In my first act of courage, I’m sharing with you that it is my word for 2016.  Like last year, the idea is to pick a word to focus, meditate and reflect on in daily life.  I’ve chosen courage as my word for the year because I hope to embrace it.

Courageously loving, sharing, mothering, writing, living and daring are the things I hope to give of myself this year--both in big and small ways. Courage manifests itself in so many capacities. 

The areas of my life in which I hope courage shines through this year are the following:

Authenticity is scary. It can feel vulnerable to be completely authentic and live your true self.  But I can only be me.  I can only tell my story and be my best self.  And in my experience, authenticity is contagious. True connections, real relationships and lasting memories are made in this vein.

Here on Pink to Green, I hope authenticity shines through.  I know social media promotes a skewed sense of reality, but it has been my sincere experience that there are beautiful, wonderful people of like minds that can connect through these forums.  Over the years, I’ve gained so much inspiration from other bloggers, in particular mothers, who have shared authentically.  I shy away from vulnerability fearing it exposes my flaws, but that is where I have found some of the most comfort in others. 

In my endeavor to be courageously authentic, I’d love for this corner of the internet to uplift it’s readers along the way.

Courageous loving:

The intensity of motherly love is both incredible and terrifying.  The moment I saw pink lines confirm my current pregnancy, my heart expanded in unison.  The elation of growing our family was followed by a more subtle but perhaps more pervasive worry of how I could mother two little beings.  I fear being away from family and the community that supported me through my first pregnancy.  I know this road will be far from perfect but my greatest aspiration would be to love boldly and deeply with courage and take on this great adventure. 

And I’d like to extend that courageous love as a wife, daughter, sister, friend and community member.

Courageous living:

I love Lara Casey’s credo of progress over perfection.  I’m adopting that mantra with hope that it will take me through 2016 with the courage to reach for goals and dreams in a bigger bolder way than I dared to before.  What if I did try that new class?  What if I did submit my writing to a real publication? What if I did make time for XYZ?  I imagine a year filled with enriching experiences regardless of the outcomes.

My inner perfectionist fears failure- a stubborn trait, which I’d very much like to overcome.  The truth is I measure failure with a far higher barometer for myself than others, which provides a narrow window for what I consider success. I’d like to shift that paradigm this year.  I’d like to view the courage of trying wholeheartedly to be the very definition of not failing.  I’d like my inner voice to default to “you can do it” instead of  “what if you fail”. 

Courageous faith:

If last year taught me anything, it is that with faith as a corner stone, life is more vibrant and meaningful.  With faith, I found strength even when I thought it was depleted. 

This year, as we welcome a new baby and likely learn if we will be moving again, there is excitement mixed with uncertainty on the horizon. 

One of the most prevalent messages in the bible is, “do not be afraid”.  In many contexts and many passages, we are told, “fear not”.  Some postulate that the message is written 365 times in the bible- a reminder for each day of the year.  I wasn’t able to confirm the exact number of times it was written; nonetheless, the message is clear and it is exactly what my heart needs to be told. What a comforting thought to courageously carry through the 12 months ahead.