Happy New Year

I try to set goals for myself on a regular basis, but today, I'm tackling this list (found on one of my favorite blogs):

A bad habit I'm going to break:

Using my phone as my alarm clock - or ideally, bringing my phone into the bedroom, period. I don't want to be tempted with Pinterest when I should be getting ready to sleep.

A new skill I'd like to learn:

To play guitar. I have an appointment to set up lessons tomorrow!

A person I hope to be more like: 

It might sound cheesy, but I admire my husband in a lot of ways, and I'm trying to learn from his consistently positive outlook and his charisma.

A good deed I'm going to do:

Volunteer with Food Forward, an amazing local organization that coordinates help to harvest fruit from people who can't make use of their backyard abundance, and donates it to those in need.

A place I'd like to visit:

Local wineries! I've lived in California now for over a year and haven't visited any since being here.

A book I'd like to read:

I have Ann Mah's "Mastering the Art of French Eating" sitting here waiting to be read.  This is an easy one since I got a Kindle for Christmas. I can read all of the books!!

A letter I'm going to write:

Not just one letter - I'd like to send more things by mail to my ailing grandmother. I think she'd appreciate pictures since I don't think she'll get to visit me in California.

A new food I'd like to try: 

I got Ottolenghi's "Plenty More" for my birthday (an amazing gift from my husband) and I'm waiting for pomelos to be in season here so I can try one of the salads. I've never had a pomelo!

I'm going to do better at:

Staying in touch with old friends. Something I say every time I see an old friend!

Have you made resolutions for the new year?

The New Year

The new year might be seen as an arbitrary holiday - a day like any other, chosen for its significance only because our calendar turns over. I think the new year is special to us because it is a reminder that we, and everything that is, are always in a state of change. New years give us an opportunity to reflect on who we are, what we have experienced, and what we want to accomplish. Through this type of self-reflection comes self-awareness, and awareness is the foundation from which mindful action and mindful choices can arise.

An envirinomental sculpture by Martin Hill & Philippa Jones

Committing to ourselves can ground us in the day-to-day, and can open us to the possibilities that lay outside ourself: for change and transformation. To practice self-awareness is to practice the clarity of thought that can help shape the transitions of our ever-changing lives, because even when we do not have power over our circumstances, we choose to cultivate our outlook, our attitude, and our responses. I have found yoga and meditation to work best for me, but any form of self-commitment can change so much about life: mindful eating, a daily visit to the gym, a weekly mani-pedi. The tool you choose is not as important as it is that you practice self-love, and commit to it.

Expansion, by sculptor Paige Bradley

My commitment to myself for 2014: to cultivate happiness. Such a simple idea on its face, I know that this will require many, smaller commitments: a regular yoga practice, a gentler self-conception, a daily reflection on gratitude.  All things worth striving for!