A New Year with Heart

My personal writing, for the most part, took a hiatus during the last month of 2008. I've been working on a never-ending, academic project with four other authors for many years now. I finally had to end my involvement as it was no longer bringing me any joy or satisfaction. Before doing so, though, I wanted to finish a heavy editing task that I had promised to do. December 31st was my deadline. With the exception of some minor consultation and one more in person meeting, I am now officially free of this obligation and hope to get back to more personal writing, which is where my heart is most happy. In the meantime, I send positive thoughts and energy to my colleagues who will be finishing up what we all hope is the last leg of this journey. If all goes well, we will have a book published sometime this year.

I hope others are using the demarcation of a new year to recommit to themselves, to their hearts, and to what they most love. The universe really does have a grander plan that none of us can ever fully know. But we are given clues about how to follow along, and these clues reside in the heart. Often, our hearts don't speak in the ways we're used to. They're not so loud and they don't actively compete for our attention. Rather, they put their message out there and trust that if we really wish to listen, we'll tune in to them. Every once in a while, or more, we would do well to quiet down the other voices and tune in to those of the heart.

In addition to the message of writing about more personal experiences and writing for the sake of writing, my heart is telling me to get off a medication that I recently started that is kicking my ass! I imagine the docs will tell me to hang in there and stick with it. Sometimes, our hearts have practical advice. Much to my doctors (and others') dismay, when the two clash, I listen to my heart over the dictates of the medical and pharmaceutical industries.

Follow yours and you will find yourself in the places and spaces you need to be.

Happy 2009.