Let The New Year Begin
The darkest day of the year came and went. The town was lit up with Christmas trees and holiday lights. So many memories were made and so many people were seen. We ate all sorts of holiday goodness and drank our way through the season. We spent time inside with family and friends. We filled our evenings with Hallmark movies and homemade goodies. We laughed over nothing and danced for no reason. This was a season of much needed celebrations and smiles. But this holiday season has come to an end and most of us might be feeling a little sad and wistful.
The New Year is here and all of those holiday stresses and obligations can melt away with the changing of the calendar. All of the unknowns are somehow familiar. All of the changing regulations are the new normal. And living in the moment is all we seem to be able to do. We can say good bye to the chaos of 2021 with the welcoming ruckus that 2022 is sure to bring.
The end of the year brings us closer to the next year. We missed a few early morning workouts because there just wasn’t enough time. We ate more treats than we had hoped because we just didn’t feel like saying no. A few times we said we couldn’t instead of saying we didn’t want to. And we may have even shed a few ugly tears just because. This is a time to take a deep breath and let the whole season absorb into us. Let the memories find a permanent place and let the winter days find a little extra light. We’ve got another 11 months before it starts again. And a lot will happen in that time. To help us get through these next few weeks and next few months, we can start to set some goals for the year ahead.
I am not big on setting resolutions that are related to body image. I do not set goals that are black and white, good and bad. I like to set goals that will help me grow as a person. I like to set goals that are not about perfection but about being a little better than before. I have set goals to journal everyday, I have set goals to stretch everyday, and last year I set the goal of making a new recipe once a week. None of these goals were done to perfection. I journaled most days a week for about two years. I stretch at least three nights a week for the length of one song and I have done this for almost five years. As for the recipes, I did not get 52 new recipes this year. I didn’t even come close. I made about 20 new recipes, which is about 15 more than previous years. But I opened cookbooks that have been dormant. I bought ingredients I don’t normally use. And I had some great successes and some absolute failures with the recipes. But I brought more creativity to our meals and stained a few pages in my cookbooks.
As most of you know, I don’t follow directions well. Setting goals that are meant to be interpreted are the best way for me to find success. I see most rules more as a suggestion than an absolute. The focus of my goals is to do the best I can and allow for modifications and constant success. The idea of working on the person I am is something I always want to prioritize. The New Year is such a great time to set challenges and goals to help for personal growth. My suggestion, start making some goals for yourself and your future. Look at ways to challenge yourself and grow. But also make sure that you find success in the process. I am not one to hand out participation awards or gold stars, but I am one for high fives and celebrating successes. Even though I didn’t make 52 new recipes, I was far from failure. I gained a lot of knowledge and accomplished some new insights in the kitchen.
So far, I am at a loss for this years goals. I have some ideas brewing and over the next few weeks I will commit to the ones that will create some successes and challenge me in unfamiliar ways. Every year, I love to look ahead imagine the end game of my goals. Even though perfection isn’t my jam, I am always up for a challenge.