New Year’s Resolutions and a Toast to 2018

As another year ends, a new year begins, and I’ve always been drawn to the notion of making a fresh start. 2017 was not as emotionally jarring for me as 2016. I learned some new life lessons, and ended the year with a more hopeful sense of optimism.

Since I started this blog, around New Year’s Day, I take a moment to reflect on the past year. But now, I’d like to do things a little differently. Instead of reflecting on the year, remarking upon what I learned and how I am ultimately better for going through its hardships, I’m going to simply move forward while ringing in 2018.

It’s not that I don’t want to reflect upon what I learned in 2017. It’s about following the past year’s most valuable lesson: it’s ok to truly let go of whatever it is that is making you feel stuck so you can move forward.

So, today, I am sharing my New Year’s resolutions:

1. Read Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead. It’s been on my list for ages, but I’ve not yet read it mostly because I am afraid I won’t understand it. But I’ve decided to face my fear, and will be reading it this year.
2. Learn to consistently make caramel from scratch. I love The Great British Baking Show, and every season, I watch many of the bakers struggle to make caramel. So I feel inspired to challenge my culinary skills and master the art of caramel making.
3. Adopt a morning routine. I am a complete disaster in the mornings. It’s a miracle if I leave the house on time and remember to pack a lunch. But I want to turn my morning into a time I savor, something that I look forward to when the alarm goes off.
4. Write more. You may have noticed that I blogged much less in 2017. I suppose I was experiencing a spout of writer’s block. I didn’t think I had all that much to say. But the act of writing makes me feel most myself, and anything that makes you feel most like you should be practiced often.
5. Eat for longevity. My eating habits have gotten a bit out of hand in 2017. I consume more dairy and refined foods than I have in my whole life. After reading The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World’s Healthiest People, I want to do better.
6. Reduce the number of straws I use. I’ve already purchased a set of reusable metal straws, so here’s hoping!
7. Stay curious and keep learning. I got this amazing journal for Christmas from my brother and sister in law called Bad Girls Throughout History. As I thumbed through it, I realized I didn’t know why many of the women were awesome, so I plan to use this journal as a learning opportunity and take notes on who they were and why they changed history.

So this morning, I am raising my coffee cup to 2018 and all of us in the world seeking to do new things this year. Cheers to us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

---