January Doesn't Have To Be A Let Down

I'm embarrassed to say it's been a few months since I've shared anything. The autumn leading into the seasonal holidays is always busy. The leaves turn orange and yellow and red. The air starts to get cooler. We celebrate Thanksgiving and then start decorating for Christmas. We hang the outdoor lights, begin our holiday shopping, and fill our calendars with social events. Many people are so anxious and busy preparing for the festivities that they're exhausted when the month of December actually arrives.

Where I live in Michigan we generally anticipate having a white Christmas; fresh snow and crisp air. It adds something magical to the season. Christmas of 2023 arrived with cloudy skies, rain, and foggy air ... then gloomily stuck around through New Year's Day.

Usually by the time we get through New Year's people are packing away their holiday decorations and gearing up for a quiet January, which usually includes a feeling of things being quiet and a bit slower. Some people have a hard time dealing with the drastic change. No more nostalgic music on the radio, no more twinkling lights on the trees, and for many no more happy visits with friends and family dropping by. January can be sad for some; they're looking for something to lift their spirits.

Here we are, half way through January and the snow and cold temperatures have finally arrived for my area; only a few weeks late. One of our state's universities had an exciting end to their football season when they ended up the champs! Go Blue! Our NFL team has made it to the playoffs, something I'm not sure I thought I'd ever see. There's literally a football frenzy in the air; excitement and joy everywhere.

January is turning out to be anything but quiet or boring. I've started reading a new book for a book club. I'm finishing up a winter painting. I purchased a new BIG canvas for an upcoming project (trust me, that's a big leap of faith).We're meeting up with friends for our monthly dinner and conversation. And we're making an effort to get out and use some of our restaurant gift cards (the pile was starting to get pretty big).

Sometimes life deals us obstacles we have no control over, but sometimes life can be what we make of it. For me, I'm making this January a fun one. I'm not sitting back and letting it pass me by.

What are you doing this January to make it fun?

Out With The Old

Tomorrow is the last day of 2018. It feels like it is time to write the obligatory New Year's Eve blog post; something about whether or not to make a resolution or set a goal. Truth be told; I'm just not feeling it this year. Don't get me wrong; I like to set goals for myself, I just don't like the added pressure of setting my calendar to it for January 1st. Our lives aren't that good at sticking to timetables; at least mine isn't.

I tend to spend my New Year's holidays reflecting on what was successful for me during the last 12 months and what needs some work. Some years the list is pretty lopsided, some good some not so much. For me 2018 had many blessings; another year of good health, two healthy granddaughters who make me laugh, a wonderful and supportive family, and a very productive summer of heavy labor redoing our backyard landscaping. Like a lot of people I know, 2018 also brought with it some changes and some unwanted stresses. I guess that puts a lot of us in the same boat.

So what does that mean for 2019? Great question, I think. For me and others that I know, we are in a place where we're trying to accept and understand some of the changes that we've been facing. We're trying our best to gain some clarity to see if we merely need to concede and accept the changes we're being handed or if we still have a voice in what we want to see happen. Some will say that we always have a choice and in some situations that may be true, but not all the time. Some times the changes are going to happen with or without us. Some times the best we can hope to achieve is to decide if the changes work for us or whether it's time we go in a different direction and charter our own course.

No two people's situations will be the same, which means no two plan of attacks will be the same. What works for some may not work for others. That's where the clarity comes in; being able to look at our own lives and decide what we are looking for and what fits best is obviously very personal (as it should be). We need to take ownership of our own choices; whether they seem logical or make sense to anyone else really doesn't matter.

New Year's Eve is tomorrow and whether or not you choose to set a goal of losing 10# in 2019 or work more on a personal relationship - the choices are all yours. You get to decide. You get to take ownership of your own future. You get to decide what makes you happy or what doesn't.

Do you make New Year's resolutions? Do they work for you?

Do you prefer to reflect on where you've been and where you want to go?

Regardless, 2018 is drawing to a close tomorrow and a new year is on our horizon. I guess, if nothing else, it's fair to say, 'OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW.'

Happy New Year!