"A Year With Myself"

This is a limnal year for me. Because I'm 50. Because I'm betting the Mayans -- or someone's mistaken interpretations of their calculations -- are wrong about the world ending in 2012. Consequently, I feel on a threshold -- excited and curious.

What's going to happen next?

And while we're at it, what really is my essence? What exactly is it that I have to offer, and how best -- as in, best feeling fit for me and best effect out in the world -- do I go about doing that?

How often do we ever check in with ourselves in this way?

How do we even go about doing it?

Seems like the days are stuffed to the gills with obligations dictated by choices and commitments we made a long time ago . . . or as a result of not-chosing, but instead being swept up in the perceived need to go with the flow of what those we live with and work with ask of us.

But I think it's time. For us to ask ourselves -- maybe for the first time ever, or maybe in a revisiting of this topic -- these big old questions:

What DO we want? Who ARE we, really? What do we want the next x-many years of our lives to look like?

And now . . . look what the Universe has provided to help us . . . .

VOILA! WE HAVE A MID-WIFE!!!

Awesome C.A. Kobu, "creative alchemist and project midwife" has helped to birth, "A Year With Myself." Click here for all the deets. In short, when you sign up, you receive an e-mail each Monday with "a fresh weekly question, a stimulating writing prompt and an actionable idea," all of which are geared to help get us thinking and moving on these topics. There's also a lively Facebook page where people gather to share their visions and results.

I LOVE THIS!!!!

Kobu has pulled together the support of "Instigators" -- terrific coaches, teachers, artists, leaders -- who cheer us on, and help provide the themes and prompts for all the 52 weeks. For example, Patti Digh -- author of the wildly-popular-and-deservedly-so Life is a Verb book -- contributed one of this first week's two prompts. Which prompted this art journal page . . . .

. . . . along with lots and lots and lots of free-writing and inspiration from my wildly-gyrating brain and spirit. Only the first week! (And tehehehe!!! Another "Instigator" just so happens to be Bean Up The Nose Art's excellent friend Lisa Sonora Beam. Click here for a sampling of her own artist/teacher/writer fabulousity.)

Hoping you'll join in this adventure, as this brand new 2012 year begins. What a treat to give yourself. What an adventure. What courage and fun and kick-assed-ness will abound! Big thanks to C.A.Kobu and all of your Instigators for putting this together for all of us. YOU RULE!!!!