End of 2016 and the word of the year for 2017...

For many 2016 was not a good year because of events that happened externally. With all the negative posts online (by others) about this tumultuous year, I decided to see what had been good about it for me and attempt to find a smooth way to transition into the New Year.

What I did that I am happy about in 2016:

• We made a little progress in the house: living room bookshelves, second fridge, new bed. I also purged some of the clothes I don't wear (although I think I still have a lot of clothes, probably need to do it again next year). I did more with the bookshelves, purging a lot of my old books that do not serve me anymore and donating them to the library for the Friends of the Library sales. 
• I was fairly steady in my yoga practice this year, getting more consistent as the year wore on.
• Rearranged my sewing room to make it more efficient for me for when I eventually sew more (see below LOL).
• Stayed in relative good health for the year. I seem to have weathered a health situation that may get worse in the future but for now, I am healthy. 
• I was more aware of staying positive and being grateful for situations and things. For example, when our old washing machine died as I started a load, I was grateful that I had the means to just go out and get a new one. And I think what helps me is when I share my gratitude about things, either out loud or online (here or FB mostly).

What could still use improvement from 2016: (just noticing, not getting down on myself cause we all know how that doesn't work!)

• Well I do still have a mountain of fabric that I could have been sewing on. Luckily fabric doesn't spoil and I can carry that over to 2017.
• There is still a ton more work to do in the house to make it comfy and so that I can feel like it is a home to be able to invite friends over to. I think my immediate goals now that the bedroom stuff is redone has to be the living room. We both still have a lot of stuff to go through. 
• I got lazy about my better eating habits towards the end part of 2016 and ate more breads and sugar sweets than I might have liked. That too is easily fixed in the new year.
• My walking plan sort of petered out. Time to get that started up again for 2017. Where IS that Fitbit I wonder?
• Not as many blog posts happened last year as I had intended. I want to use this blog in the coming year to log some of my own personal growth and achievements. I saw a blog post once with the title something like "What if you write a blog and no one reads it?" Well, for me, that is just fine. I am writing for myself and if someone else happens to read it along the way, all the better. 
• I sort of forgot my word for the year for 2016 (BE) and my CDF's (core desired feelings). Around November I remembered them again and decided I would find a way in the new year to integrate them more into my life on a consistent basis.

So this brings me to what my word for 2017 will be. Last post I wrote of some suggestions and why I might choose them. I decided as much as I did want to look outward for many things this coming year (volunteering or making things for donations), I still needed to be a bit introspective as well... so the word I chose is:

                               COMPASSION

Compassion is a great word for what I have been feeling. I can look outward and help others/be compassionate towards others, and yet I can still show compassion for myself and make the things I am working on for myself happen without being mean or negative towards myself.

Intentions, not resolutions. I stopped making New Year's Resolutions years ago. Instead I went towards what my Intentions for the new year would be. Then I stumbled upon the Core Desired Feelings and that resonated with me even more.

Core Desired Feelings. According to Danielle LaPorte, the core desired feelings (CDFs) are how you want to feel in these 5 categories:  Livelihood & Lifestyle, Creativity & Learning, Body & Wellness, Relationships & Society, and Essence & Spirituality.

As for my CDF's, I kept a few from last year and changed some. Mine for 2017 are:

• uncluttered
• open
• mindful (intentional)
• helpful
• connected

Today I will be working my way into the new year with a 2 hour yin yoga session at Shala Yoga. I still attend It's All Yoga and consider it to be my "home" studio, but I am finding some other teachers in other studios as well who lead classes in the slow, more introspective styles of yoga that I enjoy. For a while I fought going to any other studio, wondering if it was disloyal or whatever, then after some thought realized that it was just fine. Finding classes that work for me in my yogic pursuits are a good thing. And once I opened to that thinking, I think I was more accepting to finding my own yoga path and helping myself grow in whatever ways served me.

Thinking about 2017...

Like so many people I chose a word for the year. This word is my focus for things I want to do or change in the year. This is my fifth year doing this and it is still a work in progress for me.

My first word in 2013 was RELEASE, written about HERE. 

The next year I chose BREATHE, noted HERE.

My 2015 word was OPEN, which I wrote about HERE.

Last year I chose BE, explained HERE.

It has been interesting to me how one word has led to the next. And it is no different for my new word. I have been thinking long and hard about what sort of word I want to "guide" me for the coming year. Several factors came to mind when deciding what kind of word to choose:  

1. I have now been retired since June 1, 2014. That is 2 and a half years already! I'd be hard pressed to be able to tell you where all that time went! What am I doing with my time? What more can I do? What can I do to be of help to someone?
2. The last 4 words have been about me, looking inward, helping myself. There is nothing wrong with that. A lot of people use these yearly words to help themselves. But it has been in my mind that this time I want to look outward, that my own personal growth and well being also comes from helping other people. 
3. I wanted to find a word that would help me get out in the community and be more active in a more social way. As I get older I am more and more aware of the problems some old people have with dealing with the world so maybe I can find something to do/volunteer at that would be of help.

So, I am still looking for the right word. I am making a big list and will continue to mull over them until one just waves and tells me it is my right word.  Here are some of the words I am thinking about. 

Words so far:  outward, contribute, help, support, change, give, service, expand, unite, connect, share, offer, return, expand, generosity, kindness, compassion, unselfishness, benevolence, altruism, community.

Please feel free to add any others if you happen to think of one!