The Year of Living Resourcefully

Our 2015 pretty much started off like a Tolstoy novel. Major illness. Moving. Assuming responsibility for our business. Economic shifts in our profession. 2015 could have been the worst year in our lives.

But it wasn't.

While I've had my dark days, I discovered that it's impossible to be an Anna Karenina when in your heart-you're a Bridget Jones!

Given where we ended 2014-2015 has basically been a miracle. This is why I find a reason to smile every day: 

As we start this Bright and Shiny New Year, it's time to select JUST ONE WORD.  Like many of you, I'm one of those people who stopped trying to come up with resolutions years ago. Instead you select ONE WORD that will guide you.  It's something that sums up your hopes of who you want to be and how you want to live.

Usually I'm pretty quick in deciding my word. For 2015, it was FOCUS. Which turned out to be prophetic since it took all my attention to keep our lives moving ahead.

But this December I struggled.  Nothing seemed to fit. Joy? Happiness? Grateful? All are wonderful but these are feelings integrated into my life. I need something that will inspire me to face new challenges and goals.

I tried writing a few down-all clunkers.  So I wadded up the paper and started logging photos for my 2016 blog posts. Now, I've been so busy in this time of transition that I have neglected my blog. But I have been photographing stories: things I've done to our new home, budget challenges, learning how to be self-sufficient, changes to the business, consulting on projects, and ideas for samples and classes.

I went through 264 pictures from our move in July 2015 to today, excitedly getting ready to re-launch my blog when we re-launch our new Surfaces website.  I reviewed my new business plan to expand services to attract new markets.

I talked with Bruce and my sister about my plans for the spring to build a garden and install rain barrels. My hopes to improve my cooking ability and teaching myself about distance learning. Watching videos so I could redo our basement.

And there it was. Right in front of me. FOCUS may have been my word last year but the action I found in 2015 was RESOURCEFULNESS.

RESOURCEFULNESS- The ability to creatively cope with difficulties. Finding ways to skillfully and promptly deal with new situations. Capable of devising ways to solve problems.

Perfect!

2016-My year of RESOURCEFULNESS! Let's see where this takes us!