Happy New Year!

I think new years are great. I put away the disappointments and sadness of the year now gone and preserve the goodness and joy to carry into the next 12 months.

New Year's Resolutions are not my style - I've created New Year's Themes.

Resolutions leave me feeling let down and mad at myself by the end of January. It's difficult to maintain the enthusiastic pace established early in the month, toward whatever lofty goal I had set.

A theme can be carried throughout the year. It's not a goal but a focus.

One year that was my theme - focus. Whenever I got scattered, I would remember my theme and concentrate on just one thing I was trying to accomplish or understand. Effective multitasking is an oxymoron (at least for me).

This upcoming year's theme is Don't Hurt Myself. The predominant motivation for this theme came from the multiple physical injuries to myself in 2010. Two falls onto my knees, injuring my left knee in particular, bruising ribs, turning my ankle, and causing tendinitis in my left wrist. I now have a collection of knee braces, an ankle brace, and a wrist brace. Don't Hurt Myself seemed to be appropriate.

This theme does however also relate to my emotional and spiritual self. I tend to hurt myself by not dealing with emotions in healthy ways. I'm drawn to high sugar content foods, like candy, and don't have good brakes when it comes to controlling my urges.  I end up with self-induced emotional and spiritual pain, feeling disgusted with my overweight self and repetitive failure.

It's all part of my journey.  With 2011's theme, Don't Hurt Myself, I'll move forward and have a positive and satisfying year.

Fun with Beads

Some of my creations . . .

Just learning but having fun working with different colors, stones, beads and charms.


Plan is to predominately make eyeglass necklaces or I.D. lanyards. Even for that most of my finished products are too long.

Must practice, practice, practice.

Maybe one of my rings is a creative streak!

Wet wings

I'm not flying anywhere today; wings are wet. However, I am taking a day-trip to New Hope, PA for a change of pace and re-creation. Plan to catch the golden yellow and robust red of the changing leaves as Fall takes foothold. I love it when we have distinct seasons.

It is time to reset or discard aspirations not fulfilled, and review my year's theme. I choose themes instead of making resolutions each New Year. This way, there is no failure after the first month because it is a process, a quest or path to follow and integrate.

My 2010 theme is Find the Joy. I've had some progress. I'm finding contentment and expression through beading; creating with shapes, sizes and colors. I'll take some pictures and share.

Maiden Flight

The sun warms my skin, the blue sky beckons, trees offer branches for rest.