Happy start to 2018. This is going to be a year of healing, self care, and creative growth. It’s going to be a year of peace and hard work. This year is going to feel good.
Again, I am starting a post with another post that was inspirational to me. This comes from Monte Celia Parker’s blog:
A New Kind of New Years Resolution: “The Year of Elegance”
My mother, when she published her first book, decided to rethink the idea of the “resolution” and instead created a “New Year’s Theme.” Her theme for 2011 was “Put Yourself Out There.” She created a command that would dictate how she lived her year. As someone who feels uncomfortable promoting her own work, she wanted to become confident “owning” her accomplishments, and promoting her collection of short stories.
Since 2011, she has created many themes such as “The year of the Art Journal,” where she sketched and made art every single day. Others were “Dig Deep,” “Own It,” “Live Lovely,” and her latest was “the year of Order,” in which she became a minimalist, caught up on her finances and moved into a new apartment.
Her themes carried her through years that were monumental in her life–publishing 3 books, her divorce, falling in love, moving into a new home, sending her daughter (me) off to college, etc. I firmly believe her next book should be a recount of her experiences and how they were shaped by these resolution-themes.
Inspired, I decided to join her, and create my own theme for 2018. For me, 2018 will be the year of Elegance.
The idea of having a theme and not a resolution is tempting for me. A resolution is harsh, a dictum. I can already feel the failure. A theme seems more inspiring and supportive. Something you can try and fail and pick back up and also something that will reveal itself in many way throughout 365 days.
I had a few moments lately that have been signs sent to me from the universe and I guess it took holiday break for me to actually hear them. All holiday season long I have been thinking: “Wasn’t it already just the holiday season? We are here again already?”
Last month I looked at the date, the 19th, and thought: “Wasn’t it just the 19th?” I was thinking about a whole month ago and it felt like that was the last time I had looked at the date.
This is frightening.
This tells me that my life is passing me by.
Also, that sometimes I am wishing it away.
I’m holding onto nothing. I’m not taking any time. Not to relax, not to appreciate. And if I’m not holding on to it then I am throwing it away. Yes, it has been a difficult transition back to work but,
Enough!
This will be my New Year’s Theme: “Grab It!”
I will grab onto moments and appreciate them. I will grab onto my time on this planet and respect it.
I will let go of things causing me to wish moments and days and years away. (Those things are almost all in my head, anyway.)
Also, I will grab problems by the horns, or throat, and I will handle them so that they do not get the better of me.
I plan to have a good year. A positive year. That’s going to mean having the right perspective and making good use of my time. (Reminder: Making good use of time means self care and relaxation, too!!!)
Here is how I spent New Year’s Eve:
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