what do i want in 2015?
i want COLOR!
clothing, surroundings, imagination.
i want DANCE!
movement, expression, story.
i want LAUGHTER!
happiness, relief, well-being.
i want POETRY!
imagery, cadence, metaphor.
i want ENERGY!
vitality, zest, élan.
my husband likes this bygone photo of me.
he says i look imperious.
and indeed i do.
i was full of life and love when this picture was taken,
ready to conquer the world.
i’m always preaching about rediscovering one’s essence.
well, my aim this year is to reconnect with my own.
i want to recapture the essence of that 20-year-old april.
to ignore the aging,
and recall the effervescence.
to remain carefree, daring, awake,
and seek out new adventures.
as i grow older, i refuse to dull.
so i chose a word that will help to remind me . . .
when i was a teenager, i hung advertisements from an international brand
all over my bedroom walls.
ESPRIT ads represented creativity, identity, effortlessness, authenticity.
i was always fascinated with the color, the charisma, the innovation, the energy
that exuded from those photographs.
in the company’s own words,
“this chic celebration of style, culture, and fashion aims to revive customer awareness
and take them on a journey of discovery into the inspirational world of esprit.”
and so, my 2015 word revealed . . .
esprit (french):
spirit, enthusiasm, wit, liveliness.
active mind and spirit.
i’ll be lessening the dark trappings of winter,
even in the frigid month of january.
i’ll be focusing on the luminosity of summer,
through internal sunshine and grit.
to further motivate and inspire me daily,
i purchased a set of stacking rings.
emblazoned with my words of the year from 2011 to 2015.
untethered. bold. wave. audacious. esprit.
i want to feel vibrant, animated, exhilarated.
i want to delight in being alive, spontaneously encounter joy.
i want to experience a sense of “joie de vivre” with every breath i take.
the evolution of my thoughts,
leading to the revolution of my behavior.
in the words of my favorite band OneRepublic:
“hope when the moment comes
you’ll say . . .
i, i did it all
i, i did it all
i owned every second
that this world could give
i saw so many places
the things that i did
yeah, with every broken bone
i swear i lived.”
i choose to live.
and i’m already brainstorming about and plotting my first renovation of the new year.
esprit. 2015.
*******
welcome in 2015 with a transformative journey
through my 7 essential elements.
a delicious encounter with self.
weightless.
What a great picture of you April! I love it, so full of espirit! I used to love Espirit as a teenager too, I remember that they were a clothing company full of rainbow colors in a sea of black colors in fashion at the time. Esprit, great word for the year. My word of the year is Growth (spiritually, personally and in business).
Love that photo and all that write here, April. Your essence personified. Here’s to memorable year. I’m right there with you on the aging thing. No need to dull… in my humble opinion we only get brighter with age.
Great photo! The “esprit” that comes through that girl jumps right off the page with your writing – I’m rejuvenated just reading it. You ARE the effervescence of that 20-year-old… how important that we each remember those parts of us are there to tap into whenever and however we choose!
love love LOVE this word April! I remember those esprit days and I wore their brand a LOT!~!!! Me too… this aging thing.. .is all in the mind.. .I oddly feel younger as I age… however, my body does have other experiences… but my mind helps it along! Esprit…. nice… different … vibrant… ESPRIT… love… xoxoxoxoxo
I absolutely LOVE this April – you already embody Esprit through all that you do, and I am excited to witness how it shows up for you in new ways now that you’ve set the conscious intention to focus on it for the year!
I love your 2015 word! What a great way to connect with your inner essence and embrace yourself. It sounds like your 2015 is off to a very inspired start. I remember when you couldn’t leave the house without seeing Esprit branded items all over, and with its meaning and the essence you want to reignite, it seems like a perfect word for 2015.
Beautiful beautiful beautiful. I never got the sense that you lost your connection with that espirit April. I feel it in your words and your voracious appetite for travel, community and love. Happy new YOU 🙂 great pic btw. Love xo
Oh. My. Word. How I love this! And how I love your word!
We are on very similar paths at the moment. I have a feeling that we might be the same age. 😉
HAPPY NEW YEAR! XO
That’s a great word! I love it! Happy new year to you!
Lovely as always April.
Love your words for 2015.
Love your picture–it really does capture these words.
And I love that you’re trying to tap into that essence again. I can totally relate because recently I realized I had stopped thinking of my college years as the best in my life, and started to see the present moment as the best days in my life. Tapping into that long-lost innocence was part of my journey.
Long time no see.
Bubbling over! Your words are full of life and jump off the screen at me, inspiring! Your picture is captivating the essence of “I know me and world be ready!” Espirit – perfect! I once bought a bag from there and felt very show-offy as it was the most I had ever spent on a bag in those days! Wonderful 🙂