It is 2021! The past year was tumultuous to say the least. While I don’t usually make resolutions, 2020 had me realize that I want to make a few changes. First, I’m going to paint this weekend. I’ve been saying that for the last 8 months, and really need to just do it. Even though we don’t need a new year for a fresh start, it’ll be nice to kick off the new year with a new look. Here is a look at some of the transitions and adjustments I’ll make going into 2021:

1. Keep a personal journal. This is something I thought about doing, and am admittedly kicking myself for not sticking to it. I used to journal often, but the desire comes and goes. We are living in a really fascinating time, and I wish I had kept a log of it. Who knows; maybe years from now some historian will read it to get a personal account of life today.

2. Be more accepting and content with my current situation. It can be so easy to get down about current situations. Nervousness, anxiousness, and that sick-to-your-stomach feeling like to rear their ugly heads at times when they’re the last thing anyone needs. I’m more specifically talking about home life, but it could apply to other scenarios. It is so important to find some sort of comfort, contentment, or acceptance to get through the hard times. For instance, I am content with my fur babies and fiancé even though other aspects of my home life aren’t ideal. As I keep reading about the situations people are being faced with, and how deep in despair people are as the pandemic continues, I can see why there is difficulty in noticing anything positive– Let’s say you’re in a crappy home and/or work situation, are in an area with a mandated stay-in, bombarded with negativity in the news/radio, and the haystack keeps growing. Those are the times (well, anytime, really) when you have to look for even the slightest bit of happiness to hold on to. You can do this! You will get through this. Stay safe. It won’t last forever, even though it might seem so. By the way, if you need help or someone to talk to, please reach out. There are free resources to help you.

3. Live life. I have been very fortunate in my life to have been able to see some of this world. Outside of a travel context, I don’t know that I’ve ever really “lived”. By that, I mean just appreciating and living in the moment. The older I get, the faster life is passing by. Personally, I don’t want to look back on my life and have many regrets. I want to be at ease knowing that I didn’t take life for granted. Whether it is enjoying a movie (at home), napping with my princess, or running around the maps of WoW trying to save Azeroth, I just want to be more present.

4. Workout. I used to go to the gym pretty regularly, and then the gym we were a part of had its issues and closed. Now that we are stuck inside, I’ve become far more lazy than I want to be. Not that I needed a new year to change my activity level, but we are now minutes away from a new year, so that’s when I’ll start. Even though my current living situation isn’t all that conducive to working out, my body needs it. I’m more lethargic and bloated than I’ve ever been. I also have a lot of health issues that aren’t being helped by laziness. Not to get too graphic, but my ovarian issues are more frequent as are my GI problems, which isn’t fun. Risking health, or making things worse in my case, isn’t worth it.

5. Declutter. I wanted to get around to decluttering so I wouldn’t have to start off the new year with it, but that’s what is happening. The more time I have to think, the more I’m realizing that there is so much that I simply don’t need. I would rather my things go to someone who will use them rather than have them collect dust. Since I currently have quite a bit of “free time”, I want to use it up before it’s gone. I also need to get over to storage, pull out a few things to bring in, and get rid of others. It is so much easier having less items, and that’s something I never thought I’d say.

6. Philanthropy. Okay, everyone knows I don’t have disposable income to throw out there, but I do have products that are used to put together care packages for the homeless. We used to before the pandemic, and it’s something I’d like to do again when things get better.

7. Photography. I really want to take the time to get back into photography and complete the program that was gifted to me. Even though we aren’t supposed to go out, I can focus on food and product photography, and pick up environmental shots when it is safe to do so.

8. Love myself. I am definitely my own worst enemy, and I’m not all that nice to myself. There was a commercial in France, awhile back, where a woman read these comments while sitting in a cafe. The women who wrote these comments were seated nearby, and couldn’t believe how awful and abusive they were. Then they realized it was what they had said about themselves and their own bodies. I also tend to beat myself up when I don’t reach certain goals, which was more so true in school. I’m a high achiever and it took a long time for me to be okay with not always achieving those goals. We need to be kinder to ourselves and our bodies.

9. Stop expecting me in others. I think a lot of us are guilty of expecting others to act or hold the same expectations/standards as we do. It was years before I was able to realize that doing so is completely unrealistic. Some people may be the same, or similar, but it’s a rarity.

That’s all I could think of for now. Overall, I just want to be healthy (as healthy as I can be), happy, and as content as possible. I also have plans for this blog, including a giveaway, some vlogs, and other things that I can’t talk about quite yet. Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and safe 2021. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Peace & Love, always!