Somewhere between Santa Fe and Albuquerque (one), on the RailRunner Express, December 30, 2009, iPhone photos © 2009 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
2009: re-flec-tion
–noun
1. the act of reflecting or the state of being reflected.
2. an image; representation; counterpart.
3. a fixing of the thoughts on something; careful consideration.
4. a thought occurring in consideration or meditation.
Get out your fast-writing pens. The year 2009 (and the first decade of the 21st Century) is over. What did it reveal to you? What did you reveal to yourself?
Reflect on the past year. Write it out. Write about the trip to Santa Fe, the visit to your favorite store (the one with fake geese walking in a line to the front door) where you found an elegant wrist and hand made of blue glass for storing your rings.
Write about the books you read, the movies you saw, the many bowls of popcorn, salted and buttered, you ate. Write the tears and the illness and the losses and gains, the itches and tics, people and places, the time you laughed so hard you fell off the green sofa.
2010: in-ten-tion
–noun
1. an act or instance of determining mentally upon some action or result.
2. the end or object intended; purpose.
Make a list of your intentions for the new year. What do you plan (not hope, but plan) to realize? Reach far and wide, but do so in a pragmatic way. You can achieve what you set your mind to do. Put it out to the universe.
I will…I will…I will…
Fill in the blanks. What will you do this year?
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Postscript: For many people, this New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are the start of a long weekend. Take time these next few days to look backward and forward. Even a half hour spent quietly—reflecting on 2009, thinking about 2010—will help you enter the new year with a sense of being grounded, feet on the ground, ready for what comes.
To all red Ravine readers, we are grateful to have spent the past year with you. We look forward to another one.
Happy New Year!
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The images in this post came from a day trip from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and back on the RailRunner Express, December 30, 2009. It was a cold day. Low clouds threatened rain or snow, and by the time we boarded for the one-hour-fifteen-minutes back, the snowflakes had started falling.
redravine.wordpress.com 
ybonesy, Happy New Year! I barely made it up until Midnight. If it wasn’t for Liz nudging me, I’d probably have slept through it. We did see a spectacular Blue Moon rising in the cold winter evening. Fantastic way to bring in the New Year. It’s 2 degrees here this morning.
I’m looking forward to taking some quiet time this weekend to write on this post. I don’t feel clear about my goals for 2010. And reflecting back always helps gain clarity. I think it will be fun to make a list.
What are you and your family doing today, yb?
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Happy New Year, QM! Glad to hear you made it until midnight. The Blue Moon was, indeed, amazing. We watched from the patio as it rose early in the eve.
At midnight, those in the yb household went outside to hear shotguns and fireworks (I think one of our neighbors must have a rifle) 8) and Jim got a big pan and big wooden spoon and did some clanging himself. We were having a sleepover with some young, energetic guests who danced on the patio. I whooped and hollered. It was lots of fun.
Then we came back inside, sat by the fire just a wee bit longer, then hit the sack. I only had to get up twice to get the girls to quiet down. 8)
Today we’ve been eating non-stop. Jim made a big breakfast for all, and then I went to Mom’s to wish my folks a Happy New Year. My sister went, too. She’s just back from a two-week vacation in Europe, so she filled us in. Mom was cooking chicos, which are dried corn. A native dish here. Real yummy. You need to soak them overnight. Mom makes them with pork and green chile. Best green chile stew ever, where the chicos take the place of potatoes.
Guess what we’re cooking? Have a pot of black-eyed peas on the stove, slow-cooking all day. I’m making mine a la “hoppin’ John,” since I like spices. Also got two racks of baby backs in the oven, slow-roasting since noon. Friends from Colorado are coming in, so we’ll have a feast tonight.
So far, so good.
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BTW, did you happen to catch Dick Clark last night? My gosh, he’s the Energizer rabbit. Keeps on ticking. I’m impressed that he’s doing so well after the stroke, but (and I don’t mean to be ageist here) I think he ought to retire. Got a bit out of sync with the countdown. But it was fun to see him.
Also, the girls are pretty intrigued by the black-eye peas. I told Dee that we should be listening to her new Black-Eyed Peas CD today. The house smells vaguely of dirt. (Ha!) No, really, it smells good. I got a very strong ham from the local German butcher (Alpine Sausage Kitchen) since they’d sold out on hamhocks. I know the bone is where you get so much flavor, but boy, this ham has loads of flavor. The whole house has that yummy smell.
Last year I did posole, I think, or was it the year before? I think I’m going to bake a Gluten-Free banana nut bread for dessert. Plus we have ice cream.
It’s a gorgeous day in the Rio Grande Valley. Mid-40s, maybe higher. My daughter’s on her horse, and I’m in a rare domestic mood.
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Looking forward to another year of reading your wonderful blog and getting to know you all!
http://corinajoyc.wordpress.com/2010/01/01/reflectionintention/
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Corina, Happy New Year! And thank you for writing with us and leaving the link to your post on intention & reflection. Will read after writing. I need to find some quiet time to get my thoughts down.
ybonesy, I did see Dick Clark last night. He’s amazing, just keeps on going. What an icon. It’s -11 (and that’s the air temp without the windchill) as I’m typing tonight. Haven’t really been out today except to shoo the squirrels off the black oiled nuts on the feeder. They love those things!
Hope everyone had a Happy New Year. BTW, I don’t know if I mentioned how much I like trains. Haven’t been on one in ages. But Mom tells me about being on a train once when she was pregnant, the click-clack and rocking. I love their sound and often live near them.
The roof it popping and clicking. It’s THAT cold. We’re heading into a breezy January.
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A belated Happy New Year to al. It’s cold here in KC with a temperature of nine degree, but at leas thte wind isn’t blowing like it was yesterday. The white Xmas still covers the side streets and driveways and lawns. As someone on the bus said yesterday, “The white can go away. We had a white Xmas and that was enough.” I don’t think the weather is listening.
Went to see the 3D version of Avatar for my New Year’s Day gift to myself. Absolutely stunning! The 3D was brilliant and subtle most of the time. I can hardly wait for Johnny Depp and “Alice in Wonderland” also in 3D.
Look forward to another you with you all. Peace, prosperity, and excellent health to everyone.
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Bob, Happy New Year! I’m looking forward to seeing Avatar, too. It’s getting rave reviews. I’ve seen the actors interviewed and it’s amazing to hear about the process of making the film, too.
It’s crazy cold here. I’m looking at the thermometer where we live just outside the Twin Cities and the air temp is -21! It’s sunny though and that helps. This morning Mr. StripeyPants was licking the front window where we had closed the blinds and some ice had formed and I was afraid he was going to get his tongue stuck to the window. I think he’s too smart for that but I made him stop anyway!
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[…] is a tanka I wrote on the trip to Georgia this year, the Reflection part of my Writing Practice on WRITING TOPIC — REFLECTION & INTENTION, and a photograph of the Blue Moon from my photo practice. Below is my yearly Gratitude list. I do […]
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[…] Intentions for 2010. My first is to focus on my photography. I have a print project in progress in the studio. I hope to have 12 framed pieces done by Art-A-Whirl in the Spring. Some of you are familiar with my Writers Hands project that I’ve been working on since 2007. I have quite a collection of photographs now, and am combining them with stories of actually meeting the writers. It’s exciting to think about a dozen framed pieces of writing and art on the walls by May. […]
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[…] WRITING TOPIC — REFLECTION & INTENTION […]
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[…] This post is the Intention portion of the exercise laid out in WRITING TOPIC — REFLECTION & INTENTION. Unlike resolutions, intentions are put out to the universe. (At least for me they are.) I log […]
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After this weekend, the very still week in-between Christmas and New Year’s. I can’t wait to reflect…think…consider 2011…
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Teri, this week is more quiet for me than next. I am doing my reflecting over these next few days, into the weekend. I’m looking forward to the New Year 2011. Letting go of what’s past. Moving into New Light. The days are getting longer now. Second by second. Thanks for bringing up this post again. It’s wonderful to see it brought into the Light. I appreciate that about you. 8)
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