My New Year's Resolution...sort of

I'm a pretty avid resolution setter, I even drag my family into my..um..game? But this year, I decided to try something new. I'm a follower of Christine Kane's blog and she has come up with a much more inspiring and meaningful way to approach a new year...Word of the Year. She calls it a Resolution Revolution and I agree. Read more about it in her post here.

So my word for the year...Renew

edited from dictionary.com:

re.new
to restore or replenish ~ to revive; reestablish ~ to recover (youth, strength, etc.). ~ to be restored to a former state; become new or as if new again.

2008 wasn't my favorite year. The tail end of 2007 sort of set the tone and I think I've been going downhill from there. I've done a lot of soul-searching and introspective thinking the past 3 months and I've started taking the steps to change the path I'm currently on.

I don't need a new me...just a replenished or recovered me. I plan on focusing on the following areas of my life: Intellectual, Physical, Spiritual, and Emotional.

Intellectual - This is by far the biggest area of Renewal this coming year. I've really struggled the past 3 years with being an artist, an art instructor, and a homemaker. My quality of life has deteriorated over the past 3 years with the effects reaching into every other area of my life.

I'm not entirely certain of the solution yet. I've done a great deal of research over the past several months and there is no easy answer in sight. I'm close, but until I'm sure about the changes, especially involving the teaching aspect, I'm going to hold off divulging much information.

Artistically, I do plan on spending a great deal more time on exploring some new ideas as well as working on areas in which I want to be a stronger artist. More details on some steps I'm taking will come very soon!

Physical - get out of my overweight rut, push myself to a new level with exercise..not sure how to set this as a goal...knees may not put up with running training for a 5k. I'd like to tie it in with my new found love of camping....maybe a rack up some hiking miles? I'm open to ideas here.

Spiritual - I've gotten very slack in this department. Not only has my church attendance been very poor but my own development, reading, and exploration has come to a standstill. I plan on starting a year long study in reading the bible (I have a workbook to go by) and work on waking up on Sunday mornings!

Emotional - This one is too raw to go into details. I have some issues I'm trying to resolve in my family life. I'm also hoping this is one of those areas that will benefit from "trickle down" renewal from the other 3!

Renew...not so much as a reinvention of myself as a climbing out of the mess..discovering what was always there but forgotten.

So what's YOUR word in 2009?

About the painting: Songbird, acrylic & paper, 12" x 12" is a portrait of my youngest daughter that I completed while taking Paulette Insall's All about Faces web class. This wasn't quite my style of painting but she is an excellent instructor and by stepping out of my box..I was able to make a breakthrough in my own artistic cowardice. Guess what? Yep...that'll be another blog!