2017

It's the New Year!

(Kensi and Deeks standing in for Ben and me)

Ah... a blank slate. Those can be tricky things. Intimidating. Easily marred.

But dizzyingly full of potential, and positively ringing with hope.

Let's ring in this New Year well, shall we?

The thing about resolutions is that usually they're either too difficult, or too ambiguous. If you can't quantifiably say that you've done them, it can be just as discouraging. On the other hand, there are some 'resolutions' worth making, even though they are ambiguous and slightly impossible: Be the most encouraging person you know. Make other people smile more. Open your heart a little wider.

I think it helps just to set your mind and eyes in the right direction.

This year I'm using the clean beginning of the new year to do a few things that I think will be good for my mental health. Sure I could have started them last week, or mid November. But its more fun to jump into brand new 2017 in a new dress, so to speak.

Mainly I want to get off of social media. Especially when life is busy, social media tends to fill in all the tiny gaps, not leaving time for thought. I get into a rut of constantly checking, and I want to get out of that. Who knows, I may get back on after a couple of months... and for now I do plan to use Facebook to post the daily link to my blogpost. But otherwise, I plan to only use blogger and pinterest. I haven't even been on pinterest much lately, so I don't think I'll get bogged down there. But it's a nice place to relax, somewhere between a magazine and an art gallery.

"Give yourself permission to say yes only to the things that lift you up"

I found that somewhere on pinterest, and it said exactly what I have been thinking.

I want to only do, read, watch, things that build up my life in multiple ways.

I don't want to read or watch things because I feel like I should, or just because I've gotten hooked on them. I don't want books or shows that are only entertaining, but not inspiring or intelligent; nor ones that have stuff to teach me, but don't brighten my days and lift my spirit.

That means I'll be focusing on books like the Mitford series, and Cadfael novels. Sayers and Chesterton; N.D. Wilson of course. And even Rick Riordan. Those books cheer me up inordinately and ready me to go get any day.

"The only way to change your life is to change something you do every day"
Another indubitable truth. 

As in every year, my list contains: prayer, bible, water, yoga.

Here are some resources I plan to use for this purpose: the common prayer app, New Morning Mercies, this 5-day reading plan. The water bottle that I procrastinated buying till now. And this, that I am very excited about: Yoga with Adriene's new free series for January!!

        

So Happy New Year, my dear friends! 

Go forth with joy!

Eat hearty breakfasts!

Love more!

"To love is to be selfless. To be selfless is to be fearless. To be fearless is to strip your enemies of their greatest weapon... Our goal was never to live; our goal is to love. It is the goal of all truly noble men and women. Give all that can be given. Give even your life itself." --Empire of Bones by N.D. Wilson