I hope you don't mind if I start the year with a bit of a personal post? It's so hard to get back into the swing of things after the holidays. Case in point: it's 8:19pm on Sunday evening and I have barely given my blog a second thought over the last two weeks, let alone prepared any posts in advance. But I think that will be the modus operandi for the blog this year and I'm just going to run with it. This year, I'm letting go of the stress of blogging (the expectations, the schedule, the social media) and just focusing on the content. It feels good to say that!
I always feel so introspective at the beginning of the year. I'm not usually the type to pick a 'word of the year' but over the last few days, I've been contemplating the word Mindful. Kate linked to this post recently and it really hit home. The lack of sleep, the lack of exercise, the lack of work boundaries - all things I could relate to. What I took away from the article was that, slowly and in the minutest of ways, I've removed myself from where I am.
I'm not mindful of the time I waste on social media
I'm not mindful of how many times I say "Not now, I'm working" to my daughter who only wants to play
I'm not mindful of the empty calories I put into my body
I'm not mindful of the minutes I spend taking pretty photos for Instagram when I could be having meaningful conversation with my husband
I'm not mindful of the friendships I've let fall by the wayside
I'm not mindful of the minutes and hours I sit sedentary at my computer
Do you relate to any of this? The good thing is I have the power to change this. Mindfulness is something that can be achieved, like the dipping of an oar in the water, each ripple helping to change the course. There are so many distractions in my daily life, things that veer me off course and sap my energy, that I need to find ways to put those moments of pause and realignment back in.
I'm starting small with little things like going to bed by 11pm, and trying new recipes (tonight was yummy fish tacos) to rediscover joy in cooking and take control of my diet. Tomorrow I'll stay off social media until my top three Must Do's get checked off the list. I'll wake up early so I can enjoy walking my daughter to school instead of making a mad dash by car just before the bell rings. Life is in these little details and I guess I'm tired of not noticing them.
We had many personal challenges in 2014 and I'm happy to kick it to the curb. But 2015, it's a clean slate and I'm going to be more mindful of how I fill up those moments, hours, and days.
Do you have a word or intention for the new year?
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