a resolution for 2015.

Life is, inevitably, busy. I am aware of this fact during some seasons of my life more than others. And sometimes, when things get busy, we are tempted to cast off some of life's simpler pleasures in order to make way for the necessary ones. They are, after all, necessary and can't be left to the wayside quite as easily as some of those things that might make one's heart sing.

And don't get me wrong, I experience some of those simple pleasures while carrying out necessary life tasks, but there are certain things we do just because we like doing them, and I fear that I sometimes let those things go too easily when life becomes a bit overwhelming and I must simplify in order to make my head stop spinning and my brain stop moving at a million miles per minute.

One thing that often gets cast aside rather abruptly is this blog. I have been a blogger for nearly six years. In those six years, I have come to love sitting down at the computer and typing through my feelings or chronicling some of the best moments of my life. I like sharing them with you, but I also like writing them for myself. I like going back through my archives and reading about what was important to me during this time two or three years ago. I like giving my photos a space to live and I like writing words that mean something to me, and might mean something to someone else. And even though I like all of these things (really, really like them), this blog is usually the first cut when I'm looking to lighten my load.

In 2015, it is my resolution to keep this space current and to make it a priority in my life. I enjoy writing here. I enjoy taking photos that will ultimately end up on this space. I enjoy sharing my feelings — the happy ones and the complicated ones. I enjoy sharing the occasional recipe that was shaped in my tiny kitchen, in my tiny home that's filled with big love. I enjoy hearing from you when you feel compelled to write to me.

I enjoy all of these things and it is my endeavor not to let this little blog slip into the shadows and collect dust until I make the time to brush it off and start over again. This year, I want to write frequently. Maybe not everyday, but many days. I want this space to be full of breath and life that can hold all the memories I want to remember. For me and for you.

P.S. Happy 2015, sweet friends and readers! (And, last year's resolution.) xo

a resolution.

It's been awhile since I've felt motivated to sit down and write something in this space. Even now, I'm leaving the cursor blinking, blinking, blinking for moments at a time because I'm not sure what it is that I want to say – or if I have anything to say at all.

I guess in being truthful with you, I was forced to be truthful with myself. What I mean to say is that when I decided to be vulnerable here, it meant that I had to be vulnerable with myself, too. I admitted that my new job was not an easy transition and I admitted that optimism was not so easily found, and it was scary. When I look at those last few posts, I feel sad.

Because I write about my life, there isn't much room for hiding around these parts. My posts relate directly to how I'm feeling and how I'm living out my life. When I'm sad, the writing is sad. When I'm happy, the writing is happy. Naturally, when I flip back through the archives, I can relive the moments I wrote about. In reliving those moments, I can remember the happiness or sadness I felt as I wrote them.

In the interest of moving on, I don't want to dwell on the fact that a new career is hard, especially when it doesn't align with the original vision I had for said career. It's okay, though. I am building a life here and so that doesn't always mean that it will be built smoothly. Of course there's challenges and obstacles. Without those challenges and obstacles, there wouldn't be much to learn, would there?

People often choose a word to associate with a new year, which always seemed a bit contrived to me. These days, it's settling in quite nicely and I no longer feel that it's contrived at all, but actually quite a lovely way to view a new year.

My word for the year is this: Contentment.

I was gifted a book about inner beauty this year, and in it there's a big list of words. I had to circle the five words that most describe who I am. Then, I had to choose five words that I wanted to work toward. One of the words I'm working toward is content.

Content in everything, I think.

Content to stop rocking the boat and just be. Content to live life just the way it is now without feeling the overwhelming need to perfect it in a matter of days or minutes. Because of course I'm working toward building a life, but has it ever hurt anyone to stop and enjoy the scenery and the efforts of the hard work already put forth?

Content, content, content. Even the sound of the word brings peace to my heart.

Happy new year, friends. I'll be back.