Shoe Personality of the Week: 12/27/2010

It's over y'all. The Twenny10 has come to an end. *I made a rhyme, I can do it anytime*

Anything you had on your list to accomplish this year...you've got just shy of 6 days to make it happen. Honestly, if you intended to & didn't get to it, perhaps it should just be chalked in favor of more realistic goals.

My kids wanted to talk about "New Year's Revolutions" for TwennyLeben. #gottalovedakidz Goal setting is learned behavior but for some reason...goal tending is not. We hate to let others see us about the business of making it happen, lest they see us struggle. Struggle ain't sexy. Or so we think. The truth of the matter, it kinda is. I don't mean struggle in the sense that you've been down & out forEVER & you're struggling to make it. The struggle I dig is the kind where you can see someone actively pursuing a dream. In conversation with good women last night, I had the pleasure of coming into the realization of how beautiful my own struggles (long live Talib Kweli) have been this past year. My life, as dull as it may seem to some, is shinier than a Puff Daddy video suit.

This year I've had the great pleasure of sharing with more of you, honored that you care at all about my musings on my own life & what I see happening in the world around me. I've had the opportunity to delve deep into my passions, work hard to push past insecurities & come out victorious with new talents to boot. I've met great people & strengthened bonds with others already a part of the camp. I have laughed more than I have cried. This year brought me a new batch of students (more than I've ever been responsible for at once), a new batch of challenges, & a new batch of successes to be proud of. I have recently rededicated myself to the pursuit of fun, & a deeper commitment to my general upkeep. I have chased new experiences & moved fears aside. I have apologized to those I've hurt & had the pleasure of their forgiveness. I have let go of heartbreak & begun the process of allowing my heart to be warmed by the hands of another. I have looked myself in the eye & been pleased with who & what I see.

As I count down the final days, I will contemplate leisurely what seeds I will plant in the coming year. I will excitedly till my rows & take care not to waste time with frustration over those seeds that do not take root. Not all things are meant to be. Right now, in this moment, I stake a claim on continuing on the path to becoming the best educator I can be; continuing to work at being a better, more present friend; being an honest & transparent mother when it is necessary & appropriate; continuing to allow forgiveness in my heart; & embracing love. My tangible goals are to return to academia & get my Masters in Creative Writing or Digital Journalism (or even both), getting my mentoring program off the ground, moving closer to home ownership, & being the foot pon de ass that keeps my loved 1's moving toward their own tangible & intangible goals.

So, I celebrate. I celebrate knowing that all I have when I look forward, left & right is my own, earned by me. I celebrate being healthy & happy & joyful. I celebrate being surrounded by art & talented artists, inspiring me to create more freely. I celebrate still being gainfully employed in my career, even with its headaches. I celebrate.

& I have seen few things more festive than the shoes above. Life is a celebration. Keep confetti on your feet!!

Watch me move.