My 2015 Word of the Year

Sometimes, my word of the year finds me. Last year's word, INSPIRE has been a life-long goal of mine and I decided to finally make it my focus in 2014. How did I do? Well, I'll leave that up to each of you to decide but from the messages, comments, and sweet notes that I received over the last 365 days; I think that I did okay.

When it came time to choose my word for 2015, the quote above kept appearing in different places. The word showed up again and again....

FIERCE.

It's a word that often has negative connotations, especially as it relates to women. It's a word that provokes thought and sparks conversation. To me, fierce is a good thing. It's strong and passionate; smart, but not too serious. It takes a special kind of grace to be fierce.It takes compassion and a desire to serve others. Being fierce is hard work...and I'm not afraid of that
Sure, I'm already fierce in some ways: fiercely independent, fiercely protective of, and loyal to, my family and friends. Fiercely honest and passionate... about everything.
I have a fierce desire to learn, to share new things, and to help others. I have a fierce need to create beauty and to make my little piece of the world a better place.

In 2015, I have a fierce conviction to continue to learn, to share and to (hopefully) Inspire (I'm not forgetting 2014 altogether). I also have a fierce determination to move Phase 2 of the renovation at the farmhouse forward in the coming year. I've got a contractor and subs lined up, the plans are finalized and we're approved for permit...except for an issue with the courtyard.
I could have had a permit in October if I had simply given up and paved the courtyard. I could be three months closer to having windows that open and a kitchen with a working oven if I would have only acquiesced.

Instead, I've had meetings with the zoning board, community development people, village engineer and water management people in an attempt to explain that what I'm proposing is more ecologically friendly and will prevent potential issues for the neighbors who live down the hill from me when it rains in the spring. I'm determined to do the right thing. Fiercely determined.

I think that fierce will be a great word for me in 2015, don't you? Do you have a word for 2015? If so, what is it?

Due to stolen content, I have been forced to truncate my RSS feed. I work very hard to provide fresh, original content and there are so many sites stealing content that I've been forced to change my feed settings. I hope that you'll understand and will continue to follow Serendipity Refined. Thanks! Kimberly