I Don't Do New Year's Resolutions

So now that January is coming to an end, I can talk about my goals for the year. Last year a friend of mine asked people to select a word that would be their intention for the year. I chose "Expand."

And 2015 was a great year to expand my horizons, physically and emotionally. I traveled to new places within Idaho, which was lovely. I traveled to Wales, very lovely. I took a camping trip with Melissa and we saw some new parts of Washington and Oregon together. I tried a few new things, like sea kayaking, and took a jet boat ride on the Snake River. I got arrested for civil disobedience for a cause I am passionate about. I made some new friends.

I had to expand my life by letting go of the youngest child of mine as he started out on his journey beyond home. It makes life at home a lot different, but also gives me a chance to focus on other things besides what the kids are doing.

I expanded the number of dogs in our home by one cute little golden retriever, Gryff.

So what about 2016? I am choosing the word "DREAM." I have a couple of dreams I'd like to work on this year.

It's always a little scary to talk about dreams, because sometimes they sound silly to others, or unrealistic, or just plain ridiculous. But I guess that's the nature of dreams.

So my two primary personal dreams of this year are:

1. Start a publishing company that will be an authors' cooperative, owned and operated by its authors. I'm just in the beginning stages of dreaming this dream, so there are not a ton of specifics to spell out just yet. Suffice it to say that I hope to gather several other children's authors who want to publish really great, high quality books together in our own endeavor on our own terms. If it gets off the ground, it's going to be a big adventure, a risk, and a lot of work. But no more risky than sending off endless queries to agents/editors who don't reply and no more work than researching and writing the books.

2. Help create a tiny house village to house Boise's unhoused. There are some groups already working on this, and I aim to add my dreams to theirs and see what we can do to help some motivated people create a new kind of housing situation for themselves. It won't end homelessness, I am well aware of that. But for a certain portion of people, it might be the stepping stone to transition out of living on streets or in shelters and work toward having a permanent home. Serving the homeless has been a passion of mine my entire adult life. Recently, however, I began to feel that it's not enough to offer meals and shelters. I am moved and called to help people find true homes and get help as they make their own dreams come true.

I am sure these dreams might not be everyone's dreams. But here I go, chasing them in my head-on way. People are fond of telling dreamers all the reasons their dreams are not possible, and I know there are many obstacles. But I also know that problems can be overcome. Obstacles can be knocked down. Some of the events I experienced in the expansive living of 2015 have helped me to dare to dream these dreams for 2016. Thank you to those who inspire the dreaming and encourage the journey.

What are your dreams? Why are you not pursuing them? Let's do it.