December 28. I am already writing “january” and “2010″. This past year has presented many challenges and much heartbreak. There have been roses and bright spots amongs the thorns and clouds – it is all an opportunity for growth, eh? My regular end of year, beginning of the next assessments got shelved in 2008 and 2009 due to all the emotional demands of lives in transition. Essentially the goal was to get through it all.

This year the reassessment process began shortly after Thanksgiving. It is slow going as I try to look at life clearly.

On my list of things to change:

greater studio discipline. This means more time for the studio work and less spent on line. Now that my head is clearing this will be easier. Still to do: create more clear space by sifting, sorting and clearing out things no longer appropo to my work.

more time and energy for self-care: Over the last few years much of my emotional energy has gone toward family in stress, to grieving and to coping with multiple layers of loss. This has depleted my reserves and now it is time to pay attention: improve my diet, walk more, continue with therapies for my back and neck (still damaged from the car wreck in late April), and take more time for play.

Working smarter, not more or harder; Consolidating where it can be done: streamlining the teaching schedule, being more disciplined about the on-line work and doing a better job of keeping up with writing obligations. Letting each aspect of my professional life feed the others.

The word that underlines all of this for me is “mindfulness”. When mindfulness is part of my daily life, inspiration and wonder are ever-present. This informs the creative work, makes me a better teacher and allows me to offer more at every layer of my life.

As always, having a seamless life is important to me. Compartmentalization is handy for lists and schedules but not a good tool for a person who operates in a global rather than linear manner.

There are specific intentions in each of the areas of my life and perhaps there will be a time and place for discussing them. Or maybe the blog will bevccome an arena for keeping on track with moving through the year. We’ll see.

Meanwhile I wish for you a peaceful transition into the new year, good health, and time enough for the parts of your life that are most important to you.