A couple months ago, I was in a habit of walking every day at sunrise. Even when it was hard to get out of bed, I never regretted it once I was out, and I always regretted it if I didn't. Then the rainy season really took hold, and a cloud-covered sunrise is just not as inspiring, so I fell into laziness. Even as I visited a sunny state for the holidays, I found myself giving in to sleep, using insufficient rest as an excuse. Sure enough, every day I regretted it, but nothing could motivate me out of that bed!
I decided last night I would start off the year right. This morning I finally got to the park with a hill I've been wanting to walk to see the sunrise. It was just a short walk, but one should never underestimate the power of seeing the sun peek over the horizon, or the crest of the hill in this case. Let me share.
 |
| Ducks on a misty pond |
 |
| Fog behind trees before sunrise |
 |
| Mountain in the distance just before sunrise |
 |
| Sun peeking over the top of a mountain at sunrise |
 |
| Cholla plant illuminated by sun |
 |
| Fallen tree in misty pond |
 |
| Hummingbird overlooking misty pond |
 |
| Cottontail munching a green plant |
 |
| Jackrabbits enjoying breakfast at sunrise |
I try not to set resolutions because I struggle with perfection. (Although I often resolve to be more intentional in certain ways.) Instead, I set goals. This year, I'm rebooting many goals I've already had, like walking at sunrise and sunset, writing daily, and meditating morning and night.
Last year I was determined to appreciate the natural rhythms and celebrate feasts and festivals from around the world. I can't recall (must've been effective), but I think my word for 2019 was
rhythm, or maybe
ritual. Even though I made great strides, I fell quite short of my vision. As I was watching the last sunset of 2019, the word
savor popped into my head, and I knew that had to be my word for 2020.
 |
| My word for 2020 is savor |
I believe if my focus on savoring, perfection and FOMO (fear of missing out) won't take hold. I can relax into the rhythm of the year. I have a dear friend who experienced a lot of the same sense of missing out on what mattered because there was too much going on. We have committed to helping each other stay the course this year as we homeschool our children together.
I've also become accountability partners with two other dear friends who write. The three of us are going to encourage each other to finish our outstanding projects and keep going with new ideas. As a boost to my yet-to-be daily writing habit, I've decided to start writing letters again. I picked up half a dozen new pen pals and stocked up on holiday clearance note cards last week. I also have an excuse to pick up some real stationary again, a habit I forced myself to break years ago because I wasn't using it. Yay for new office supplies!
My focus this year is going to be getting the most out of every experience, not having the most experiences. That will be hard for me, but I know it is the right thing to do right now.
I don't know if you set resolutions or create goals with the coming of the new year. I don't know if you have traditions for welcoming the new year or saying goodbye to the last one. I don't know if you had a good last year or a bad one. There's only one thing I do know: I hope you carry hope into this new year.
Happy New Year!
