My friend and I have something new we started for 2013. We are giving each other words. There are no rules about how many words we give or what the words are about or how often you give a word. There are no rules about having to respond to the word that the other person gives you. The only rule is that we can ask the other person for a word when we need one. I  just texted her my words that I am thinking of today as I put this blog in the world. My first word is brave. Because right now I am feeling the need to be brave. You can google me now and something shows up about mental illness.  I am giving people a window into my world. I might need someone to hold my hand. The second word is necessity. Because, yes, I do need to write. And yes part of writing is having people read it. For years my poetry has been sitting in a notebook on the shelf in my closet. In 2013 I am letting my writer’s heart come out of the closet where people can see. That’s the least I can do for my heart with all it does for me. The third word is purpose. Because here I am. And here you are reading this. And that means something that is bigger than just me and my heart. But there two more words I shared with my friend. They are the words I am afraid of. Those words are judgment and censorship. Because I can be sitting at my desk writing this and that’s me, but once it goes into the world other people have their own words. So I share that with you. I just thought of another word. Gentleness. May 2013 be filled with buckets of gentleness. For all of us.