Closing the store is the brave thing to do!

This past year...

...I did two brave things:

One, I applied for a supervisor position at my work (going back to work was the biggest and only brave thing I did the year before). I got it. Consequently, I have learned a few good lessons and now my resume looks a lot better than it did the year before.

Two, I sang. I like to sing, But usually not in anything smaller than a full choir and never in front of the actual composer. I was sort of tricked into that part, but by the time I realized it I had already committed myself, so I did it anyway. And as that particular composer was there to talk about being brave and discovering, developing and sharing talents I felt much better about being in her audience having said "OK" rather than having said "No way!" The good thing about that experience is it made me consider the possibility of being brave.

Also in 2006*, I did not spend enough time at my favorite long-time hobby, quilting. But I did find a new hobby, blogging. Which reminds me of a third brave thing: I got up my nerve to meet some great new blogging friends, who I think are all, much like this girl, simply fabulous.

Thanks to one such friend, Lucky, I accomplished one of the more difficult goals on my "Things to do before I die" list. I rode on the back of a Harley. It was great. Lucky is great. Now if one of you could only teach me to play the cello I could cross off one more thing on my list.

Wow! I just remembered a fourth brave thing I did: I got on an airplane! (Thank goodness there were no snakes!) And I left the country. These are not things I normally do. But it was a great time and I would have seriously regretted not having been brave enough to have gone. I have to admit that when we flew into Amsterdam and I realized how close we were to Belgium and France I actually found myself thinking, "I really ought to do this again sometime."


So now I'm considering other possible feats of bravery for 2007.

Training to hike the "Y" with ~j, azucar and sue-donym sounds like fun. (Ha! How many people do you know who have to train to hike the "Y"?) If they don't mind, that is. One of my brave friends started with the "Y" and since hiked across the entire country of England. I lack the courage to do something so terribly brave as that, but the "Y" is a good start.

I will try to get some great skills. I'm not sure yet in what. The cello seems out of the question. I could start learning Finnish or try to resuscitate my French. I'd love to take a class in web design. Lorien is going to teach me how to make her fabulous wheat bread. I guess that's a good place to start. (What I'd really love is to also take a class from this culinary genius.)

A two-time Flylady drop-out. I might get brave enough to try again to get my act together. Then again, I might not. I'm still on the fence about that one. Either way, I do feel a litte more of this is in order for the new year. It feels sooooooooo good!


I hope 2007 can be about knowing what I want and finding the courage not only to consider all the possibilities, but also to accept and act upon an inherent capacity for change, for improvement. Now that would be the brave thing to do...



*May I recommend, for your reading pleasure, this delightful year in review?