Ordinary Wonderment

Hello, dear Reader. Well, 2011 is in full swing. Hope it's shaping up well for you thus far. What a century it's been! And this year already promises to be a memorable one. For me, it's been a rough start: 2 car accidents in the last few weeks. My beloved truck (newly paid-off) was totalled on a telephone pole (after I slid off an icy country road). Fortunately, I was not hurt. Three days later, a careless driver ran a red light and hit Aunt's new Jeep (lent to me for a job interview) while I was making a left turn. This time, I wound up in the ER with very minor injuries and a sore neck and back. Now my Chiropractor and I have a 'date' 3 nights a week. Not a great way to start out the year.

But all this got me thinking. About God and faith. About priorities and what I should be focusing on in 2011. In 2010, the focus of my blog entries was a daily joy--finding something illuminating, pleasurable or funny in each day to keep me focused on the positive.

2010 turned out to be a great year! Not an easy one, by any means, but a great year nonetheless. As I recall, it started out rather rocky as well. A relationship ended and I returned home to Illinois to start over once again. But this time it felt different from the get-go. I hit the ground running and with much support from my whole family, launched my photo business and landed a great job working for a large, Christian company whose products are making people's lives healthier. I have worked hard and played even harder--spending many weekends shooting friends and family having a wonderful time at horse shows and going on interesting mini-adventures. I also found a local church I really enjoy attending and have been making new Christian friends. Thanks to Facebook, this year I've also reconnected with many former classmates and childhood friends and begun to rebuild those friendships. The end of 2010 saw me feeling very fulfilled in my personal relationships.

But where do we go from here? What will define 2011? What do I want to do differently? How to move forward and continue to grow in this 2nd decade of the new century? Last year was all about resilience, persistence and joy. This year, I'm longing to go deeper. I want to make strides toward becoming the person I want to be. Wasn't sure for a while who, exactly, that was. But I think the two near-misses I've had in the last few weeks are God's way of tapping me on the shoulder--and reminding me that I'm here to fulfill His purposes and not my own.

So, for me, this year is about giving up control and waiting patiently (me? seriously?) and expectantly on God. I want to be what He wants me to be. Cuz, let's face it, I'm not doing so hot on my own. And He has better ideas. And infinite resources for making them happen. Ok, so this brings me to my word.

Tomorrow is the 1st of February, Reader. Did you make any New Years resolutions in the last month? Are you still sticking to any of them? Or are you feeling low and hoping to change the subject and talk about the Super Bowl? Wouldn't it be great to start out the year with all the fresh hope you had that first week and actually be able to keep it for the next 365 days? Maybe the best way to do that is stop making resolutions and get yourself a word.

Wondering what the heck I'm talking about? Check out this website. Instead of making resolutions to fix the areas of your life you're already struggling with and beating yourself up when they don't work, try thinking about the kind of person you want to be. What is that person like? What traits and characteristics does that person have? Pick a trait you really admire and would like to incorporate in your own life. Make that trait or virtue your word for 2011. Use it as a lens to examine the many different facets of your life and see how it changes your perspective and shapes your behavior each day. Let that positive word begin the change you want to see in your heart. The site I gave you at the beginning of this paragraph (www.myoneword.org) has all the tools and advice you will need to succeed. It's free and it's life-changing. Instead of a rigid resolution that sets you up for failure, your word is a dynamic, living thing that moves and changes with your life, revealing the person you were always meant to be.

My word for 2011 is relinquish. Not an easy thing for me to do--whatever we're talking about. My first instinct in a situation is to adjust, re-direct, shape, manipulate, change, alter, test and tweak the parameters. But, this year I'm working on taking a deep breath, stepping back and relinquishing control of people, circumstances and outcomes. I'm gonna let God handle it. Already, I'm noticing that when I make that conscious decision to let go, I feel such a release. If I don't worry about it, somehow it still manages to sort itself out. A-mazing! How much more energy will I have to devote to my spiritual journey and the difference God wants me to make in others' lives when I'm not worrying about stuff I can't really control anyway?

Relinquish...wow...big stuff. What about you, Reader? What word do you want to live with this year? What would you like to see shaping your life in 2011? There's still plenty of time to pick a word. I would love to hear about it too--and how it changes your life over the next 365 days.

Here at Ordinary Wonderment, 2011 will be a year of lessons chronicled. Specifically, what I'm learning as I follow my word and see where it takes me. Of course, there will be plenty of time to stop and appreciate beauty along the way. And you will still find blessings counted, recipes and stories shared as well as photos of things that catch my eye. God will be here too, permeating each word as He does every molecule in our lives. I look forward to sharing another year with you, Reader. May it be even more illuminating than the last!