Nice quote for the new year

“One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: ‘To rise above little things’.”
                         
                           -John Burroughs
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Starting a new year

We had an absolutely fabulous New Year's Eve, spent with friends and neighbors, enjoying great food & wine (diet? what diet?)

Now, of course, comes the reflection part of starting a new year. Resolutions. The time-honored tradition of thinking about changes you want to make in a brand new, unspoiled new year.

My resolutions always seem to center around (1) losing weight, and (2) getting organized/decluttered. This year will be a bit different. For one, I've lost weight, so now my goal will be to KEEP IT OFF! I'll be getting back to sensible portions, little or no bread and potatoes, no sugar, and stepping up my exercise routine. (diet? what diet? I thought there was a rule about not dieting over Christmas and New Years . . . )

As far as getting rid of all of my clutter, my new obsession is watching the show Hoarders. Okay, I'm not saying I AM a hoarder . . . but I'm afraid I could grow up to be a hoarder, since I seem to have zillions of reasons why I like to keep stuff . . . the "I might need it someday" syndrome. I also become very emotionally attached to my stuff. So, I watch Hoarders to pick up on any warning signs . . . I've already asked my neighbors to watch for signs --- for instance, if I start accumulating cats (which apparently is typical of hoarders). Having one --- fine . . . more than five, they'd better get me help! : )

In the meantime, I'm getting rid of a lot of my 'things' that I haven't been using, as a way to start the new year less cluttered and more organized.

What are you going to work on this year? If you want some advice for a multitude of issues, go to this article, Handbook for Life: 52 Tips for Happiness and Productivity, on the ZenHabits site. It's a list "common-sense tips that we often forget about." And if any of them interest you, there are links for you to further explore the topic. And then, check out The Essential Zen Habits of 2009 for more good advice.

Happy reflecting and resolving!

Good-bye Super Nachos

One of my goals for 2009, along with Oprah and cathy z., is to eat more healthy.


I just got done reading Skinny Bitch, and have to agree with their assertion on the first page of the first chapter that, “You cannot keep eating the same s#@% and expect to get skinny.” So, I need to make changes.

Chapter 1 of Skinny Bitch is titled Give It Up. They suggest you give up wine, beer, soda, coffee, “junk food,” sugar, simple carbohydrates, meat (better known as “dead, rotting, decomposing flesh”) and dairy ----- among other things!!


I decided I’d (try to) give up sugar and meat. Decided I couldn't do dairy, since that would also mean giving up cheese. And milk in my coffee. (Not giving up coffee…nope; tried that once----it only lasted about a day and a half.) I’ve tried soy milk in my coffee, but don’t like it, so I’ll stick to my nonfat milk. So giving up dairy is out, at least for now. (Marilu Henner wrote a great book years ago, that talked about giving up dairy, in scarier terms than the authors of Skinny Bitch, so maybe, someday, I'll consider giving it up.)

So good-bye Super Nachos. You contain meat. And I think nachos fall under eating the s#@% category, anyway. So, for now, goodbye SuperNachos.

Another goal for 2009 is to re-do my blog, and make it better, with it’s own personalized header and some added features. Maybe even rename it. (If you have any suggestions for a new name, leave a comment.) I LOVE looking at other people’s blogs, and know that I could make this a lot better.




2009 WORD

I originally got my idea from Ali Edwards last year. Last year my word was CREATE. Don’t know if I really lived up to it, but I tried. Probably working on my Master’s kept me from being able to “create” as much as I wanted to. Ali’s 2009 word is NURTURE. Check out Stephanie Ackerman’s new word: purpose. (Stephanie created the 'create' and 'one word/big difference' doodles above. She'll create your 2009 word for you!)

After looking at suggestions on Ali’s blog, and thinking about what I want from 2009, I’ve narrowed my choices down to:
MOMENTS (as in “live in the moment)
MINDFULNESS

Also in the running: ACCEPT APPRECIATE CELEBRATE
CHOICES DEEPER INSPIRED INTEGRITY
INTENTION ORDER ORGANIZATION

Saw this one on Ali's list, and it intrigued me: Selah (holy pause).
Wikipedia's definition is a bit different from a 'holy pause,' although similar. . . "stop and listen."
They also say: "It is translated into today's general language with the meaning: think about it."
I really like that!

Oh, and one more goal ----to read more. Which will include turning off the TV more! That will be hard since LOST is coming back on in January . . . yea! But I got six new books that I asked for at Christmas, and I already had a stack to read, so in order to find the time, something's gotta give ---- so it'll have to be TV! My friend Sarah is trying to get us started on a book club, so maybe that'll help too.

So, that's it --- for now. I know I'll have more 'goals' for 2009.
(Notice I'm not calling them resolutions this year. Maybe that will help me keep going with them all year . . . instead of doing what Mark Twain said about resolutions.) Good luck to you with your goals and/or resolutions!!