6 Jan 2014

Hello 2014!

Kevin wishes you all a happy and prosperous 2014!
Well, here we are again - we've made it through another year!  *pats everyone on the back*

I'm not making resolutions this year because, well, I always get to about the 10th of January and decide that it's all too complicated and console myself with another bit of cake and a large whisky and ginger ale.

This year I've decided to focus on FOUR feelings that I would like to experience and basically, I will be trying to do stuff that makes me feel these sorts of ways.

What are the four words?



Serenity
Confidence
Well-Being
Adventure

Serenity - well, of course, sharing my life as I do with the great Anally Retentive Tartarus, serenity is not a feeling that I experience terribly often.  But I know that it's there, somewhere.  I usually experience a feeling of serenity when I'm in a book shop or when there is absolutely nothing needing to be done.  Or everyone that I care about is around me and not fighting with each other. That last one is about as rare as rocking horse shit btw.

Confidence - I don't really have a lot of it.  You only need to read the article about the Brown Dress from my High School Christmas Dance to get the gist of why I am not terribly confident.  But this year, it's all about feeling the fear and doing it anyway :-D  I mean, how bad could it be?!

Well-being - this is not the same as forcing myself into anything made of lyrca nor feeling like I should give myself an aneurism trying to run up hills.  This is about self care.  Not being vile to myself when I slip up and eat an entire box of Dairy Milk.  Getting away from the continual hum and buzz of the internet that eventually makes me irritable, itchy and squint-eyed and out into the garden.  Yes, having a cup of tea outside in the 'covered bbq area AKA the car port' in the freezing rain that hits my face like a gazillion ball-bearings is better for me than mindlessly scrolling, scrolling, scrolling through the posts of facebook friends who all seem to have perfect lives and NEVER think about doing away with their other half or  keeping a pain au chocolat for SO long in the bread bin that he has his own name and New year's Message to the nation.....

Adventure - oh God, do I need this in my life!  I think that all my words are linked together through the idea of adventure - even serenity.  I want to go to bed at night thinking 'yanno what, I couldn't have done today any better.'   I want to say YES to things and not my automatic knee-jerk NO.  Adventure. Even the sound of it puts my blood pressure up!

So, tell me what your resolutions are! Or if you are not doing resolutions, what three or four words will be your touchstones for 2014?

BTW - here's a smiling alien face from my ironing board :)



Also, let your eyes glaze over the fact that I'm off for my smear test soon.  I really ought to have repositioned Kevin so that you were spared that detail.  But 2014 is all about the ADVENTURE!

20 comments:

  1. Nobody has a perfect life and if they say they have they are lying. Some of us try not to bore the pants off everyone with our trivial disasters, especially since it is hard to match your eloquence and humour in that regard :)

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    1. My disasters are pretty trivial. Even my important things are pretty trivial :-D

      Although I really thought that I might throw a kettle of boiling water onto Tartarus last Monday night though. He was only saved by a judicious facebook posting by his friend's wife :-D That would probably have been my last posting outside of my court appearance!

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  2. Great stuff, as always. Don't forget the Erma Bombeck comparison. Should boost your confidence factor. :)

    For me it's Expand. Move. Balance.

    Expand from editing into book design, knitting and Tarot reading businesses.
    Move means moving house, actually.
    Balance means finding a better one to allow for some of that adventure you talk about.

    Happy New Year!

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    1. Yes - I hug that Bombeck comparision tightly and shall relinquish my grip on it to no one, so a huge thank you for THAT, Joanne!!

      I love the sound of your three words - perhaps I'll encounter you on a mutual adventure at some point :-D

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  3. Those are some mighty fine words! Funny how we see ourselves, though. I'd have said you were already adventurous: taking on a radio show, trying out all sorts of arts and crafts (painting, glass work, knitting), and experimenting with different cuisines and ingredients. And as for confidence - you run a tarot meet-up, and spoke at the UK Tarot Conference, as well as heading up TABI for years! Still, I guess more of a good thing is... more :D
    Cx

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  4. good words, ali! i also don't believe in resolutions, never had. if you're gonna resolve anything, you can do it any old moment, a date doesn't change anything.

    seems like intention words are the new thing these days, a far better concept in my mind. if i'm gonna come up with intention words (and not have them be "cheese" and "wine") it would have to be peace or serenity as well. i think all other things stem from that one, and after my bout of depression this fall, i really require very little else to be happy.

    have a wonderful new year!

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    1. I think that having Cheese, Wine and Serenity as your three keywords for the year will serve you VERY well. And no more bouts of depression (((hug)))

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  5. I love the concept of picking words for the new year. I think my four would be perseverance, creativity, serenity, hope.

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    1. Those are lovely! Now all you have to do is align yourself to stuff that helps you experience them. OR, align yourself to stuff you need to do in such a way that you experience one or more of your words :-)

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  6. I hope that adventure brings you to Vashon.
    I only have 3 words.
    Balance - take more time for me
    Love- Feel it again
    Music - Play more

    All three have taken a back seat over the years. It is time for a change

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    1. I hope that Adventure brings me to Vashon too, Wally!
      Great words. Now do the work!

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  7. I shall try to get out of bed :D

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    1. ...and how is this panning out for you? Still in your jammies? :-D

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  8. All laudable aims, expressed with your usual witty self-deprecation. I hope to achieve similar ones through the consumption of more port. I think it's silly we only drink port and sherry for a couple of weeks a year, and the feeling of serenity it gives me as my and other people's lives fly past is priceless.

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    1. I am quite partial to a Port and a wee Sherry myself. I too resolve to bring SERENITY into my life via the medium of Port and Sherry :-D

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  9. eat more cake
    are my 3 words as am about to start work in a cafe....again.... after a 25 year hiatus......this year I'll either be a writer who does a bit of waitressing or a waitress who writes a bit....happy new year!!x

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    1. Happy New Year! Either way is good, isn't it? As long as you've got 'writer' in there somehow you're Doing It Right :-D

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  10. Happy New Year Ali! I've gone for one word, I don't think I'd manage four! Happy new year to Kevin too :). I can't wait to read more about your adventures.

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