fall reflections :: my words-of-the-year check in
wrapped up in all things selling house, preparing, packing, saying goodbye, moving cross country, i completely forgot my mid yearly ritual of checking in on my word of the year { *woty }.
{ E X P A N D }
how did it fare these last 8 months. boy did i expand on my word { pun intended, lol }. we are 6 weeks in to our move to the pacific northwest and we are loving the change.
i found that in the last few weeks of life in north cackilackie { as north carolinians sometimes call it } that, amidst the chaos of moving, i had to remind myself to slow down and take in each of those last days. after all, we did spend almost 23 years calling it home. since march of this it's been a whirlwind of planning and activity and sometimes, as you know, taking time to reflect can sometimes be forgotten in the hustle and bustle of life.
{ 2 things }
every year i do 2 things: i write about my woty*, explaining why it chose me and how i think i'll move forward with it and i do a 6 month check-in.
this year i did not write a blog post about the word i chose, a practice i usually tackle at the beginning of the year to herald in my word, so i have nothing really to look back on for comparison. and you may have noticed......it's way past the 6 month mark for a check-in.
i do remember in late january time, that my word E X P A N D felt very BIG, expansive and almost illusive.
maybe somehow, more subconsciously most likely, i knew that my word was more about the life events that were to come than about experiencing a personal, growth/expansion.
i remember not being sure that it was the right word for me and adding in a minor word...thrive, just in case. however, over the months, my word has popped up in my mind as a means of focus, and been trailing after me, reminding me in touchstone moments that it's still there, guiding me.
so for today's FALL REFLECTION i chose to sit quietly for a few minutes, like i usually do, to give myself time to breath in and feel the thoughts swirling around my woty.
as i sit here, doing some deep breathing and ruminating over the word E X P A N D, in my mind a big field that stretches for miles and miles and miles fills my view.
it reaches so far that i cannot se what's on the other side. but as i slowly move forward not know what i will encounter, a slow smile reaches my face. questions or concerns have not yet arisen. maybe none really exist. how bout that?
i reach deeper and deeper into this picture and look right and left and see my family surrounding me, laughing and joking as we always do when we're on a travel adventure, the kids happily teasing each other; cooper {#coopthedog} following closely behind us, sniffing the air for danger {nah...most likely for food, ha!} as we walk into our new life.
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- who knew that last year when this word chose me take it would take me on a journey so far reaching, so full of opportunities and risk while at the same time be so settling for my heart.
- who knew that me suggesting we up and move our family that my hubby would not hesitate to say yes { i kid you not! }
- who knew that a city could so enthrall us all so equally and capture our hearts so completely.
- who knew that my whole family would take on my word E X P A N D so fully as if it had chosen them as well.
- who knew indeed.
this word had come lightly into my life at first and did what only it could do.....expand my thinking, expand my world, expand my way of life, expand the reach we thought we could reach.
on to new adventures,
G