Up On The Watershed

Up on the watershed, standing at the fork in the road, you can stand there and agonize till your agony’s your heaviest load. You’ll never fly as the crow flies, get used to a country mile. When you’re learning to face the path at your pace, every choice is worth your while. Well, there’s always retrospect to light a clearer path. Every five years or so I look back on my life and I have a good laugh. Lyrics from “Watershed” by the Indigo Girls

I’m realizing as I get older that there is something beautiful, something necessary, about retrospect. While it can difficult to find the space and the time to survey what has passed, I’m convinced that retrospect gives us great insight into how to approach the days and opportunities ahead. As the Indigo Girls so eloquently say, retrospect “lights a clearer path.”

That’s why I’m taking some space on the blog today to reflect on the 365 days that were 2013…

{Better late than never.}

2013 was the year I traveled A LOT. Like too much.

I went on 7 international trips and a gazillion domestic trips. According to my favorite travel app TripIt, I traveled more miles than any one in my network. {Talk about an honor I never ever want to claim again.}

Don’t worry, it wasn’t all work.

In addition to traveling with Food for the Hungry, I got to go to one of my favorite places, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for a sister ski trip. {Y’all, skiing really is the best vacation. It’s just the right blend of activity and relaxation and scenic splendor.} I gathered with my extended family for a long weekend in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to celebrate the life of my active and fun-loving grandmother, Minnie Olin Day Washington aka “Honey”. I spent a week this summer with my sister, brother-in-law and nieces at Bald Head Island, North Carolina. {Bald Head is another one of my favorites. I love being tucked away on an island where you are dependent on golf carts and bikes to get around.} Oh, and I enjoyed Thanksgiving with my parents just south of Cancun, Mexico, in Playa del Car. {Who needs turkey anyway? Not me!}

Countries visited: 6

Bangladesh, Guatemala {2 Times}, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Bolivia and Mexico

Conferences attended: 8

Passion, Justice Conference, Catalyst West, SCORRE, Idea Camp: Human Care, Catalyst Atlanta, Allume
{Not counting brief drop bys at Recreate, Q:Los Angeles, and Leading & Loving It}

Place visited most often: Austin, Texas
{5 Trips}

2013 was the year I began again, again. In November, I left Food for the Hungry and became the Director of Speakers, Conferences and Social Media Fundraising for Feed the Children. The opportunity was unexpected and one I couldn’t pass up and I found myself once again smack dab in the middle of a transition. Meeting new FTC colleagues, learning new systems, setting up shop and building a foundation for a program that I can {hopefully, fingers crossed, prayers said} be a part of for years to come.

2013 was the year the If:Gathering was birthed. I know you guys are probably are sick of me talking about this If:Gathering thing but in my world, especially over the last year, it has been a big deal. Amidst my disdain for all things pink and frilly, I have felt like we, as women, for better or for worse, need one another. And I have had this unshakable yearning to gather, equip and unleash women. It has been absolutely incredible to see that begin to happen. For me, without a doubt, the most rewarding part of the fruition of IF has been the deep friendships that have been born and grown as we have toiled together.

So, that, in a few paragraphs, was 2013. And for those of you who are more of a visual learners, here is 2013 in pictures.