Looking Back

Been busy living and enjoying life

Surrounded by family and friends at Thanksgiving

And even more family later, where 38 of us laughed and carried on in my home

Enjoying the connections. Enjoying life

Seeing as how I keep disappearing

I wanted to make sure I caught some thoughts for myself

Before the year is through

As in prior years, this year’s word didn’t let me down

Truth be told…PASSION kicked my ass

When I was little I used to hang around my oldest brother

I asked, “What’s a dipstick? (after hearing him use it for the umpteenth time)

His response, “It’s a stick you dip in shit.”

~

PASSION acted like a dipstick that stirred through my life

Temporarily lost in the resulting shit-storm

It wasn’t until later that I was able to appreciate what it had done

With everything stirred up, nothing is hidden

I was able to eliminate the people and things I had unconsciously outgrown

As a result, I found myself with room for growth

And grow I did

I discovered a ‘passion’ for construction

A ‘passion’ for connections with strangers

A ‘passion’ for deep thinking and an understanding that not everyone does

A ‘passion’ for travel and the world at large

A ‘passion’ for meeting others and hearing their story

This year I also had a chance to personally meet bloggers I’ve met online

Hosting an artist from Australia and the resulting get togethers in
 Chicago, Seattle & Washington

Have met strangers who’ve become friends in 
North Dakota, New York, Connecticut, Ohio

Even learned it’s close to impossible to sleep in a spooky eastern house (heehee)
And firehouse pancake breakfast with strangers is lots of fun

I’ve learned more about people in one year than I have in a lifetime

Seen the good and bad

Learned I have choices

Learned that Passion is not to be hidden or squashed

And learned to trust my gut the first time

Most importantly

I’ve learned that when a word picks you for the year

It means business

(Two friends who also let a word pick them can attest to this..heehee)

So now that it’s December

I’ve been hiding

Trying to shut my mind off to the attack

Trying desperately not to let a word get me for 2013

I’m too chicken shit

Thinking I had the upper hand

It suddenly hit me

The word picked me last month

It’s been there, everywhere, almost daily

Smugly, arms loosely crossed, it watched from the sidelines

I think I even saw little smoke tendrils dancing from the cigarette 
that balanced at the slight curl of its lips

Alchemy

Oh.No.

My only hope is that the Mayans were correct and we’re falling into the sea 
on 12/21/12

Or hurling into outer space when the planet spins out of control
Or boarding the mother ship

Or the spirituals are right

And this is the end of the world as we know it

Meaning…big changes

Sweet