It seems fitting that I am writing this post about NEST in my bed, while it rains outside.
It's January 1st and the start of a new year. Adam and I stayed up until 2 am yesterday, watching Phish play Madison Square Garden, toasting each other with Prosecco and generally being our silly selves. Today we're being lazy. He is on the couch and I am in our bedroom, watching Outlander. "Liminal" is a word I learned recently, meaning the transitional time, and I like it. I think it applies to today - that crossover day between the celebrations, however wild or tame, of the night before, where you said goodbye to last year, and welcomed the new year.
So. 2017 - a new year, a fresh start. This year I'm going to choose a word, and take part in Ali Edwards' One Little Word class to explore that word. A few years ago I tried choosing a word but didn't end up doing much with it. That seems to be a common experience for people. Oh well... we move on.
This year the word that leaped up at me, asking to be claimed, is NEST.
I'm not 100% sure why yet, except that I feel called to stop rushing. To stop being away from home so much. I want to work, yes, and I want to go ALL IN on my work, and give it lots of energy and drive. But I also want to come home from that work, and have a life. Have down time with my partner. Cook good food, and not be rushed. Keep the house tidier. Weed out possessions we don't need. Read more books.
In 2017, I also want to spend more time in the garden. I want to write. I want to have more freedom, more free time, to spend how I wish - perhaps drawing, or writing, or working on something creative, but perhaps also walking, or weeding, or... whatever I need then. I'm also (fingers crossed, knock on wood) hoping to become pregnant, and grow our little family, so there is another meaning to the word NEST.
My inner demons say, "That's not possible, life will always be stressful, you can't control it like that!" But the older I get, the more I learn that we do have some measure of control over how we spend our time. And indeed, that's the only thing we really can control.
So, here we go. NEST. 2017. Let's see what's in store.