Annual year end review workbook
I can't believe that 2015 is over. It feels as though it went by in a whirlwind. In my annual tradition, I am ending the year with a look back to acknowledge the year's accomplishments and evaluate the misses and then set intentions for the new year. I find that the busyness of life means I don't always get to savor some of the accomplishments as they happen or don't take enough time to take a look at what didn't work and why so I can make corrections or be at peace with letting go. I know this doesn't work for everyone, but taking just a few hours for this makes me feel as though I am setting myself up to make the most of the coming year. This process helps me put things into perspective and it's interesting and rewarding to see what I was able to accomplish and how differently some things turned out from what I imagined.
Last year's word was embodiment and I dug deeper into a few topics and projects that I had been dabbling in for awhile to see where they might lead. I enjoyed my explorations which are leading to more changes ahead and my word for 2016 which is transformation. This is just the beginning of the changes to come, and I look forward to sharing them with you.
Here are a few highlights from 2015:
Volunteering at the DC Food Bank
My son and I usually volunteer at the DC Food Book once a month and we were able to make 8 times last year.
1. Sorting food into bins 2. View into the warehouse
Road trip to an ancient forest
A day trip to Beall Woods State Park in Illinois which is a forested area that has not been logged or altered and remains today pretty much as it was hundreds of years ago.
Fall Craft Cornucopia with Hyattsville Aging in Place
A great day of demonstrations and teaching crafts along with some of my neighbors who are also crafters and artists. I enjoyed teaching the participants how to make collaged gift tags.
Starting in the upper left: 1. weaving demo, 2. felting wool, 3. some of the seniors group working on their needlework and sharing stories, 4. my table with supplies for making tags, 5. upcycled old t-shirt, 6. origami instruction, 7. wool for felting projects, 8. origami examples, 9. reclaimed t-shirts cut into strips ready for weaving, 10. weaving on t-shirt strips on a stick loom, 11. t-shirt weaving examples
Garden adventures
Lots of hard work in the garden yielded abundant harvests and filled our freezer for the winter.
Art exhibition at the Popcorn Gallery
Two pieces of my mixed media collage were chosen for an exhibition using reclaimed materials.
Thank you for reading and wishing you all the best in 2016!
Resources:
Unravelling the Year Ahead
Zen Habits: The Practice of Year-end Reflection
Sunflowers in the garden
