the year of trust (and a year in photos)
as with the start of every new year, i am filled with resolve and ready to take on new challenges. i feel like i’ve been given one clean slate and endless possibilities. something about the flip of the calendar that suddenly makes me want to fill my fridge with green food and chuck the bottles of booze to the curb and step onto my yoga mat. the resolve, sadly, rarely lasts, which is why i’m not a big fan of resolutions. i am, however, rather fond of stating an intention for the year. a single word. just one word that best describes my goals and expectations for the upcoming year. something that i can come back to, like a mantra.
last year’s word was focus and unless focus looks something like the absent minded professor on crack, then i’m afraid i failed miserably in the focus department. there was no rocking the focus last year. in fact, i think i did everything BUT focus. i was the anti-focus. of course, i blame it entirely on the boy across the pond. or perhaps i simply rebelled against the drill sergeant nature of the word in good caron fashion. either way, i hereby revoke 2010’s word and replace it with love. 2010 was the year of love.
as for this year, i found it difficult to come up with a word. not for lack of them. but i wanted a word that felt like a good balance between growing and letting go. a gentle word, one that encompassed many of the fears and insecurities i wish to work on. i believe this is going to be a big year of change for me and i feel the need to go in armed with… trust. because the truth is, i could march into 2011 with guns a blazin’ and courage firing out of my arse but i need a safety net if shit hits the fan. and that safety net is trust.
trust n. (BELIEF): allow without fear. have confidence or faith in; reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing
this year, i want to finally learn to believe in myself and my abilities. trust that i have all the tools i need to do whatever it is i wish to do. i also want to trust that others will be there for me if i need them (and be strong enough to ask for help if i need it). and finally, if all else fails, i want to trust with all my heart that the universe has got my back. that’s right. the universe is my wingman, y’all.
so, trust it is. what about you? have you set an intention for the new year? i’d love to hear your word, if you have one.
on that note, i bid adieu to 2010. (oh! 2010! thank you for being so good to me). here she is in photos. wasn’t she just the pertiest darn year ever?
wonderingsandwanderings.com 
I think the beauty of your year has a lot to do with how you looked through that lens. Who wouldn’t have loved a year like that? It was gorgeous.
yes. love. xoxo
delurking to say that while I have always loved your writing, 2010 was the year your images made a concerted case for equality – a lovely year indeed!
OH, yes. You had a gorgeous year. This post is one I will come back to again and again for photographic inspiration. YES! As to my word for the year, it is intention. In 2011, I want to live with intention.
What a beautiful collection. It’s hard to say which pictureI like the best, they’re all lovely!
Looks like you had a wonderful year 🙂
T R U S T: that’s my word for the year, too 😀
Light…tis’ my word.
*stunned*
Such lovely photos and I am so glad you re-worded 2010 to “love” it was the year of love for you, and hopefully will continue to be. I love your choice of Trust this year. I have never done the whole “one word” thing. I make the same damn resolutions and then fail at them year after year. I don’t really know how to frame the whole year into one word. I will think about it. (I suppose “lazy” is not the intended scope of this exercise? Because if it is, then I would definitely ROCK “lazy”…)
What gorgeous gorgeous photos! I think I love every one more than the one before!
Trust is a good word for the year. I haven’t figured out mine yet… still pondering it.
“i could march into 2011 with guns a blazin’ and courage firing out of my arse but i need a safety net if shit hits the fan. and that safety net is trust.”
LOL I choose the same word, but I could not have said it so eloquently 🙂
I love your blog, your amazing photo’s and the hope-giving story about the boy. I’m a lurker for quite some time, and decided to introduce myself more to the people I admire on the internet. Hi, I’m Irene 🙂
so weird – you have one shot that is a twin of my shot that i’ve never published (the white wall with the creeping vine and window). a mojo moment for sure. 🙂
i like your word for this year – i’ve found often that when i choose a word that instead of following that word, i find it taunts and challenges me…say like patience. when i ask for patience i get taught that in the most difficult way.
i’m so happy that i wondered onto your sight – i love your writings and photography
My word is challenge.
I’m going to challenge myself to break out of my comfort zone and take the road less travelled to see what happens. Challenge one. stop lurking on blogs and starting commenting on others when it feels right.
Thanks for your words, your honesty and your beautiful images, they are as always, truly appreciated.
Beautiful photos – they tell a story both individually and collectively of your year.
Lovely! 🙂
A magical year indeed, full of so much beauty. Irene is right – the story about the boy is hope-giving. My word for 2011 is Action – I’m aiming to kick life into the right gear. xo
What a year indeed! Way to capture it so beautifully. Seems to me you’ve already given trust a go…keep up the good work sista!
Prosperity is my word…not just financially, as we so often associate it, but overall “a condition of success, thriving, and flourishing.”
Bring it on 2011!
i’m not a big fan of resolutions, either. these photos, on the other hand, i adore!
xo Alison
Hellooooo…these photos are insanely gorgeous. Wow. I chose yes as my word for 2011 and am looking forward to seeing what lessons & gifts it brings my way. Thank you for sharing all of the beauty you see.
What lovely images and what a great year you had! Hope 2011 is just as fun and fulfilling for you 🙂
What about trust in your boy?
Seriously…could your pictures be any more stunning? What a year you had…and hell with it if you didn’t stick to your word. Aren’t resolutions just for breaking anyway?
I do love your word for this year…we could all use a little more trust in our lives.
I miss you girl- it’s been far to long. Maybe it’s time for another Montreal trip…this time with my little munchkin in tow!
Trust is a great word to choose for the new year. I’ve thought about it and have decided my word for 2011 will be “forward”. Yes, I really want to concentrate on pulling that stick (i.e. myself) out of the mud and getting on with it.
Wheee!!!
Beauty shots, too!
What a beautiful year! This post is really an inspiration. Good luck in your year of trust!
loved looking at your year, what a gorgeous year! beautiful!
i spotted some from our day, yeah!
i’m pretty sure it will an interesting year ahead for you, just trust in it.
x.
amazing! i loved scrolling through all of these!! beautiful! i’m reduced to one-syllable words!
i loved hangin’ with you in your hood last year and getting to know you a little more. and the more i know, the more i want to know. the more i hang, the more i wanna hang. just sayin’
love you like cray.zee (and then some)
xxx
Sweets images…
sheer beauty.