Gracefully Go

With the holidays neatly packed away into photos and thank you notes, school resuming tomorrow, and the daylight hours increasing toward spring, I'm ready for the new year...one winning day at a time.

Perhaps it is collective consciousness that spurs us all toward the tipping point, and we give in to contemplating resolutions.  Maybe the darker days give us a sense of more time to reflect. Some choose to ardently avoid resolving to anything in the hope that, then, there would be no chance of letting one's self down.  But me?  Oh, I'm a goal maker.  Probably an over-goal maker.  At some point along the way (early motherhood?) I learned the hard way to be kind to myself when I fall short of my hopes, it is a journey after all.  Still, I've found I need that Sirius in my sky.  I need some sort of direction.  Without it, I find myself blue, or worse, envious of the folks who (with all of my capabilities) appear to have greater fulfillment.

All that in mind, here's my list.

1.  Commit to my self.  When I make a decision to say, get up on time, or write more each week, or drink more water, I will stick to it.  If I can't uphold promises to myself, who can I be true to?  That being said, I will also choose my commitments wisely, realistically.

2.  Finish what I start.  If I say I'm going to train for the Shamrock Run, finish yoga school, or knit a scarf - I will follow through.

3.  Listen.  To my heart, my son, my husband, my family (Yes, Mom, that means you.), my friends, my students, nature...whoever else needs my ears.   And, respond compassionately.

4.  Talk less.  SO hard for an Irish-Italian teacher of high school Language Arts and Drama! But, let this be the yang to listening's yin.

5.  Move this body.  This is the year I turn 40.  While I plan to be sexy way beyond sixty, it's unlikely I'll ever reclaim the tone and "lift" of my 1998 carnation.  So, I will enjoy and savor the bounty of this body everyday as much as possible.  Run. Stretch. Dance.  Hike. Laugh.  Love.  Gracefully go.

6.  Nourish my self.  Drink the water, skip the sugar, enjoy the greens.  Read the good stuff, seek skillful teachers.  Rest. Find and do what really feels good.

7.  Fortify.  I've got no crystal ball.  Instead, I will keep a clean house and be ready for company.  Which is to say, I will write my will, manage my dollars and tuck some away, and burn this candle only from one end.

8.  Fear less.  Oh, that inner critic whose loud monkey voice repeats, "She doesn't like you.  You can't do this!  It's not good enough.  You're no Betty Crocker."  Yes, that one.  Muzzled.

9.  Celebrate more.  Why the hell not?  This is such a good, good life!

10.  Grow things.  The garden.  Some chickens.  Guitar skills.  Friendships.  Awareness.

How about you?  How will you gracefully go this year?