Reverb14 Rabbit Wrap-Up

I just want to say before I start, that Reverb14 is coming to a close , and I am NOT ready for that to happen!  Thank you to Kat McNally for this AWESOME experience and thank you to Deborah Weber, the extraordinary woman who led me to Reverb14, and thank you to everyone who left such wonderful comments here on the blog.  I am the world's worst comment responder, but I want you all to know that your good words, like Kat likes to point out, are truly magic and to thank you from the bottom of my heart for bestowing your magic on me during this time together.

Alright...I'm moving on before I start to blubber like a baby...

Today's prompt for REVERB14 is:

Revisit what you wrote on the first day of Reverb14.  How does that compare to where you are now i.e. what can you say today with certainty?  Then, without thinking about it too hard, finish the following sentences:

In 2015, I am open to...

In 2015, I want to feel...

In 2015, I will say no to...

In 2015, I will know I am on the right track when...but when I find myself veering off course, I will gently but firmly...

In December 2015, I want to look back and say...

"Silly" Rabbit...I told you those bunnies keep popping up for me!  I've been thinking about the whole symbolism of rabbits ever since that prompt about signs and symbols...Did you know that the easter holiday originally came from paganism (most 'Christian' holidays do...it's actually an interesting thing to read about...just google it some time) and the celebration of ostara (or astarte) was basically a celebration of rebirth and new life...the rabbit being a symbol of fertility (as well as the egg).  If one were so inclined, I suppose, maybe these rabbits that keep popping up in my art are symbolizing my longing for such a rebirth or a transformation regarding life.  Not that I go in for all that, mind you, but I just thought I'd throw that in there for those who do...you can make of it what you will... :)

There has been a HUGE shift for me during the course of Reverb14.  That FIRST DAY I said "I'm never certain about anything".  Oh buddy, let me tell you, has that ever changed!

Right now, I can say with certainty that I feel Powerful.  That's right, Powerful...with a capitol "P"!  All the forward progress I've made over the past year or so seems to have been focused down into a singular beam of awesomeness through Reverb14.

I am worried, because I've felt this power before.  I know that it is fleeting.  I let things come up and make me doubt myself...make me feel as though all this bravado is just a show...and then I wither, telling myself that I'm not really that girl.

But I'm not going to let that happen this time.  I'm going to continue to own this powerful feeling.  When I start to doubt myself, I'm going to come back and reread my Reverb14 posts to remind me of the girl who wrote all those courageous things...to remind me that the brave girl who poured her heart into this work was me...to remind me that I still am that same Powerful girl determined to make a life for herself.  I am that girl...

Close up of my version...I think he needs some more defining, but I like him too much, so I'm just going to have to make another copy and push that copy further...I'm wimping out of going to far with this guy, cause I REALLY like him!
You can find the original art on my Pinterest board 'Copycat With Respect' or if you speak (I believe) Japanese, HERE.  I believe the original artist's name is Kamoko Sakai and I think their art is MAGNIFICENT!!!

In 2015, I am open to CHANGE.  I am open to feeling fear, facing it, and taking the chance anyway.

In 2015, I want to feel FREE.  I want to feel, at last, as though I am the only person deciding my fate.

In 2015, I will say no to (paraphrasing Walt Whitman) THAT WHICH INSULTS MY SOUL.  I will say no to anything I choose, without feeling guilty and without feeling as though I have to explain my choice.

In 2015, I will know I am on the right track when I JUST KNOW.  I honestly and truly believe that I will be doing some mundane thing in the new year and it will suddenly occur to me that I am on the right track...that the things I had previously only had words for will have finally be put into action...there will be proof, physical evidence that my goals are being met and my dreams are coming true.  If, after that happens, I find myself veering off course, I will gently but firmly REFOCUS and REDIRECT myself.  I will remind myself, in times where I doubt or question, that I am in control.  If I find I don't like where I'm at, I have the ability to change it.  I've lived with very little before and, if need be, I can do it again.  Hard work never hurt anybody, and it's not going to start hurting anyone anytime soon...I will not be afraid of having to work hard to make my ideals come to fruition. 

In December 2015, I want to look back and say THIS YEAR, I WAS THE HAPPIEST I HAVE EVER BEEN.  I want to be able say that I didn't waste another year waiting for change to happen...but, instead, that I went out into the world and I made those changes I longed for.  I want to be able to say that I KNOW I MADE THE RIGHT CHOICES FOR ME and that I AM LIVING A LIFE THAT I'M PROUD OF.

I hope too, that all my Reverb buddies (and anyone reading this) will be able to say the same thing: that in 2015, we are the happiest we have ever been...we made the things we longed for become our reality...we made the right choices...we are proud of where we are in our lives...and that we are looking forward, in eager anticipation, to the joys that each new day will bring. 

♥♥♥