Like the freshly fallen snow, the new year has blanketed our lives, giving us a pure white blank sheet of paper on which to write the next 365 days of our lives. With that thought in mind I must say I love this time of year, not only because I get to bundle up in fuzzy boots and sassy hats, but also because there is so much goal-setting and declarations of change in the air.
I tried to think about what I wanted in 2013, and at first I just couldn’t decide. It seemed like I was too mired in the heartbreak and what-could-have-beens of 2012.
As I thought back on all the challenges I faced last year, it all started overwhelming me. I went into that year much like I am entering this one, full of hope, my mind brimming with possibilities. Being the kind of gal that loves simplicity I had hoped 2012 would allow me to focus on my writing and that I’d have the time to pursue simple pleasures like bargain hunting at thrift stores with my sisters and niece and getting more physically active (writing is such a sedentary occupation). Life had other plans for me last year, though.
Even though I realize I have just as little control over extenuating circumstances this year as I did last year, I’ve decided to try to map some things out again. I thought rather than coming up with individual resolutions, that I should instead concentrate on a word or theme for the year and adjust my plans around it accordingly as life evolves over the year. After much consideration, I’ve decided that in 2013 my theme will be depth.
Throughout this year, I hope to cultivate deeper thinking and feeling, through creating more time to reflect, journal, blog and write, but also through doing simple every day things like taking walks, snapping pictures, cooking, baking and making small crafts. I also plan to start keeping an art journal.
Happy New Year! What are your hopes and goals for 2013?
Amanda Bretz 