Pondering

Last year like many other art bloggers, I chose a word to give me inspiration for the coming year. Well I have no idea what the word was. I just looked thru old blogs and can't find it anywhere. Maybe it is good that I can't remember. I apparently didn't use the word.

Well after reading some other's words, I have spent the day and evening pondering.

ponder - chew over: reflect deeply on a subject;

- to weigh in the mind : appraise

- to think about : reflect on

But the pondering hasn't helped. I have thought about several words that I saw on Kathy Johnson's blog: catching happiness, simple pleasures, everyday adventures, and they would all be nice and fit nicely. But nothing catches my attention as "the" word.

In the span of a year, we have lost two of our fur babies. One last December and one this December. That's way too close and they were too young. Friday was only 9 1/2 and Ditto was 12. Our other big dogs lived to be 14 (Golden Retriever) and 16 (German Shepherd) and we expected Friday would live about the same number of years. Our other two little dogs lived 19 (doxie) and 17 (poodle) and of course we hoped Ditto would too.

Because of the two losses, I thought about the word appreciation because I want to live my life this year full of appreciation. Appreciation for my faith, my babies, my husband, my family, my friends, and the blessing of being able to do something I really enjoy, artwork. I appreciate the people who follow my blog and who participate with me on the scavenger hunts, and ATC projects.

So I guess my word for this year will be "appreciation or appreciate". I will appreciate every new thing I learn this year. I will appreciate any commissions or sales I get this year. I will appreciate that I have an art group to go to different venues for plein-air art. I will appreciate my followers on my bog and Facebook. I will appreciate all the great art blogs out there that I enjoy reading on a regular basis. And I will appreciate all the friends and fellow artists I have met thru the internet.

Here is to a better year this year than the last, and an even better one in the future.