Occupy - 2012

This is the year I will occupy 2012.  Yep… my own occupy movement is underway.  It is not so much that I am disgruntled, have grudges, or need to make my demands… It is more about choosing the changes and knowing exactly where I want to go with my reactions to what the year may present.

I am occupying the year to make it count.  When I am very old and look back over my lifetime, 2012 is going to stand out in my memory.  Maybe I will view it as pivotal, a time when I decide that I will make changes for the better.   A time that I will be grounded in what my true purpose is. I am thinking that I will choose my responses to new experiences with a quality of eager motivation, less by obligation and expectations.

It took many years to create who I am today.  No more wishy-washy handwringing questions asking, “Who am I? Why am I here?” My occupation consists of my true authenticity.  There is a profound reason that I get to greet another New Year – my existence is a small but important piece in a much larger puzzle.

As I occupy 2012, I will trust my instincts and my gut.  I am still learning how this phenomenon serves me. My intent is to recognize it and trust it. That “feeling” may not be foolproof, but it has guided me out of some sticky situations in years past.  In 2012, it has my full attention!

During my occupation, I will tend to my garden and my soul.  Both need constant care and cultivation.  While never fully completed, the tasks will keep me very busy for yet another year.

Encouragement will occupy my interactions with others.  I do not have to know the full effect that my encouraging words might have on another person.  Encouragement has powerful results even though it is so easy to offer it to someone that passes through my day.  The power?  Well, I trust it makes everything better for all of us.  There is not one of us that does not benefit from someone else’s simple, encouraging remark.

Charitable contributions will keep content in my everyday. My acts of charity will not be limited to monetary gifts, defined causes and percentages.  Each new day presents opportunity for this type of occupation.  I am determined to notice it, recognize it and step up to the plate as I am invited.

This year I am not going to wish my friends and loved ones are perfect… or that they always have my best interests at heart. The reality of love is that it transcends these “tests” of relationships. I invite love to fully occupy my heart and mind. It is my desire to love… and this decision will help me to overcome the challenges of relating with others and honoring our right to have  differences.

This year will be occupied with my negativity being kept in check.  My actions and words shall be chosen carefully. I plan to make my own truths considerate of others and their feelings.  My thoughts will minimize fear based thinking; my heart will keep soft places for tons of love and compassion as I view my surroundings.

My occupation includes more humor… sometimes I get stuck because I view circumstances with  a most serious spirit of trying to “figure it all out” instead of simply being amused by what I observe – yep, more humor in 2012!

I will occupy my nights by noticing moonbeams and seeing the bright stars in the sky.  Sunshine and rain and clouds remind me that it is not up to me to orchestrate everything that happens in a day – what a relief!

Yes, consider the year 2012 to be occupied.  At least 99% plus… by my choices, determination and with my eyes eagerly wide-open to the possibilities.  I am not budging!  And, I am betting there will be many who will join me.

A New Year

This day marks a most notable passage of Time... As continuous as the clock may tick the moments gone by, no other moment of the year reaches the same caliber as the clock striking in the New Year at Midnight.

It is with much anticipation for new hopes, new dreams and a new beginning that marks this moment of a changing era.  While many use this time to keep resolve, I find myself ready to set my own Intent.  Not so much for how things should go or to predict what should take place.  My intent is more about how I will respond to life events in the New Year.

Embarking on a New Year is much like walking through an open door, leaving one room behind and entering into another.  I don't have to know what is in the room to know that I am supposed to be there.  I am hopeful that certain people I love will be present in this room, or at least come into the room while I am there.  If not, I will love them throughout the duration, no matter...  Some of my surroundings will be similar to days gone by, some will be new to me.

Through this passage I see reflections of what was (memories) contrasted by a slight glimpse of what is to be (future).  Many old traditions will fall away and be replaced with new experiences.  I am choosing to move fear of the unknown aside so that I might look forward with the eyes of a child, wide open with hope and wonder.

Abondoning expectations, I choose my intent carefully.  I trust that all circumstances will bring about some worthwhile purpose.  I wish to see Beauty in the ordinary, and take notice of each day with Grace and Compassion.  I will listen to hear the calling that points me to my own service.

I am very excited about this New Year, I don't have to know what is going to happen... I want to be surprised!

Greener New Year 2010!

First Toast
Originally uploaded by rsvpentertainment

New Year’s I always have good intentions. I plan for a good fresh start, to do better, follow through… and accomplish tasks that I just did not get around to yet.

This year, I decided to look back on the previous year as a gauge. What might I realistically expect of myself in 2010? It is amazing to think about how I do things differently than I did just one year ago.

One year ago, I threw out about 50 laundry detergent and softener bottles a year. Now there is a quarterly ritual of making homemade laundry soap and softener reusing the same plastic bottles repeatedly.

One year ago, I bought a large package of paper plates about 3 to 4 times a year. I bought one small package this year. Most of them are still in the cupboard.

I stopped buying/using plastic utensils and straws. I don’t even want them anymore, it is easy enough to pack what I need and bring them back home to wash. No big deal, really!

When shopping, I opt for foods and drinks packaged in glass jars, most are cleaned and re-used for food storage.

Packing my own lunch & drinks is not the trouble I once thought. While running errands, I no longer need the bags of wrappers and waste that I thought nothing of accumulating and “throwing away”. Now I eat healthier than the days of past when I thought the fast food drive-up was the only way to go.

Cloth bags over plastic – and I now remember to take them into the store! At first, it was hard to remember. This act alone must save about 500 bags a year, or more!

I have started avoiding wrapping paper. Finding new ways to re-use boxes and recycle items whenever possible is now my current routine.

Listing the strides I have made in 2009 creates a spiral thought process that is sure to magnify my efforts in 2010. I’ve been thinking about how everyone in the world gets to live on this planet rent-free. Paying more attention to what we take and use and what we leave behind makes a lot of sense. No resolution needed, the process to reduce my carbon footprint is now embedded into my behavior.

Happy New Year - Times Square - New Years Eve

Happy New Year - Times Square - New Years Eve - 2007
Originally uploaded by PostMan1107

Waiting for the New Year..... what might it bring? This year is the marker of a whole new decade! Seems to be a serious turning point! 2010 - wow!

It doesn't seem like it was 10 years ago that everyone was worried about all of the computers shutting down and a possible end to the world! The magic moment came and went sort of anti-climatic after all of the commotion and predictions.

Even still, New Years is a fresh start of sorts... 2009 turning into 2010 deserves some kind of attention, anticipation, a marker of the ages. It will be here soon....