New Year's Resolutions, 2015

"Dear, Darling New Year.....I love you! Thank you so much for coming!" <3 p="">

A new year is the perfect boost to have planted in the middle of winter. I am making lists of resolutions, thinking about what I want to accomplish, what areas of my life need addressing and planning what I want to let go of from 2014. So much hopeful material for the 365 tomorrows ahead!

I believe fervently in making resolutions at New Year's. I think its a good exercise to evaluate where you stand, what progress you're making and how your life choices are lining up with your hoped for goals. Its hard to end up where you mean to when you don't keep re-focusing!

I also find that sometimes there are surprises, things I didn't plan for that are wonderful gifts....even in catastrophic form. Its really healthy to be able to notice and call out the good things in your life. We all need to grow and improve but we also need encouragement and that's part of why we need to review and digest our lives sometimes.

I want to be the kind of person who is never stagnant but always growing and improving, trying to learn and change. In order to make sure that my resolutions aren't just ignored or weakly tried for a week and then dropped, I always make certain to make measurable, concrete goals that are specific and achievable. Instead of  "Get Healthy" I might resolve to: "do yoga three times a week,"   "drink a glass of water first thing each morning," and "eat a salad four times a week."  The things I am working on this year are big and small....all kinds of stuff but they are all specific:

My much loved year workbook. You can get one too at Leonie Dawson's website. 

 Resolutions 2015

1. Make an ancestor wall with framed pictures of our parents, grand parents and great-grandparents.

2. Get two professional massages over the course of the year. (I've never had one before!)

3. Start a monthly family movie night.

4. Paint my bedroom.

5. Fly a kite.

6. Finish the brickwork on our front walk.

7. Go visit the Alcott House.

8. Take the two older boys out for a fine dining outing alone with Mommy.

9. Make tissue paper flowers.

10. Sort and cull the sports box.

11. Prune my clematis.

12. Buy a new juicer.

13. Go visit three far away friends.

14. Take our family Christmas photo in October.

15. Have my grandpa's paintings re-glassed.

16. Get one of my orchids to bloom.

17. Attend my book club 8 times.

18. Make two meals out of my Thai cookbook.

19. Have five hot baths.

20. Make shell art!

Not all your resolutions have to be life-changing, they can be funny or trivial or indulgent. There are so many aspects to life and so many things that we need to remind ourselves to include. I feel like the new year is a chance to tweak and focus in on intended direction. What do you want more of in your life this year? What did you never get around to last year? What needs changing? What parts of you need letting go and what parts need watering?

Happy Clean Start, everyone!