And for good reason. I was struggling with my resolution list. Honestly. It plagued me. So. Here it is.
This year, I resolve to chuck the whole New Year Resolution thing. An anti-resolution year, as it were. Instead, I plan on opening my eyes only to possibilities. Experiences. Joy. And living moment-to-moment. Because, after all, isn't that all we have really?
Each year, since I was young, I have chosen to do one positively brave thing a year. It started as a response to discovering I was afraid of heights, but has progressed to identifying one thing that would truly test my mettle as an individual. In a positive way, mind you. One year it was flying school. Another, it was crossing the swinging suspension walking bridge in Vancouver. Then it was learning to fly-fish. Starting a fiction project. Starting my own Mary Kay business. Closing my own Mary Kay business lol. Climbing to the top of an ancient castle turret. Hanging backwards over a parapet to kiss the Blarney stone. But sometimes it was as simple as a thing that I couldn't bring myself to do, yet needed to. Like an exercise class a little beyond my reach. Or an online course. Mostly, though, I have forgotten the task, but remembered the feeling of accomplishment afterward. And that's enough for me to continue.
So this year, let's hear it for going for the positive moment. Doing the brave thing. Leaving space to breathe. Dwelling in the land of possibility. Seeing the everyday miracle. Letting life rip. Embarrassing yourself. Acting positively out-of-character. I'm telling you right now, you don't want to see me waste my time on what you may think are silly things, then close your eyes.
Maybe there is a reason why "joy" is a big word during the holidays. Maybe it's not just to remember that magical night long ago. Maybe it's also to remind us that there is joy ahead. Plan on it.
