I am writing this entry on December 30th. At this time tomorrow, I will be ushering in the New Year with festive friends, who I am grateful to know. Music, dancing, drumming, food, hugs, smooches and general celebratory silliness will be part of it, I’m sure. On the day before, I am focused on let-go-to- call in, which is how I have experienced life working.

I read the Bliss Blog post I wrote on New Years day 2014 and am amazed, but not surprised at how my intuition played out. Here is an excerpt:

“Experimentation is what makes this new year even more exciting as I know I will be trying on unaccustomed ways of being, as if they were pretty shoes all lined up on a shelf. Some will look good, but feel too tight and constricting. Others will be so big that I may trip over my feet at first. The third group may contain footwear that will be just right; combining comfort and style.

I am stretching beyond what I thought was acceptable behavior for someone who endeavors to be low maintenance (read: unobtrusive, not too much trouble, don’t rock the boat, don’t make waves). The sad part is that by wanting to be seen that way and therefore be accepted, I missed out on opportunities that I could have grasped had I been bolder. ‘Boldness’ is one of my watchwords this year, along with ‘allowing’. Although they might seem as if they are opposite polarities, the reality is that they are linked together. If I am bold in asking for what I desire, then I have more freedom to step back and allow for what I have requested, to show up.”

This year has brought with it all manner of joys and sorrows; with deaths and births and in my case, a re-birth following a heart attack in June. It invited in new dear friends and colleagues. It offered me my ideal job- writing from home about subjects ranging from addiction and recovery to mental health, relationships and spirituality. It insisted that I explore unhealthy patterns and addictions, including co-dependence and workaholism. It coerced me to slow down and simply BE. It brought with it, the freedom to say yes and no with equal ease.  It gave me permission to live and love fully, not holding anything back. It reminded me that I need never sell my soul for acceptance or approval and that what might appear one way through those dysfunctional lenses that I once wore, looks vastly different when I clean off the smudges. Still sadness lingers at times. No one ever said surrender was a cakewalk.

Over the weekend, I created a Vision Board with friends, in order to bring in what I desire. When I looked at last year’s board, I was astounded at how many heart references there were, as well as words and images that referenced self care and slowing down. The one I designed on Sunday, continued the theme of ease and grace.

As I step through the door into the next year,  I welcome grand opportunities to write and speak wherever I choose, to meet new kindred spirits and strengthen current connections, to invite in that partner for whom I have been preparing, as we grow our relationship, to accept abundance in all forms, to surrender all that doesn’t serve and to thrive in complete and total wellbeing. And so it is.