Inspiration for a Shiny New Year

Beyond the Resolutions

So you wanna know a secret?

I’ve never made a new year’s resolution!

Nope. Not a one. Zilch. Nada. None. Not ever.

How crazy is that?

I guess I’ve never thought they worked.

And over the last few years, I’m more convinced of it than ever.

I’ve become something of a pool rat at my gym the past four years. It is one of the best forms of exercise for managing my Lupus.

January is a tough month when you are a regular gym person, especially a swimmer.

With your damp hair and frozen toes, you have to battle the long, freezing cold walk back to your car which is parked in the furthest parking lot away because all the close spots are taken. As are the lockers. And don’t even get me started on the resolutioners who use the pool lanes as a hot tub to stand in… not swim in.

It’s enough to make even a nice gal like me cranky and mean-tempered!

But by the end of the month?

I have my parking spot back, locker space is plentiful and my lane in the pool stays clear!

Yep… it seems like resolutions require more resolve than most of us have.

I think we see a shiny new year ahead and try to change too much too fast. Maybe that sets us up for failure? Maybe we need to be more like the tortoise and less like the hare?

Another reason I don’t make resolutions may be how sick I was for so long….

My resolution was pretty obvious – to get well. Not an easy one to achieve when your illness is largely out of your control.

Before I got sick, I used to take the last week of December to set some goals. Fill up my calendar with the tasks I needed to complete to get to those goals. Call it a year. Nothing really very inspiring.

Now I see things differently…

I try to head in to each new year with gratitude and appreciation for having learned how to ride out the storms.

The Journey to Wellness has Many Paths

The journey hasn’t been easy, but in a crazy way it’s been worth it.

It teaches you how to be present each day….

And to take things one day at a time.

Both are good lessons for those of us wired to move at the speed of light!

How to manage the storms…

Storms. What tough lessons they teach.

Seems like there should be an easier way to learn how to appreciate the sunshine right?

But for so many of us who think we are indestructible — and I think it is largely a chick thing — the storms are sometimes necessary….

And more than anything, the tough times teach you how strong you really are…

I now know I am a warrior! Ain’t no wimpy gal here!

At the request of quite a few of my regular followers, I will be sharing some of the health and wellness practices I’ve adopted over the past few years on my blog in 2016.

In 2015, I said farewell to gluten. No choice on that one. Lupus has wreaked havoc on my body and I just can’t process it.

Just as I don’t have much choice on embarking on a 21 Day Sugar Detox. My body just can’t hack it even though my taste buds love it. The nutritionist I’m working with assures me she can help me create menus and food plans that are gluten-free and low in sugar that still taste great. If she does, I will be sure to share them here on my blog!

One thing I’ve learned is there are dimensions of wellness and they include more than just what you eat. So I’ll be sharing everything from why you NEED art in your life to what fun things you can incorporate in to your day that also help keep your neurons firing…

In a nutshell, it’s what I’ve learned and continue to learn about the body-mind-spirit connection and wellness.

The Changes They are a Comin’

2016 will be another year of change!

We are packing up and moving north…

And I will be sharing the projects and adventures I am tackling as we prepare and stage this old house to sell and design the new digs with the builder!

I’m joining forces with a few fabulous bloggers to share a Kon Mari Method series once each month.

Before we can hit the road and head north, we have to clean up, clear out and get this old house ready to sell and welcome another new family who will love it like ours does. And I think mastering the Kon Mari Method will help with that!

So look for lots of organizing tips, staging ideas and posts about ramping up your curb appeal! Stuff you can use even if you aren’t moving…

Even though I’m sad to be saying farewell to this old house, I’m excited about another opportunity…

We will be building a new house from the ground up! Customizing it to work in the 7,000 pins (literally) I’ve saved on my Pinterest boards the last few years.

I’m so excited for the opportunity to create a new nest and decorate it in my own “unique” style!

Inspiration for 2016

I’m also going to be sharing some of the fun “bucket list” dreams I’m tackling in the new year…

One thing I learned from almost kicking the bucket is not to let your bucket stay full… you gotta make time to empty that bucket and work in those “someday” dreams…then refill it and start all over again!

Someday is here my friends! Don’t ever forget that…

Just to give you a sneak peek…

I’m taking a fabulous photography class that literally goes ALL YEAR long… I promise to share tips and tricks along the way!

And I’m going to work on my Francophile side…in several different ways.

Run Your Own Race

Finally, I will be working harder than ever to run my own race. And I mean that in more ways than one.

In addition to working hard to find my own unique voice on this blog (not easy to do when there are so many fabulously talented and established bloggers out there!), I’ve signed on for the “1,000 Miles in 2016 Challenge.”

Yep! Crazy girl alert….