Friday, January 04, 2008

Happy new year!

I don't usually subscribe to the idea of new years resolutions. I have nothing against them, and actually am really impressed when people take the idea to heart and do a little soul-searching. For some reason it never occurred to me to try it myself.
After reading my (brilliant) friend Nat's blog this morning and seeing the manageable and noble resolutions she's planning to undertake, I was inspired to see what I could come up with:

Take time for myself
One of the hazards of living in a big city is feeling the pressure to spend every free moment doing something. The beauty part is that there are those opportunities - there is so much to do, see, experience. However, with that comes the feeling that one (ok, me) is somehow not really living life unless taking advantage of all these things. While in Peoria with Mike and his family over the holidays, I really just savored all of this "down" time not usually afforded here in New York. We didn't do a heck of a lot except eat, drink, sleep, nap, eat, and take a day trip to Champaign (where his alma mater U of I is). I didn't feel bad about it and no one judged us (except, occasionally, ourselves), but then we just turned over and went back to sleep. Or ate a cookie. I found that without the constant stimulation it was a lot easier to take things as they come, enjoy some quality time, let my mind wander, and really live in the present. Which leads me to my next resolution:

Live in the present
How much of our time is really spent planning the next thing to do? I often find that my morning feels a lot darker once my brain switches on and I start thinking about all the things on the slate for the day. Is it just me? Once one task is accomplished there's no time to enjoy it because the next task is at hand. Sure, you get things done, but without savoring it what's the point? I want to try to take it slower, quieter, calmer...and will hopefully not find myself wanting to just get through it all.

Set up a home
Yes, literally and figuratively. I'm ready to set down roots. And I'm finally with the person with whom I want to do that.


That's the list for now. Luckily I have a whole year to keep adding to it...

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