What words would you use to describe me in this picture?
Festive
Happy
Joyful
Energetic
Funny
Silly
All true. My family and I got dressed up and went for an incredible dinner in Soho, enjoying an amazing meal, taking lots of pictures, and feeling celebratory.
All true, and an hour after this photo was taken, I was doubled over on the bathroom floor, horribly sick.
30 minutes before the Ball Dropped.
I came out of the bathroom, shaking and holding a full trash bag, and told my family I had just thrown up, and then I started to really plummet.
I did see the ball drop. I was standing, not even able to take a sip of water and all my body was screaming was,
I want to be home.
My family was staying at a close friend’s who lives two blocks from my apartment, and the TV was so loud, I could feel this was just the beginning, and I put on my coat and boots and was just about to hug my father goodbye…..
And then my body fully took over.
And I didn’t leave that night. Thank goodness I was with family, because things got very intense.
Hello 2017.
There are few celebrations that are global, that are felt by billions at the same time, and New Year’s Eve is one of them. With so many different beliefs in the world, the ritual of a new year is pretty universal.
How do you celebrate your New Year’s?
What goes through your head as the ball drops?
We can feel everything from excitement to anxiety, but the glimmer of that ball, or the glow of the fireworks usually brings a very strong message to us all.
Hope.
Hope for a new tomorrow
Hope for a new opportunity
Hope for a new year full of all we desire
Hope to truly make a difference with our work
So, how do you take all of this in while you are flushing the toilet, too weak to stand?
With all the expectation, what does it mean?
I think the real question is, what are we CHOOSING it to mean?
This past week has been one of recovery, and staying home. I ended up clearing my calendar and staying in to heal and sleep.
It’s been ups and downs, and my mother stayed an extra day to make me magical electrolyte elixirs, soup, and get food in for me. Having her here an extra day was a lifesaver.
And being home, with low energy, actually allowed me the space to do a few things I had been really wanting to do.
Clearing out old papers in my office
Clearing out and donating cds to the library
Clearing out clothes in my closet
Clearing out my night stand
Do you see a theme here?
It seems this was my journey for coming into 2017.
What is yours?
I went through my own anxiety over having to postpone meetings and several things I had originally planned to do this week, but I knew I needed to heal, and the real question became
What is the gift here?
When I think of how I want to come into 2017, it’s CLEAR. I want to have space and clarity so I can show up. I want to be present here for you, for my life and Creativity.
And when I look around at my home now…..my office….I feel something very powerful,
Inspiration.
It would have been very easy for me to spiral with the flu, to believe that how I spent my first moments were a “sign” that my year was doomed. Instead, I made another choice.
And you have that ability in any moment, at any time.
As you face 2017, it’s not about what will happen TO you, it’s always going to come down to HOW you handle it, and what you decide to make it MEAN.
Your point of power is always in the present moment and sets you up. Very often, I have heard that what you are experiencing now is a result of the past three months. And I know that is why I was able to clear out this week and open to Inspiration and Hope.
So, what do you want your 2017 to mean for your Creativity?
What are you choosing for yourself?
Look for the gift. It’s always present.