2015: Brave.

The twenties are the years you try things. The years to try to fly and fall flat on your face. I've done that several times since I left college. I'd like to say each fall hurt less, but each fall bruised my pride, confidence and made me wonder what I was doing in the first place. I've grown a lot during these years post college, and I believe I'm a vastly different person than I was when I left college and my hometown.

I don't like New Years resolutions. I really don't. I aim too high, and then I feel terrible in November when I know I haven't lost the weight I wanted, or read all the books I thought I would. I feel like I'm setting myself up to fail. Like I said, I've done a lot of that already.

My friend, Alece, came up with the idea of focusing on a word for the year. One word. One word to shape your life into who you want to be or how you want to live.

My birthday falls on one of the last days of the calendar year. That, combined with all the new-ness of the upcoming new year, I like to think of what I want the next year to be about. As I thought of what I want my 27th year to be, I kept coming back to bravery. I want to be brave.

There have been incredibly brave moments in my life so far. Hiking up Half Dome. Singing with my best friend in front of 250 people. Being the interim general manager at the place I work. Telling the truth. I crave more moments like this. Moments where the core of who I am radiates, when I am not afraid to show it.

Being brave in the deepest sense of the word. Offering who I really am to my family, friends, my city. I want words to spill from my hands and my lips full of grace and truth. I want to dance more than I ever have. I want to push the limits of what I know I can do for the sake of being as brave as I possibly can.

Lots of risks await this year. A lot of failure. I can also be sure a lot of joy, laughter and vibrancy await, too. This will be scary, terrifying, even... but I am definitely up for this adventure.