Seeking Serenity

Do you choose a word for the year? I started doing this a few years ago, and it has become a ritual for me. A stock taking of where I am and where I need to go next. Last year I chose PASSION, and that really formed the year for me. I vowed to only take on something if I was really passionate about it. And what I learned from that experience is that I am passionate about a lot of things, sometimes too many things! I had my first art show, attended my first art retreat, organized my first women's retreat weekend, painted a whole lot of paintings, and raised two busy little boys.

I've been feeling scattered, overwhelmed, and over-stimulated lately. I've forgotten how to slow down, how to relax. Yesterday I took a 2.5 hour restorative yoga class, and while my body found relaxation, my mind was still whirling like a dervish. It took a long time to settle on SERENITY as my word for the year. I pondered SIMPLIFY, FOCUS, and PEACE along the way, but then my husband suggested serenity and it just felt right.

Although I will still be very busy in the year to come, with several art retreats, art shows and motherhood, I want to find a still place inside of me that I can come to in the middle of the chaos. I want to let go of the permanent tension in my back and remember how to release, how to truly relax.

What is your word for 2014?

Joyelle