One Little {Powerful} Word

So. 2009, here you are! Welcome, welcome, I am so happy to meet you! We're going to do big things together, you and I, big things indeed.

One of my favorite stories about me when I was little involves my mom attempting to give some of my books to my younger sister (you know, the ones I had mostly outgrown, totally reasonable). And the story goes that I looked earnestly at my mother, with a look of horror and disbelief, and said, "But Mom! My books are my life!" Can you imagine? So it shouldn't have been any surprise when many years later I went to college and majored in--duh--English Literature.

My Dad has apparently begun a "de-cluttering" of my parents' house, and when Dad does something, boy oh boy does he do it. Dad is not a half-way sort of person. It's all or nothing, baby, all or nothing. So he started pulling boxes down from the top of the garage, and found boxes of all of those same old books; the books that were, so very long ago and so very, very dramatically, "my life."

God bless my Mom. I got a few of my very favorite childhood books from her a few years ago and I thought that was it (and I was--and still am!--very happy to have those); I had no idea she'd saved all of them. So when my Dad wanted to get rid of them one way or another and quick, Mom told him to just hold his horses until I came home. The boxes were waiting for me on the dining table at my parents' house this past week, and I am not at all ashamed to tell you that I just started to cry when I looked through all my old beloved books. I just couldn't believe they were all there, all these years later, and the memories came flooding back as I looked at each cover and flipped through the pages. Needless to say, Mom's shipping me all the books. I can't wait. :)

The point of this story is: I really, really, really like words.

I could go on and on about why I love words and tell stories about the effects words can have, but it all comes down to the power I believe that words have. The power a single word can have. So when I heard about Ali Edwards' "One Little Word" project in April of last year, I knew I was in. (For more details go here and then follow all the links.) But I'm ridiculously kind of anal, and I wanted to start with a new word for a new year, so I didn't choose one last year. And then I just kind of forgot all about it until my WASSIMA girls (a few of us who went to Inspired last year and formed our own little online artist "tribe") started talking about it again.

So for the past few days I've been weighing words. Testing them out. Trying them on for size, and seeing which ones felt the best on. I had the idea in my head, in words unformed, of what I want 2009 to be all about. And I knew my word had to be a verb; it had to imply action. But I couldn't quite find the right fit for one single little word to encapsulate it all.

And then I did.


Cultivate. One little word, oh so many possibilities.

Imagine, for a moment, someone cultivating something--a garden, an ability to play a musical instrument, a friendship. Do you get an image of someone rushing here and there and multi-tasking? I don't; I sense deliberate movement, with care being put into each step. Acting with intention. It does not imply (unattainable) perfection; it implies (completely obtainable) improvement.

In 2009:

I will continue to cultivate my relationship with Jason, taking time for us and communicating.

I will work on uploading more of my work to etsy and advertising it, cultivating my business.

I will spend more time creating because I know that some of the best ideas come when I just dive into it without knowing what I'm going to do; this will cultivate both my spirit and my artistry.

I will cultivate a healthy body by choosing to spend more time at the gym exercising moving and using my body in healthy ways. [I even signed up for the Avon Walk again!]

I will choose foods that will cultivate and nourish that body.

Sometimes I will indulge myself, if I feel it will cultivate a spirit of well-being; everything in moderation and with deliberation.

I will cultivate my relationships with the people I love by making the time to call and send real mail, even if it's just a short postcard saying I'm thinking of them.

I will say "no" if I am overwhelmed, to cultivate peace in our lives.

I will cultivate our house into the home we both want by focusing on one room / wall / corner / square foot / task / chore at a time, and not becoming overwhelmed by the whole house and a zillion options. One thing at a time. Just like cultivating a garden; one day plant the tomatoes, another the squash. One day do the watering, another day the weeding. Moving deliberately. Acting with intention.


To celebrate, I'm offering a special deal on a special necklace!


The "One Word" necklace is your word stamped on a 1" sterling silver washer. I really dig symbolism so I chose this shape to represent the open mind and open heart needed to truly embrace change. Let the good flow in and the bad flow out.

Your necklace can be finished in brushed matte (like this one shown) or hammered shiny (see here for a good comparison). Update: hammering gives me a headache. For this special price your necklace will be brushed matte. If you absolutely must have it hammered, e-mail me and we can work something out.

The best part? Because you read my blog and therefore I love you, I'm giving you the discounted price of just $30--including shipping. Shoot me an e-mail at createbeautydaily(at)gmail.com (or convo me on etsy) and I'll set up a special listing just for you.
Please note: these will be listed on etsy for regular price--if you want this special blog-readers price you must let me know and I'll set up a special listing for you! [Also note: if you're shopping around on etsy please pay close attention to the details when buying silver. Nickle silver and silver-plate are not the same as sterling silver... there's a reason some things are a bargain! :)]

Whether you order a necklace or not, leave me a comment to let me know if you've chosen One Word for 2009 and what it is! :)

Welcome again, 2009. We're going to be great together, you and I, I can just feel it.