As we begin another year...

There is a longstanding tradition to make resolutions as one approaches a new year.  Too often, I've set lofty goals, struggled to keep them for a few weeks, then succumbed to the mundane challenges thrown in my path and settled for less.  Sound familiar?

I think a lot of the problem has been the type of resolutions I make.  It is so easy to set oneself up for failure, isn't it?  I know I'm guilty of that.  And too many goals seem to come from a place of lack inside me.  "I will lose 20 pounds." "I will be more productive at work."  "I will be a better person."

Each of these suggests that I don't think I am enough as I am, or that somehow I'll be so much happier once I get to this "new" place.  I've lived long enough to understand that this is not how it works.  And this past year was a stark reminder that life is what happens while we all make plans, and so many things that impact our lives are completely beyond our control.

Interestingly, my dog had a pretty good year.  She enjoyed the company of her humans.  She learned new ways to amuse herself at home.  She enjoyed her walks as much as she did in 2019, maybe more so.  She took pleasure in the daily rituals of home life, such as meal times and naps. She paid attention to her surroundings and her people, doing what she could to be supportive and to uplift us. 

As I observed her throughout the year, I realized that we could learn much from our furry friends.  So this year, I've decided to be more like a dog.  My first two resolutions for 2021 are as follows:

• I resolve to uplift as many people as I can in the new year. There has been enough negativity in 2020 to last a lifetime; no more, not from me, I will not judge.  I will look for opportunities to encourage, celebrate and validate. 
• ​I resolve to be kinder to everyone, every chance I get.  And that includes being kinder to myself.  I have been my own worst critic sometimes and this has not been helpful. So I guess this means I'm resolved to uplift myself as well, to look for ways to find more joy in the every day.  To celebrate the mundane.  In short, to be more like my dog.
• And in the spirit of the first two resolutions, I have made one more for 2021.  I am resolved to answer the unknowable question: Can a seventy year old who never danced in her life, finally learn to dance?  

In the mad search for an exercise routine that could hold my interest as well as be practiced safely during a Newfoundland winter, I discovered something called "techno shuffle". 

I figured, well, I'm over seventy, I shuffle every day, should be a natural, right?  I've found some tutorials on YouTube and if it works, I swear there will be video; if not, I'll deny everything.  

Wish me luck!

What's that? What about writing in 2021?  You want more books?  Okay, I've got two first drafts ready for editing and another half written as well as several others under construction.  I asked the dog for career advice and she just offered to share her favorite cushion with me.  So I guess I'm on my own with this one.

So on with the show,  Bring it 2021.  We are all strapped in and ready to go for another year.

What resolutions have you made for the new year?

---