This is my third year of doing One Little Word with Ali
Edwards. My first word was ‘Be’ and last year my second word was ‘Rebuild’. In
reviewing my past choices, I feel that both those words were pretty much well
chosen, especially lazy year. In 2012, I had a bad Bipolar episode which really
knocked me sideways so Be was simply that, it gave me the opportunity to just
live with my word and be during that year. Last year, again, rebuild fitted my
year perfectly as I was rebuilding a life I had had to change quite
significantly, primarily from a professional perspective but also I had to move
home and build a new one.
So this year I have chosen the word
Light
Ali always gives ideas for how to approach choosing your
word and places to visit and peruse. For me it is a simple process of going to
Pinterest and playing around with words and meanings. This time it was a
particular image which fuelled my imagination.
I love music, poetry and words in general so this jumped
out at me as I looked through the pictures I’d raised in my search. When you
think about light it can be internal and external.
Internally it is
the light you find in yourself and then allow to shine out like a beacon to the
world a little like a lighthouse
The lighthouse shines to guide people away from danger
and into safe waters. One of friends says that, for her, i am like a light that
shows her what she could achieve. I would like to think that maybe in a small
way i could inspire other people with mental health issues in a positive way
but also to be a light for my family and friends providing love, support and
encouragement to them.
Externally, the light shines onto you from others, from
the sun, from candles, from love, from words, music and poetry, from creativity
in general.
I am very aware of certain people’s positive influence on
my own life and so I wish to build upon those experiences and learn from them
so that through them I can perhaps share some of their accomplishments in a
positive way to others whether that be via my blog, social media, work, private
life or my faith.
As a Christian, light is used in many pieces of scripture
to enlighten. Jesus is referred to as the light of the world who shines love
upon us
We as God’s creations are called to be lights ourselves
to spread the love of Jesus and God throughout the world. I feel that perhaps
my faith has been missing from my life for the past 12 months and so I want to
reconnect with that and develop my Christian life further. I was placed on this
Earth to be a caring and nurturing person so I hope to find a way to use those
gifts.
Light also can cast a window on your soul and for me this
year I am part of a group therapy treatment related to my Bipolar so I think
that this will illuminate my personal ability to cope with and live with my
disorder.
My image for the year is the dragonfly as it embodies
enlightenment apparently. So be prepared to see that image appearing here.
Finally I want to be light physically too. Over recent
years, my weight and physical health have deteriorated and I find some things a
lot more difficult to do. This year I will be fifty. Now I am never going to be
a Slimcia girl as my friend Sarah used to call me, but I can try and reduce my
weight, improve my health and fitness so that I am not a geriatric fifty year
old woman unable to walk down the road. I know this will be a struggle because
the tablets I take make weight loss harder and because I have a very strong
emotional link to bad food habits. I also love sweet things so it will be a
challenge, however once I set my mind to something I usually have varying
degrees of success so we’ll see how it goes.
Phew this world has a lot to live up to hey?
So Light is the word for 2015 and I do hope it will be
just a powerful and significant a word as my past two.
