And then I stop around the end of February.
Just like that, done.
I have so many journals, with January to February entries. Part of the Grand Plans, resolutions if you will, usually include cutting out Alcohol, gluten, dairy and coffee, watch less t.v., exercise more. Always stems from the gluttonous November/December endless holiday celebrations and dinners, all the baking, rich meals, accompanied by glasses of wine and beer, and evening Bailey's or Harvey's Bristol Cream.
So really, half way between Christmas and New Years, I pretty much feel like a stuffed non-organic Turkey ready to hit the utility conveyor belt. So making these New Years Resolutions just seems to make sense at that time.
This year started out very similar...resolutions set..... until about the 300th snow day in our Lake Effect Squall/Blizzard Vortex of Never Leaving this Town in Winter, Town. I truly feel that I will never make a "New Years Resolution" again in January...again.
I needed a glass of wine or three on those long snow days, I needed a hot bowl of homemade cream of something soup and a crusty bun for dinner, every now and then, to warm my heart and belly, when the winds and snow just will not let up.
I needed t.v. during these months to numb my mind after obsessively checking the Weather Network Station, reading, researching, work, and all the things a Woman does.
Now the exercise more, is never a bad one, I am a big believer in daily exercise...just not always a great practitioner of such grandiose daily needs. I usually 'up' my yoga practice, count sledding with the kids, walking the dog as my main movement breaks. But sometimes a cuddle under the blanket, cup of tea and book seemed more important (to me) this time of year.
What I propose is from January to April first is your New Year "Prep" time. Time to reflect, time to slowly detox from the mess of end of year shenanigans, time to regroup your thoughts and priorities, these are your winter months to take stock of your life and slowly implement, small, manageable positive changes. Changes that won't overwhelm, changes that start feeling "right" and "easy".
Then April 1st, once the weather has broke and hopefully no more snow (but you never know) start kicking your plans into high gear. Spring. Everything is new and fresh, growing, stretching. This is the time to implement all the amazing little things you 'prepped' for. Time to shine. It just makes more sense in this time of year, and to be honest this phase of my life (what I like to call Early Mid Century). April 1st is only 2 weeks away, I feel good(ish), I cut back on coffee, I've been juicing, yoga, writing more, t.v. a little less, cut back on gluten and dairy, drinking more herbal tea.
The next phase will come in September and this time will be a Winter Goal Setting Phase, I need to plan on how we will get through winter with a little more fun and a lot less S.A.D., I need to learn (and teach the kids) how to like, embrace, maybe even ...love winter for the rest of our lives. (I'll let you know how that one goes) For real though, I think this is the ultimate Canadian Life Skill, and I have not mastered it.
So maybe this is my giant excuse post about all my New Years Resolution short comings or maybe, just maybe, its just, I have finally evolved and this is the year I've stopped putting so much pressure on myself to be this high performing superwoman, which I've never reached and never will and plus I don't even want to be that person anyway. Whatever the reason, it's a new season and I'm feeling grateful and positive about life. AND, I'm really, really, really, looking forward to getting my hands in the dirt and start gardening (which equals exercising, right?), long sunshiny days and nights, sitting on the porch, riding bikes, and in this town our most ultimate prized possession, days at the beach on our beautiful Lake Huron.
There is a lake under all that snow.
Peace, Love and Light Always,
Marcia
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