Three words……….

That was the theme last night for our impromptu New Year’s Eve dinner party.  We had the honor of 7  of the most interesting, genuine, solid people I have met, and that was it………just three words.

Three words that encompass the direction you want your life to take this year.  Three words that are themes for your growth.  To give credit, the idea came from writer Chris Brogan who does this in his own life each year.  We asked our guests to think about just three words.  This in place of a concrete New Year’s Resolution.  They could share or not.  No pressure.

The Result:

With out a doubt the most moving New Year’s Eve I can remember.  We laughed until we cried.  Then we cried until we laughed.  We were riveted to the table, sharing bacon (kosher) burgers, skirt steak, hoppin jon, collard greens, okra, and our hearts with each other.

As words began to emerge………like:  mermaid, trust, love, faith, bridges, edge, connect, mentor, eliminate, potential……..stories came with them.  Not made up versions of people’s stories.  Not the illusions that we try to create of ourselves to show others.  Not a single ego tried to take the show.  These were just bare souls revealing their deepest desire for this next year.  It felt like magic.  Like God came down to sit with us.  We were a secret garden removed from time as we zoomed towards midnight.

My three words:   faith, breathe, connect

Faith:  If I have been shown any evidence of God in my life it is that, his imagination is much greater than mine.  As I look backwards, I realize that I NEVER could have imagined the twists and turns my life has taken.  So why do I have so much doubt and fear about the future?  It is obviously going to be wilder than my imagination can conjure.  I have decided that it is time to have faith in this basic truth.   If beyond my wildest dreams is going to happen, then I better start preparing.  I need to be ready.

Connect:  Because of difficult things in my life the past 4 years, I have pulled back from connecting to others.  Yet, I get that feeling of God when I connect deeply to others.  So it is time to open myself to real heartfelt connections again.  I think that is how God weaves his imagination into your life.

Breathe:  I find that I am constantly holding my breath.  Waiting to see what others think of me, waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting to fall down and make mistakes.  So I am going to remind myself to just breathe this year.  Have faith in God’s dreams for me, open up my connecting power to those i love, and when all else fails…………just breathe.