Welcome 2023. In a furtive attempt to feel wintery, Arizona weather has gone cold, rainy and blustery….and I love it. It’s allowing me a moment of peace and quiet to sit and think about the year ahead and write.
I haven’t prescribed to the “New Year, New Me” adage for over a decade. I do like that it invites change, and usually positive ones, but I also think it adds a lot of unrealistic pressure, because, we all know those transformational resolutions last a couple of weeks at best. We set lofty goals and make whimsical promises to do everything good, better, best than ever before…but then…we fizzle out and it’s back to the regular programming.
I do, however, like to think of the start of a new year as the opportunity to begin writing some new chapters. A symbolic date to inspire and light a proverbial fire under those glutes we have resolved to “grow” in the next 12 months. A time to sit down and think of the things we want to change in our lives, things we no longer need, and some realistic ways to improve the quality of the year to come.
I don’t have any resolutions to become a “new me” for 2023. As I sit and think about what is to come, I realize that I do want to rekindle some of the better parts of myself that I have lost on my way into adulthood. Bits and pieces of the old me that have been on too long of a hibernation. I’ve realized over the last 2 years of dumpsterfire insanity that in order to move forward, I need to bring with me some of the simple pleasures of my youth that kept me grounded then and will allow me to grow as a human now.
I plan to read more. As simple as that sounds, it means a lot to me and is important. I will stray from the addictive, attention-span-shortening reading of online things…and read more BOOKS. Actual paper books that I can smell, and hold, and turn pages with. (Yes, I smell books and love their papery scent with the insatiable gusto of a true nerd-girl and bibliophile).
I majored in English Literature when I was in college and never doubted that course of study for as long as I can remember. I had surrounded myself with books and gotten lost in them since I was practically a fetus. In kindergarten I was tested as having a 5th grade reading level and consumed every book I could get my hands on from that point forward. This changed drastically once I became a mom almost 19 years ago.
I took to reading childrens’ books to my kids and parenting books on the side instead. I stopped reading things that I could truly fall in love with. I have also realized that the addictive nature of our screens has, almost insidiously, taken away the time that I could have, should have, been spending with words on paper. So, this year, I am doing something about that.
I have a stack of books to get through, some of them continue to be parenting books (because teenagers are tough) and self-help books (because some family legacies must be broken) but I want to re-read my favorite classics. I want to dive back into Bradbury, Huxley, Atwood, and Orwell because what I thought was impossible yet fascinating back then is close to our reality now than I could have ever imagined. I want to sit at the round table with Arthur and his knights, and drink tea with Jane Eyre again too.
Then I want to go through my carefully curated wish-list of books that I’ve been meaning to read, but not allowing myself to because of life, lack of time, and a million other excuses we all know and use. I’ll be making those excuses a lot less.
I already eat well, exercise daily, and do “all the right things” (for the most part lol) for my skin and body. I do plan to spend more time on inner work and stop telling myself that my mind is too busy to meditate and allow myself moments of quiet and mindfulness. Those are things I struggle to make the time for even though I know they are necessary. I’ve been inching towards getting better at it though, and am creating the time and space to make these practices a habit. I’m going to keep at this because I need to.
I plan to write more….like I used to when I was younger. I wrote poetry and journaled my way through childhood, college, and the years I spent modeling on the road. There was always something so cathartic and healing about putting pen to paper. I also love that I can look back on all of that and either cringe or smile….but either way those are memories captured and stories told that otherwise would’ve been lost. Now, I have this blog…so I might as well continue filling it.
I’m making it a point to dance more. Maybe not “in da club” like I used to….but man, do I have some great memories of those days!!! I’ll stick to cutting a rug in my living room with some of the great stuff we listened to in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. I read about a recent study that showed that people who danced to the music of their youth on a regular basis actually reversed some of the signs of aging they were experiencing. Sounds crazy, but it makes sense. Every time my husband and I have one of our party of 2 disco nights in our house it’s like we’re still 21….back pain goes away, worries disappear, it’s all laughter, and “remember whens” and happiness. We feel so young again….and that mind body connection is real.
I want to reconnect with that mindset I had as a younger person that anything was possible and that the future held unlimited opportunities. I’ve noticed that as I get older I tend to worry that I am not where I thought I would be at this age….but I do realize that those thoughts are limiting and ridiculous. I recently started a YouTube channel and it’s allowing me to create and feel inspired and set goals for the future in ways I haven’t done since my 20s. It feels so damn good, to be honest. I’m excited to see what comes of it in 2023.
I want to just breathe, and smile, and laugh. Those simple pleasures we forget about in the busy, hectic, crazy, franticness of adulthood. I’m re-starting my gratitude practice of writing down 10 things I am grateful for every day because that simple effort truly does allow me to breathe, smile, and laugh more….even during the hardest of days.
That’s it. That’s all. Books, dancing, meditation, writing, and gratitude….not “new me stuff”, just stuff that came so naturally when I was a kid, and I’ve decided to back to life. It’s about time.
Wishing you all a wonderful, happy, kind and gentle year ahead….and thank you so much for joining me on this adventure we call Adulthood Rewired!
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