A Commitment to Newness

Last summer, I dragged my brother along with me on a field trip of sorts to our local Barnes and Noble.  My goal was to gather a variety of magazines to be used in creating a vision board.

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of a vision board, it's basically a poster filled with a collage of pictures that cast a vision for an individual's life.  They are like a map of dreams, and supposedly have some sort of psychological effect on people so that those dreams are more likely to be fulfilled (I have no data on this, just a recollection of something I read in Oprah's magazine once).

My sister is a passionate proponent of vision boards, and is now fulfilling many of her own dreams by way of her recent move to Brazil.  So maybe the boards do have some underlying powers over the subconscious.

After choosing a variety of relevant magazines, ranging in central topics from photography to women's health to interior design, I dutifully searched for and cut out the photos and text that seemed to best represent what I hope for in the immediate future.

Pictures of chiseled abs, runners, women lifting barbells.  The words look good feel better, healthier, diet, gym, healthy weight, fight off cravings, exercise, strong, respect yourself.

Pictures of church steeples.  The words believe, change the world, truth, love, renewed views.

Pictures of camera gear, interior design drafts, paintings, drawings, hands holding pencils, marble busts.  The words photograph, crafting, create, design.

Pictures of women posing, pretty dresses.  The words confidence, myself.

Pictures of dogs.  The word dog (did you think I'd create a board without this?).

Pictures of yoga poses, women free in creation, women on scooters, women smiling and laughing.  The words content, peace, embrace, live, still, play, centered, free.

Pictures of brick walls, houses surrounded by fields, plant-adorned walkways, brightly-painted buildings, the coastline.  The word beauty.

Pictures of groups of people smiling, girls laughing together.  The words people, friends.

Pictures of libraries, writing desks, people sleeping in fields with their notebooks, home offices, hands cupping mugs next to open books.  The words ideas, influence, words, dream, think, your heart's desire.

Despite the fact that I spent so much time scouring each of my carefully-selected magazines for pictures and words, I have yet to actually create a vision board.  The cutouts sit in a stack hidden away in my desk, perhaps symbolic of the way in which my dreams stagnate.

For those who celebrate a religious Easter, the holiday commemorates newness--the new life given to people through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  He rose again so that we might be able to be spiritually reborn.

With the theme of newness in mind, I think back to the pictures for my dream map.  I have a renewed desire to take the time to actually assemble them together on a poster, much in the same way I have a renewed desire to act on and pursue my dreams.

Newness.  A commitment to healthy eating and exercise that pushes my body.

Newness.  A commitment to my faith and finding a church that fits.

Newness.  A commitment to my creativity and continuing to experiment in as many mediums as possible (without letting me talk myself out of anything).

Newness.  A commitment to accepting and loving who I am, flaws and all.

Newness.  A commitment to continuing to be a good dog-mom.

Newness.  A commitment to enjoying life fully.

Newness.  A commitment to creating and finding beauty in the world.

Newness.  A commitment to forming new and nurturing old relationships.

Newness.  A commitment to time for contemplation, reflection, writing, and pursuing my dreams.

So Easter is my New Year, a time that marks the newness that I hope to find in my life in the coming months.  Sometimes I'm so busy concentrating on my illnesses that I forget that it's not time for me to mourn my life (or what would have been a "normal" life).  While my conditions do place some limitations on the future, there is no reason they should be stopping me from living.  I need to renew my mindset so that I no longer think that way.

Newness.  A commitment to moving forward in spite of my diseases, allowing them to make my life richer instead of allowing them to stunt me.

Behold, He is making all things new.