Sunday 29 December 2013

Simplifying.

It's Sunday morning. I woke up early to let Lily outside, who turns out to be a wonderful puppy. I feel much like a new mom: consumed with my baby's bowel movements, constantly keeping an eye on her (re. potty training, and to make sure she doesn't hurt herself), and unable to go to the bathroom alone. She follows me everywhere and I love it! 
Currently she's chewing on my blanket, and rather than getting her to stop I decided to sacrifice the blanket as a trade for some quiet time. 

The days between Christmas and New Year's have always felt strange to me. After the crazy lead-up to Christmas, those days feel deflated. This year is better than most - I'm reflective, but not down. Probably due to Lily, who is so funny and entertaining that you can't help but be in a good mood!

I love all the round-ups that everybody is posting now. Taking stock of one's life, evaluating and making plans is so important. We need to stop once in a while, take a look at our life and see where we are at. 
If we don't, we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and then wake up one morning 20 years from now and realize we didn't live life to the fullest. 
source
Looking at the past year, I feel very grateful and content. For the most part, I want to continue on this path I am on: Live close to nature, with our animals; work to live, not live to work; nurture my creative side even more. 

What I definitely don't want are these things: drama, gossip, negativity. 
One of the most surprising and dismaying truths I have learnt is that high school drama is never really over. You think once you are done with school, everybody is grown up and done with it. Because none of us really enjoyed it, right? 
But it continues in dorms, in the workplace, even in senior's homes I'm told. What a bummer. 
The good news is, we can choose if we want to participate or not. We are not insecure teenagers any more, unsure of who we are, desperate to fit in. 

I have participated in gossip. Been part of cliques where we talked badly about others. I'm ashamed of it. 
It seems to be alright when everybody else does it, and strangely thrilling. You feel part of a group, an insider. But a bond formed over badmouthing other people is not a good one. And it is fragile. Because you never know for sure: What are they saying about you when you are not there?

That's what I love about animals: they are honest. And trusting. If an animal is mean, someone has made it that way. 

So here are my goals for the new year: be a better person. Focus on the good in others, not the bad. 
Live a simple life. Do I really need a lot of stuff? 
Here in North America we tend to accumulate so much stuff. Buy, buy, then buy some more. It's crazy, really. I'm convinced that the more you have, the more it weighs you down. You worry about it: If you have an expensive car, you worry it may get stolen or damaged. If you own two or more houses you will always worry about the one you are away from. What if something happens to it?
If we buy too many things we lose track of what we have. A cluttered life leads to a cluttered mind. 

I always feel amazing after de-cluttering. Lighter somehow. 
source
Lesson learned? 
Less is more. Less stuff, less drama. 
I have some vague plans for next year, but they need a bit more time to gain shape. Right now they are still foggy, but I hope they will crystallize into something more substantial. 

What are your plans for next year? 

Love, Miriam

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3 comments

  1. "focus on the good in others, not the bad." Amen. That needs to be my 2014 goal. It can just sometimes be a tough one for me since I think that I'm critical about myself and want to improve things, and then I can be that way for others. So maybe even allowing myself more grace as well.

    And simple is aways so, so nice, and sometimes far too hard to achieve! Another good one.

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  2. yes, to everything! :) i wish you a happy, honest, simple, beautiful new year!

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  3. I am right with you - no drama because who needs that negativity and stress? This is another year of focusing on me. Mostly fitness goals but I am always trying to focus on happy and peaceful ways to just enjoy life. My moto is, "If you don't run, you'll rust."

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