a little fire under my feet: spark- my word for the year

last monday became my new January 1st
there may be a few January 1s throughout the year 
but i was grateful to once again experience that invigorating feeling of renewal that comes with a fresh start

sickness came and stuck around for a ridiculous amount of time
previous to our bout with the flu and bronchitis
in those early days of 2013
i had seen posts of commitments, resolutions, and inspirational words of the year
i too had made my own list

for some reason this year’s list just seems awfully familiar...
hmmm i wonder if the carousel ride of aspiring to overcome my weaknesses may ever stop
up and down
up and down
round and round i go
i’m getting kind of dizzy over here
i hope this year i may find that magic switch to release my carousel horse to the track so that i may finally cross that finish line

well i’m going to do it
i may get distracted and stop off for some cotton candy along the way
or divert to see the glorious colors of those wildflowers in the field aways off
or fall out of the saddle a few times
but i’m going to do it
i will cross that finish line of change, of improvement
of conquering the self sabotage of fear, defeatist thoughts, and lack of planning
and earn myself one of those pretty flowered wreaths... oh wait those are for the horse

my word of the year
{better late than never}
is

{photo adapted from here}

that’s all i need 
that’s where its going to begin
with something small
but something fiery
something to move me to action
nothing overwhelming
but as it catches hold in varying parts of my life it is going to spread and glow

i have had several experience with SPARKS already this year
the first had nothing to do with my own spark
but the spark of others
one young teenager girl who felt the desire to serve others, told her mom she wanted her family to come clean our house
her mother and dear friend of mine called and asked if they could come do this that night
grateful and feeling overwhelmed by the state of my home, i agreed
of course i spent the following hours cleaning all i could before they got here
but this family of 7 finished the job and our home was beautiful
from that day on, i protected that cleaning and our home stayed clean for an
ENTIRE WEEK
i felt an enormous weight lifted
i was happier
so were the kids
there was less fighting
peace i tell you, such a peace and a lightening
until....we got that horrible, terrible, no good, very bad flu
even the first couple of days i found myself doing the dishes and sweeping the floor
through my horrible aches, zombie head, dizziness...
fighting to keep up
alas it grounded me
oh i’m determined to get that back 
it will return

but it showed me what a little SPARK can do
it lightens
it enlivens
it empowers
it spreads

more SPARKS i am excited to share with you soon:
*organizational tools
*my incredible Minnesota trip
*recipes given
*recognizing the girl in the mirror
*plans for my blog

i’m getting off this carousel
on this uphill track
but i’m not worried because
i’ve got a little fire under my feet

what is your word for the year?  would love to hear!!