. Health ties to Responsibility — and it’s high time I take more responsibility for my health and wellness! It may be a stretch, but I’m going to tie Friendships to Intellection, because I have smart friends with whom I enjoy having lively discussions — I simply need to spend more time with them! The biggest challenge is going to be tying Fun to Achiever — the latter relates to being busy, productive, and hard working. The problem is that I’m so busy being productive and hard working I forget to relax and enjoy living. So I aim to apply myself to having more fun in 2016. (Invite me on an adventure!)
This project is tied to research, so I plan to duplicate the study and write briefly each day about how my activities tied into my core values. I found a Scripture writing plan here to get me started on the goal of spiritual knowledge. I have some health related goals set with a friend and accountability partner. I have far too many quilt projects to have fun with.
That’s a lot of ambition to begin a new year, but each task I have set before me is designed to bring me into habits that will enable me to make stronger choices about how I invest my time and energy to live a balanced and joy-filled life. I welcome all encouragement!
Consider yourself encouraged!…One unsolicited piece of advice: try “playing” at your work; maybe even look up synonyms for play and see how they fit. I say that because I need to “play” at getting things done, otherwise I feel overwhelmed and under-able. Hope that works for you!…. I love the Edith Wharton quote, and admire your vision (oops..that just popped out) concerning your 2016 word. Our high school yearbook was entitled Reflections, and because I graduated from a Catholic h.s., there were lots of Scripture and other inspirational quotes related to the theme. …Congratulations on your wedding anniversary. (What is the year 8 theme?—I hope there’s something reflective in the symbols etc.) Here’s to an everything you have in mind, and even more so!, memorable 2016! God bless you!
Thank you — I plan to investigate those Scriptures too! I just looked up the theme and it’s pottery. 🙂 I’m sure there’s shiny pottery out there!
Lucky you, I think an accountability partner is a key to success! Good luck with your project and don’t forget that creativity should play a big part in all of it! Happy New Year!
Thank you for the reminder, Diane! I am hopeful that getting myself back into balance I will have more energy and focus for creative pursuits!
I still need to choose my OLW for 2016, and you have such a detailed plan! Good on ya — this will be an amazing year for you!
I hope so! I do better with a plan!
I admire your plan and have a strong feeling you are much younger than I am. I have selected my OLW after being drawn to another one, one that was focused on doing. At my age I feel the need to focus on being rather than doing. I hope you will continue to blog about your process.
You may be interested in joining a blogging group for Spiritual Thursdays. The link up is gathered by Holly Mueller. We write each week on a topic (or not), but mostly we connect about our spiritual journey. You can find the link on my blog post from yesterday. https://reflectionsontheteche.wordpress.com/2015/12/31/be-present/
Are you on Twitter? Holly tweets the link up. I could retweet to you.
Ha, I think we are much the same age, Margaret! This past year when I took the Strengths Finder test and two of my top 5 are learning and achiever, I figured out that I may be just wired to be unable to relax! :-0 I will investigate Spiritual Thursdays! I am on Twitter @redwriterhood.
Keri, I am impressed with both your OLW and your plan. I zeroed in on your spiritual goals as did Margaret. I second Margaret’s thoughts on you joining our Spiritual Journey Thursday group. We have such a wonderfully small community of believers who support and guide each other on our journeys. Happy New Year!
Thank you for doubling the invitation! I will check it out!
Maybe you can write some reversos? They are the original mirror poem, right? I hope you have a wonderful 2016, with lots of spirited fun and harmonious achievements!
Yes! I saw your “Raven” reverso and plan to do a book review. 🙂 As for doing a reverso *well* — that is another story!