Happy New Year! The Year of Sharing

If any of you are listeners/readers of Sandy's podcast/blog, Quilting for the Rest of Us, you're familiar with her Quilty New Year's Resolution Challenge.  If not, go read the post.  We'll wait.

Sandy asks some thought provoking questions.  What do you want to experience this year?  Have you ever really thought of it that way?  I haven't. 

To that question I answered:

I want to experience a balance between the long dry spells of not sewing at all and the frantic deadline sewing to the exclusion of all else.  Maybe this just means I need to join the Slow Quilt Movement!

The question that really got me thinking, though, was "My guiding word for my quilting life in 2013 is..."

That's tough.  Do I want it to be "Finish!" or "Organize!" or simply "NOW!" 

No.

Do I choose some touchy-feely concept that will be lost by next Monday?  Maybe "Unity" or "Serenity." 

Nope.

I finally figured it out.  I want this to be the year of sharing.  That covers so many of my goals for my quilting life and beyond.  What exactly does that mean? 

• I want to share my love of quilting.  I want to teach at least one person at least one new thing about quilting this year.  But I hope it's a lot more than one.
• I want to share my quilts.  Every January I admire the people who make a charity quilt per month for a whole year.  I'm not sure I can keep that pace, but I do want to use some of this enormous stash to help others.  I have some fantastic children's novelty prints that my kids have outgrown, but which would be perfect for ConKerr Cancer or CASA. 
• I want to share my ideas.  I love the story about the person who has two pencils.  He shares, and now he and one other person each have a pencil.  But when a person with an idea shares with another person who has an idea, now they both have two ideas!  What could that lead to?  Brainstorming and sharing ideas with others is how I've always worked best, and I want to do more of that this year.
• I want to share responsibility.  Sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves is to say no, and to share an opportunity to serve with others who might not get a chance because I keep raising my hand.  When a volunteer opportunity arises, I want to remember to wait at least one moment to give that person a chance to help.  To this end, I bought all of my children laundry baskets for Christmas, and have taught them to do their own wash.  Worst present ever!

What are your thoughts about this new year, this clean slate?  What challenges and goals have you accepted? 

Happy 2013, everyone!  Here's hoping it's a good one!



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