LUCK, FORTUNE, LOVE, HAPPINESS... bring it 2012! Bring it!

HAPPY NEW YEAR and HAPPY ONE YEAR "BLOG" ANNIVERSARY!

Wow!  Can you believe I've actually been blogging for one whole year?   Geez... I had a lot to say... and it appears, I'm still full of it!  (Yes, I am sure that got a great big giggle from some of you and for others... you are now rolling on the floor with belly aching laughter!)  Let me just say thank you to all of you who continue to come back post after post...and read my blog.  I've hit over 3000 views,  which to me... is astounding!  3000 in one year.... for an unknown blogger... well, I will gladly take it and smile all the way to the next post!  (woo hoo!  woo hoo!)  

So.. here we go... 2012... a brand new year... new opportunities... new resolutions... new relationships...new diet..... new goals and challenges....  new everything, right?  Clean the slate and start anew!    So... in honor of a new year...... I've given the blog a new look, some updates and hopefully this year will provide some fresh perspectives and inspiration.    Aren't we blessed to have the chance to "undo", "redo", and "whatever do" at the beginning of every new year.   This year is LEAP year, so we even get an extra day to do it.    So, let's kick 2012 off right... well, let's kick it off with something that was a MUST in my house... and probably yours.   

I'm not sure about you... but every year.. on January 1st... TRADITION takes over in my house.   It's something that I have done for ... as long as I was able to eat solid food.   When my mother was alive, she would ensure that this particular tradition was one.. that was not to be missed or messed with in any way.   If I was going to be out of town on January 1st, she would always call me and make sure that I had not messed with tradition.  (Now.... some might say, these are old wivestales, superstitions, folklores... just stories that have been told and passed down from generation to generation... but, whatever they are... I am not one to mess with it!)  

So.. what is it?   Being from the South, we have a tradition that on New Year's Day... you MUST eat black-eyed peas, cabbage and ham jowls/ hocks or pork chops.... whatever portion but some type of pork.    (Now, I'm not sure about other parts of the country...but I know that anywhere you go in the deep south... on new year's day... this is the MEAL you're going to get.   Why? 

Well... as history goes... according to my number one go to source for ALL answers to any inquiring questions -- wikipedia.... the suggested origin of the tradition dates back to the Civil War, when Union troops, especially in areas targeted by General William Tecumseh Sherman, typically stripped the countryside of all stored food, crops, and livestock, and destroyed whatever they could not carry away. At that time, Northerners considered "field peas" and field corn suitable only for animal fodder, and did not steal or destroy these humble foods. 

So...what is the meal?   The traditional meal that has been passed down from generation to generation is black eyed peas, turnip greens or mustard greens or cabbage and ham or any pork item.   The peas, since they swell when cooked, symbolize prosperity; the greens symbolize money; the pork, because pigs root forward when foraging, represents positive motion.  Cornbread often accompanies this meal which is sometimes meant to represent gold.

This year... for extra good measure... my New Year's Day meal consisted of black eyed peas (cooked with bacon), cabbage (cooked with bacon) , ham, ... turnip greens, butterbeans, cornbread and rice.    Yes... I wanted to make sure that we were EXTRA covered.   I also insisted that my family, not only eat it for lunch.... but, also for supper!  (yes, in the south... we do call the evening meal... supper!)   The result... a very ful-filling start on the first day of the year with the knowledge that we have carried on not only a family tradition, but one that is buried deep in our southern heritage.   

Now..... tomorrow... we all have to start with our new year diet and begin the 14 day cleanse to get all those toxins out from all of the holiday traditions... but for now, we will be quite satisfied that we've ensured our good luck, our good fortune, our happiness, success and whatever other blessings are sure to come our way in the brand new year.  

I'm looking forward to 2012 and have promised myself... to enjoy the simple pleasures of life and to simply live as one of my resolutions.  I've promised to put myself first more often because... there comes a certain age, when... you deserve it.   As I begin my new journey into the new year, most of all I'm looking forward to sharing it with everyone of you.   


Happy New Year!

Ring out the old, ring in the new, 

Ring happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go; 

Ring out the false, ring in the true - 

Lord Alfred Tennyson

Something new for the very end of every blog - some of my favorite quotes.  Hope they'll inspire you as they have me at one time or another.      

"I don't think anything is unrealistic IF you believe you can do it"  - Mike Ditka

Self-Reflection... Out with the Old... IN with the New!

Out with the old... and in with the new.... what a familiar saying, right?    It's hard to believe 12 months have passed and we are ready to close out another year.   2011... has pretty much come and gone.     For me, it's been a long year and one filled with many changes.  It's been a year of frustrations, challenges, difficult times... but also one of success and triumph.   I've grown in many ways this past year and found out things about myself that surprised me.  Isn't it amazing that you are never too old to learn something new about yourself.  (And... trust me, I do not like to be reminded how old I am...but, as a very dear friend tells me ... often... AGE is just a number.)  

At the end of every year... I do... what I like to call my "self- reflection" of the past year.  Things that I accomplished... things I didn't.  Things I'd do over... things that I hope to never do again.   Things that made me smile, laugh and really love my life.   Things that were difficult, depressing and provide moments of temporary insanity.   Things I want to change... and things I want to keep.  Self-reflection can be a humbling and numbing exercise, not to mention,  a painful one, but... I've learned that in order to grow as an individual, sometimes, we need these self-induced "wake-up" calls.    

My wake up call involves a number of items on the "2012 List" both in a good way and those that need some "tweaking" as I will put it.   The good things this past year have allowed me to appreciate small successes both professionally and personally, one by one...each not being easy to accomplish, but just knowing that I did and that I could was success in itself.   What is success without relationships?  NOTHING.   I am very fortunate that I have a wide circle of friends and family who are always rooting for me and are there to share the successes and the failures.  They are the constant in my life..... and I am definitely appreciative of every single relationship and sometimes it takes a very close call of losing a relationship that means everything to you to make you realize how fragile and precious they are to your well being and your happiness.  

Another good thing on my 2011 list has been... this blog.   I have been so touched by the messages I have received after posts.  Your comments that you've made...have really helped me to know that my words have touched different people in different ways.   For me... the writing is therapeutic.  It has provided me with an outlet to express my thoughts.   At the same time, it's also allowed me a broader opportunity to evaluate life experiences in a new way and to share them.  I hope that ya'll will continue reading and sharing back with me.   There's plenty more good on my list from 2011 but there's also some areas of change that I need to address.   We all have those... 

For my "tweaking" items...   One thing I have realized this past year is that I have allowed circumstances beyond my control to "control" my life so to speak and... as of this moment... it stops.   The only thing that I can control is me and my reaction to events surrounding me or affecting me.   I've looked back and realized that my reaction to certain circumstances put me in a bad place at various times during the past year.   It allowed me to become someone that I don't like or really want to be.   So, first on my list....with a double and triple underline... Be ME... and control my reaction and try to breathe before "re-acting."  That's a tall order... but, the first step... being aware of it.   I've said this one many times through-out the year... and I often slip... but, I am determined to be diligent in the coming year.   

Number 2 on my list... REMAIN positive regardless of the situation.   From past experience, I know that negativity can swallow you up ... and drown you ... IF you allow it.   (so, see... #1 and #2 are working together ... here!)  If you're negative, then EVERYTHING is negative.   It's hard to stay positive... all the time.  It's hard to always see the glass half full INSTEAD of half empty... but.... again, the whole purpose of the self-reflection exercise is to remind yourself of all of the things that you want to change... and those you don't.   So... for 2012, I am going to post a positive thoughts and comments as often as I can.   

#3 on my list... is to get healthy again.   At 47... it JUST ain't as easy as it used to be!    I've had health problems for as long as I can remember... from stomach, to back... to migraines... to everything in between.  My list of woes is enough to make your head spin... and as my grown children often tease me... there's not much left for them to take out or to find wrong with me... IS THERE?   The way I see it... it could BE much worse than it is...  so, I definitely feel like I'm pretty LUCKY.   

My back doctor tells me I have the back of an 85 year old... (WOW... that's motivation, isn't it?).   My stomach doctor tells me that i have to find a way to alleviate STRESS from my life..... because apparently, when I am stressed... so is my stomach! (I could be the poster person for TUMS, PEPCID, PREVACID, NEXIUM,  well... you get the picture, right?)    (Well... if anybody can tell me a cure for stress... I am all ears!)  I've realized that being healthy is really about having a balance in all things.  It's not just about diet and exercise.   So... I have a new plan for 2012.... that hopefully will put my mind, body and soul back in balance for a healthier, less stressful and happier me again.   OH, I SO WANT TO BE ME AGAIN.   (You're probably asking yourself... well, who has she been?)  

#4 on my list... is in regards to my professional life.  This past year, I managed to develop and execute a brand new concept...that I truly believe in and for that I am quite grateful for the many friends and colleagues who stood with me and behind me to get it off the ground.   I plan on coming back in 2012 with a few changes to make it even better.   Success is sweeter when shared and it's often a result of those around you.   In my situation, that is definitely the reason.   So, #4 .. is to continue to TRY, not give up and work hard to find opportunities to grow professionally.   The phrase... UNDERpromise and OVERdeliver... definitely means something.  I want to be looked upon as someone who doesn't give up... who has a passion and believes .... I want to be the person that has the positive outlook and attitude to accomplish anything.   Will there be failures?  Of course.. but, with every success... failure helps you get there.   

My list continues on with a number of odds and in's... but for the most part, I know that I am truly blessed in this life and know not to take a moment of it for granted.  So #5 on my list... is to SIMPLY LIVE.   It's a motto on my blog page... Simply Livin' and it seems that I needed reminding of it myself. Life itself can sometimes get us down... and it takes a simple gesture to get us back on track.   We should take time every day to breathe and appreciate every moment.  We should love like there is no tomorrow and we should forgive easier.   I guess Tim McGraw's song... Live Like You Were Dying... really holds true and maybe we should all take a moment of self reflection of it. 

2011 has been ... what a good friend once told me... "character building".   I've gone through some tough times on both a personal and professional level... but, at the end of the day.... I'm still here.  I survived and I have the opportunity to make 2012 a better year.   So... as the last week of 2011 begins... and my self reflection episode continues ... I look back with thankfulness for every person who was in my life this past year.   

I look forward to 2012 with a renewed spirit and hope to make a difference, change lives and to be the person that I know that I can be.   I have a new commitment to being me, being positive and to never giving up on the things that I believe in, want and know that are worth it.   I have re-found my passion to simply live for the moment to appreciate all of the things that we often take for granted.  Life... is what we make it... NOT what it makes us.  

My wish for each of you.... is to take time to enjoy the simple pleasures in life, to make time for friends, to laugh and enjoy a cup of coffee and a wonderful conversation, to achieve your successes with a smile and take your failures as an opportunity.   If you are ever in doubt of yourself... stop and hold a 5 minute conversation with a child... it will OPEN your heart and your eyes.   Children see things in such a simple way -- no wonder they are happier than adults!     May 2012 shine brightly upon you with love, prosperity, good health and most of all... happiness.   

Happy New Year!