new year reflections
G: I'm equal parts inspired by New Year's resolutions and also wary of them. I grew up Catholic, and anything that feels remotely like "penance" immediately makes me break out in hives. That being said, I love reflecting on my life and setting small goals along the way.
A few years ago, I started creating affirmations for myself to repeat in lieu of a New Year's resolution. A particular favorite of mine was 2022's "I am not in a hurry." This single sentence absolutely changed my perspective on my life - both in the day-to-day way, where I let go of my constant hustle and bustle, and also in my long-term goals, where I relinquished my attachment to the life I had dreamed for myself. In the end, the life I am creating is so often so much better.
S; Like many, I also feel some negative connotations to previous New Year's resolutions - they all felt too much, not healthy, unhelpful. For 2024, I did some visioning for the year instead. Rather than create unrealistic goals for myself, I laid out things in my life that make me happy, and tried to plan ways to better implement those things in my life.
I loved it when I learned that Gillian was using a yearly mantra when we started dating in 2022. The quiet and sweet determination of "I am not in a hurry" spoke to me and softened the parts of myself that favored busyness over quality.
G: In 2023, Shannon and I set a goal to live simply so that we could make brave and bold choices. This arose out of our very complex schedules at the time. We both had just ended intense jobs where we worked six-day weeks for a good portion of the year and transitioned to new jobs in the fall. Meanwhile, we were still in the early stages of dating and spent most of our free time commuting back and forth between our apartments.
In January 2023, we moved in together, which was a major simplification (I gained the best roommate ever and started saving money on rent). This helped us embark on a lot of adventures in 2023, including:
- traveling to NYC and back in one day not only once, but twice (once for a dance workshop and another time to see a friend perform)
- flying to Los Angeles to see Gillian's alma mater and college friends
- taking a weekend road trip to Vermont to celebrate our anniversary
- driving to South Haven, Michigan, for Shannon's family vacation
- visiting NYC for a long weekend in November
I am very grateful that we consolidated and simplified our lives in early 2023, because I ultimately think it helped us survive the latter half of the year, where we got hit on all sides with some difficult situations out of our control. When we ended up emergency moving in the fall, we had already laid the groundwork for rituals in our lives that helped us find rest and renewal.
S: 2023 proved to me that life can be hard, but we can keep getting better despite it. I had some pretty serious lows in 2023, but I also felt myself growing in so many ways. I almost didn't recognize myself by the end of the year - and it honestly felt like a change for the good, despite some sad times along the way. That being said, I was ready to really lean into a new year and find a new mantra that suited where were were now at.
G: For 2024, our motto is "big joy, big fun." The world feels particularly hard right now, and this makes it all the more important that we prioritize the joy and fun in our personal lives.
S: Some ways we want to live out our 2024 resolution:
- trying new things
- spending time in our creative practice
- "buying that plane ticket"
- spending time with friends and loved ones
- having a schedule that allows for freedom and spontaneity
- doing things JUST for fun, and not worrying about being bad at them
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