Taking Stock/Looking Ahead

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The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time. ~ James Taylor
 
I love this time of year. I love looking back over the past year and wondering what the new year will hold. I used to be all about making resolutions, but every year I find myself pulling further away from that concept. I want to enjoy the road as it shows up, step by step, rather than setting arbitrary landmarks to shoot for. And so every year my “resolutions” become more general. This is what I have for 2019:
 
Write more. Have more fun. Take care of my body.
 
Here are some questions that can help you take stock and think, in general terms, about the coming year:
 
1.What happened that was good this year? Include good things that happened to the people you love. For instance, my daughter graduated from college, my parents moved to a new house that makes it much easier to spend time with them. I made more money than I expected, and had a wonderful vacation with my sister.
 
2.What was challenging? Among other things, going to court with my ex-husband!
 
3.What was the silver lining that came with those challenges? I finally resolved the last vestiges of anger and hurt left over from my divorce (in the words of my beloved therapist, I cleaned out the dust bunnies under the bed).
 
4.What do you want to let go of? I would love to eat less sugar and drink less alcohol.
 
5.What do you want more of? Fun! I want to feel the way I felt playing in the ocean on vacation more often.
 
It’s lovely to send the old year off with a blessing and welcome the new year with hope, but best of all is to be alive and present to all that is good in this moment, right here and now.