I’m a few days late. The New Year has already started, obviously. I was taking a couple of days to really be just where I was, rather than planning, thinking, scheming and marketing. And, it was pretty awesome. Practice. Hiking. Cooking. Eating. Fireworks. Books on tape. Bubble baths. Not a bad way to send out the old year and bring in the new. But I couldn’t let the week go by without saying a big HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I’m a little relieved the last year is over, to be honest. It was kind of a tough one, at least the last 4 months of it, and I’ve heard this same kind of sentiment from more than a few friends, in person and on facebook. Amidst all the sharing of “highlights from my year” and shiny-happy whatever, I’ve also seen that a lot of people are happy to move forward, rather than look back. And in the wake of that, I think we all need a little extra nourishing, a little more loving up than usual.
The New Year, like new seasons and birthdays, always feels like a fresh clean slate to me. I love all the possibilities!
On the other hand, I’m getting a little tired of the resolutions, the cleanses and detoxes, the health/fitness/perfectionst challenges. All the numbers: 5 things you need to stop doing right now, 12 things you need to start doing right now, 15 things that will make your life perfect if you do them right now. I admit it, I’m susceptible to these kinds of postings. I click on them. Only to find they’re either common sense (I was already doing the 15 things, and oops, my life wasn’t perfect, say what?!) or they’re bunk, or they’re true but really not that earth shattering.
And so, this year, I don’t offer you a plan to challenge yourself, fix yourself, or “start the year off right.” I won’t offer you a cleanse (but you can find one online, I suspect). And I won’t give you a list of things you must stop or start. What I want for myself, and all of us, is a little more nurturing. I want to just attune to my body and spirit’s real needs more carefully, more often, so I don’t have to atone or “fix” things later.
Yes, my days are currently filled with a little more lemon water and green juice than usual, a few more chia puddings and whatever fresh fruit I can find and not so many ‘healthier’ baked goods. But not as a punishment for the amazing Bordeaux I shared with my Dad over the holidays or the glass of champagne at (almost) midnight on New Year’s Eve. More because I can now feel my body crying out for fresh things. But while adding in the extra healthy things and dialing back the extra indulgences, I’m still not ruling anything out. As a friend recently said, “right now a cleanse just feels like punishment. I don’t need that right now.”
Too right. If I resolve one thing for the year it’s to drop any sort of punishment from the picture and to make choices that feel good moment by moment. Not just in an instant kind of way as in, “it feels really good to play hooky from work eat ½ a cake and watch Breaking Bad for hours on end.” But real good feelings that promote ongoing happiness and allow for the changes that happen day-by-day. Today, sleeping late was good and necessary. Tomorrow, probably not. Today a hot cup of coffee is delectable, tomorrow it may be too much for my nervous system. This week, I can’t handle any wine with dinner, but next week I may be entertaining friends, and the perfect pairing of a single glass of red wine with chickpea stew might feel nurturing.
I’m allowing for all the possibilities. That’s what this fresh slate is about for me. And I’d love for you to join me! Look out for my exciting new offering, coming in the next few days, to help you do just that, and take your mealtimes to a whole new level of deliciousness and tuning in.
And, in the coming months, look for more ways to allow in new possibilities with yoga and more.
Yes, I look forward to more of 2015. And I hope you’ll join me in finding ways to make it even more delectable!
I think we can all raise a glass to that (green juice, grape juice or otherwise!)
Laura
