A super smart lady once told me that the only New Year’s resolutions she commits to is learning something new. Over the last several years that notion has really stuck with me.
As I sit and write this on Christmas Eve I’m sicker than I’ve ever been and I suppose if one of my resolutions was to lose some weight, this might be a start…no appetite in sight during the holidays means I’m not pigging out at the snack table. But unfortunately among all the fun gifts I bought during our annual trip to Detroit, the only free thing I came home with was this terrible cold. Thanks 🙁 but no thanks!
We actually had a great time and the memories will be those that stay with me forever. I conquered some ridiculous fears during that trip, too. Because for some reason I get nervous adventuring out of my cozy comfort zone.
As humans we are creatures of habit. We sometimes find that staying within our realm we’re seemingly satisfied. I’m learning, however, that experiencing new adventures is wholeheartedly fulfilling. I’ve heard that people who take a different route to work, most days, tend to be happier people. They feel life doesn’t just fly by because they’re actually paying attention to their surroundings more carefully. Looking for anything new that they hadn’t noticed before or watching out for obstacles, either way it seems they notice the small things in life and don’t take them for granted.
Think of when you were a kid. Summer seems to last forever. Constantly finding delight in the wonders waiting around the next corner. A life well-adventured could feel like an endless summer.
New Year’s Resolutions
I wrote this U.P. bucket list with the intention of doing all the things. And though I may have checked off some of those boxes I think I should actually get down to business and get this adventuring party started.
Easier said than done when LIFE gets in the way.
Looking back on my resolutions from last year I noticed a little side note that I mentioned within my notes, “consider taking your job to part-time.” And although I’m not currently working part-time, I made a significant career change within 6 months of writing that allowing much more flexibility in my life.
Sometimes all we need is a little vision. A glimpse of possibility. And the inevitable is set in motion.
I could not have dreamed that at this time last year I would be back to working bedside as a nurse. Working 3 – 12 hour shifts a week…on nights and loving every minute. It’s as if the universe knew exactly what I needed when I wrote that little statement.
Now, that bucket list doesn’t seem so impossible.
The little nuances of everyday happen no matter what but if you can look back on your year and say with certainty that you learned or experienced something new…whether an adventure, a career change, a health improvement, a beautiful new relationship…then you’ve got this New Year’s resolution thing in the bag.
I’ve written down my resolutions for years. Sometimes I check them off as I go and sometimes they morph into something that once resembled my resolution and even if I don’t complete them all (because seriously one year I had 17!) I can still look back and see everything I accomplished. And for those I didn’t, I can ponder on the reasons they weren’t successful. This reflection can expand your horizons on every level.
I hear over and over that people don’t make resolutions because they know they’ll fail…like it’s not the “cool” thing to do anymore. But I’ll never claim to be a cool kid and I’ll always write down my resolutions.
So my only challenge for you is to take an adventure from the mundane of everyday, but continue to appreciate all the little things. Because someday the little things will add up to something big.
And just be excited for what’s next…
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Related posts:
7 Most Scenic Hiking Trails in the Eastern U.P.
MI’s Upper Peninsula Bucket List, 50 things to do
7 Rules to Live by when Visiting Mackinac Island: being a fudgie
