a word like roar.

So you would love Meg; she is wonderful and whimsical and currently studying at Belmont. If you attend Belmont too, you really, really need to make this girl one of your life-long-forever college friends because I'm not kidding, she's fabulous.

Meg told me that she had a painting in her dorm room based on a quote here on the blog. (This, you should know, is not why she's fabulous. She's just a wonderful person in general. But the painting is so lovely, that I couldn't wait to share.) And then she showed me a picture ... and I was overwhelmed by all the pretty.

This is the work of a lovely artist named Lauren Holley. (And this is Lauren in the picture, holding her creation.)

I LOVE IT! I am honored that quote was art-worthy! And I'm so happy to know it's in a dorm room.

Thank you for sharing this with me Lauren and Meg! I'm nuts about it! Hugs to you!

I think I wrote the post with that quote two years ago, when I picked "roar" as my word of the year. I picked it because anxiety is such a constant force in my life. And even though I've dealt with anxiety long enough to know how to manage it, I still have a hard time finding my brave sometimes. Being shy is a crutch I lean on a bit too much, I think. Please don't misunderstand me: it is perfectly, wonderfully okay to be shy. But it's one thing to be shy because that's who you are, because you connect better with one or two people then ginormous groups, or because you need a little space, or you're contemplative, or need to acclimate to a new situation before you dive into it. All that is lovely. But too much of my shyness blooms out of insecurity, I think. And my fearful trepidation was causing me to miss out on some great things. So I made Roar my word of the year. And that was even before Katy Perry made the word cool.

Here's a fun note: I don't know why Lauren decided to paint the quote on a hot-air balloon, but a hot-air balloon is a key part of my novel.

Slight tangent: In a plot-twist I couldn't have expected ... I'll be in several new places this year, talking about the novel. I get to participate some incredible events in the coming months, including ALA, which I have dreamed of attending for so long. I get to talk about Felicity's story with people who love books, and who love to connect the right book with the right reader. I am thrilled, and so grateful. And yet it's still a conscious decision I have to make to push through the sinky-swampy fear.

Somehow, little by little, it keeps on happening.

If there's anything I've learned in the past two years, besides how to pop my hood with pliers (because my car is old and the hood latch is broken), it's this;

Just on the other side of my fear, there's nearly always a view so beautiful I can't even believe it. Some dreams are worth roaring for. Absolutely.

I hope you roar at 2014, sweet friends. You've got it in you. You truly do.

Did you pick a word as your theme for 2014? I'm thinking of the word curate. I don't like the sound of the word, but I really like the meaning.