Farewell to the old - but don't throw out the baby too!

"Today I am going to believe that showing up is enough."

Brene Brown from The gifts of Imperfection.

I've just "showed up" here today to share a few words and some music for New Year's Eve. As I start to write this I don't know where this post is going. I always feel rather sad on New Year's Eve and I've come here with Brene Brown's quote above clutched in my heart, to get myself out of this funk!

This morning I completed Reverb10 in my journal, or rather I completed as much as I am going to complete. After my usual fashion I skimmed the surface of some of the prompts, and made a few jotted notes which I may or may not return to. At the back of my mind was today's prompt, which was really useful, as certain words and phrases kept coming up and although I haven't written this one yet, it is formulating, somewhere......in there.....in the deep.... 

December 31 – Core Story.

What central story is at the core of you, and how do you share it with the world? (Bonus: Consider your reflections from this month. Look through them to discover a thread you may not have noticed until today.) (Author: Molly O’Neill)

The word I chose for 2010 was Visible and I will continue with this process of becoming visible into 2011. Although it makes me feel very vulnerable and exposed sometimes, I do love my little blog and my 365 days photography group. 2010 has been a wonderful year, one in which I finally began to grow up; one in which I finally began to find a voice; and one in which I began to get to know myself and to take care of myself. I put myself back in touch with some parts of my old self and took myself off to China. I carefully poked around at my boundaries and stepped gently out of my comfort zone in the real world too. Lots of learning happened this year as is always the case, I want to take that forward with me. So I'm saying goodbye to some old patterns today, firmly bringing along the best of my old self, and also that new learning from this year, as I continue on my way.  

My word for 2011 is Peace. It won't all be peaceful, especially not if I continue to be seen and to be heard! What I mean to create is an inner peace, one that I deliberately and carefully nurture, one that is not shaken(not destroyed or diminished) by the outer world, one that will allow me, at last, to truly bring my gifts to the table to share.

So my core story, though not written yet, is about "the peaceful and loving deep" and the detail of my life. About all of the things I love and about what makes me unique. I like to skim, I like the big picture, that is one of my strengths. But it is also a way of escaping when it things get too difficult. Now it is time to stop and explore a little more, a lot more! There is much of me that is hidden below the surface and has been unknown even to me, and certainly uncelebrated by me. It's time to enjoy diving in, to enjoy and to celebrate the rhythm and texture of my life and of who I am. I am deep and rich and resonant, and my story from today is about how I share this with the world.

I love this New Year's song - it is deep and rich and resonant. Such beautiful photographs too.

Happy New Year.

New Year's Song(Tar Barrel In Dale) - Rachel Unthank and the Winterset