One Little Word for 2012

Many of my regular followers are familiar with Ali Edward's One Little Word.  She suggests you identify one word that can be your guiding light for the year.  Similar to a new year's resolution, but different in that it leaves things open for whatever might add to your life experience.  As Ali E says, it "...can be a powerful thing.  It can be a ripple in a pond that changes everything.  It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow."  Sometimes the word picks you instead of you picking the word.

This is the fourth year I've identified a word that I would be my mantra for the year. My words have been Simplify (2011), Serenity (2010), and Gratitude (2009). 

For 2012, my word is  

Truth

1.  sincerity in action, character and utterance

2.  conformity with fact or reality; verity

3.  a verified or indiputable fact, principle, proposition or the like

And it chose me.  As I was driving.  Talking to myself.  Asking questions about others' actions and then I turned it around and asked about my own actions.  And I realized that what I need in my life right now is for me to be honest with myself.  I need to take ownership of things for which I previously blamed (oh, how I dislike that word) others. 

I need to discover and embrace the truth about my relationships.  About weight loss.  About exercise.  About healthy eating.  About homemaking.  About time management. 

I need to be truthful with myself.  And I will not allow myself to believe what Jack Nicholson says...

Oh, yes I can.  Oh, yes I will.  I can't say this will be easy.  I'm a little anxious on moving forward with this.  But I see that as a good thing.  Being anxious heightens awareness.  And then...

All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered. 

The point is to discover them - Galileo

And so the journey begins. 

I'd love to know if you have a word for 2012.  Feel free to share in the comments or to post a link to your blog.  C'mon...what's YOUR word?

"The Look"

As we were growing up, my siblings and I knew "the look" we would get from my mother if we were stepping out of line.  Many of you know about "the look".  Without a word being spoken, while your mother is at the other side of a room, your eyes meet hers and BAM!!  You know if you continue to do what you are doing, you are in BIG trouble. 

I swore I would never use it on my kids.  HA!!!  So much for promises made to yourself when you are 12 years old.  Yes, my kids will tell you that I used "the look" on occasion.  And I can tell that my eldest grandson experiences "the look" from either mom or dad or both, because I catch him occasionally looking up to "take a reading". 

I love how our eyes tell so much.  I love looking at pictures to see whether the eyes match the mouth in what's being told in the photo.  C'mon...you know what I mean!  Smilin' eyes!!  And how disturbing is it when the eyes don't match the mouth?

But the reason I tell you this is because I wanted to share with you my experience when I received the best Christmas present a grandma could get.  I received a gift card for a date at Make a Messterpiece with my 4 1/2 year old grandson.  But it wasn't the gift card that was the best gift.  It was this gift bag, handed to me with a special look.  A look that told me I was going to L-O-V-E what was inside. A look that exuded confidence in how perfect this gift was for me.

In actuality, I loved that he wrote all of this on the bag.  You see, I will scrapbook this.  I will take pictures of my date with him, of his Messterpiece, of our time together and I will scrap those pics right next to this bag.  And I will melt each time I see it. 

I am certain that I am the luckiest grandma in the whole wide world. 

Christmas Wishes 2011

From my home to yours, may your Christmas be filled with joy and peace, may you enjoy your time with those you love, and may you know how grateful I am to call you "friend".

Merry Christmas!!

Insane Courage

Have you seen any movie trailers for "We Bought a Zoo"?  First of all, gotta love Matt Damon and that smile!!!  But he says one line that just blew me away.  It's a quote that grabbed my heart immediately.  All I could think about was, I've GOT to share this with my blog buddies!!  Ready?? 

"All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage and

I promise you something great will come of it." 

Think about that for a minute.  You can plan and dream and wonder and plan and when it gets right down to it, it's the 20 seconds you spend telling yourself you are moving forward with your dream that involves the insane courage.  Everything that follows is just support, whether it's self support or support from others.  I LOVE this quote.  Can't wait to see the movie.

Hope your holiday planning is coming along at a non-stressful pace. 

Dear Online Retailers:

I'm really quite impressed with some of your amazing deals this season.  Really some great pricing.  I can see where you are trying to get your fair share of my Christmas budget.

However, I'm very aware of how much you are charging me for shipping.  And if I think it's unreasonable, you aren't getting my business.

That's the bottom line. 

Sincerely,
A Smart Shopper