New Years Resolutions

Sept 1st! Time for New Years Resolutions!

After having gone to school for 16 years straight, then working in a preschool for several years, and now having my own children going to school, my body is pretty regulated to the Northern Hemisphere’s academic calendar. My new year starts in September.

Labor Day is the day that I assess my life and my purposes, analyze my daily activities and decide where and how to make some conscientious changes. I have always used this time, rather than January 1st, to set my New Years Resolutions–the commitments for the ‘year’ to come. It just makes more sense me.

It is a time of changes all around. The school year starts, a new grade, new friends, new sports– a whole new routine from the laxidasical summertime. It is like moving to another house. If you are smart, you take the time to get rid of what you don’t need before packing it and having to repack it later. In September, it is time to clean out the closets, to fit the new school clothes in!

New Years Resolutions List

Amidst the parties and picnics and fun family times this weekend, I am taking make a list of what is next. It is a long list- it always is- but as long as I don’t stress myself out, and actually worry about it all getting done, it will be fine. We actually do have more than enough time for everything we want to do. Many of you know that I am working on a book about time and healing. So while I write it, I need to be living it and loving my life through it or it is not going to help anyone. With my ambitious list of things this fall, I won’t leave anything to chance.

I’m sure I will learn a lot more about wrinkling time by the real New Year, when I will evaluate again, and tweak what needs to be tweaked. I have to make it happen, but not by working my self into insanity, but by enjoying myself and enjoying the work (making it not work at all but play).

Here are my goals:

Help my family settle in to their new school year. Be present and available to them. Take time to talk and connect with them.
Take care of my house and chickens, preparing the garden for the winter.
Continuing working with my wonderful clients full time and loving every one of them and every minute of it.
Revive the Center for Narrative Practice’s newsletter and Facebook presence (with help from my talented colleagues).
Write 1-2 blog entries per week.

Work on one, four page section of the manuscript each week.
Schedule speaking engagements and design a mini-workshop.
Begin Kung Fu lessons with Leo.
Continue to walk in the woods, meditate and do yoga each week.
Continue monthly Drumming Circles.
Be more social.
Record meditations to post on my blog for readers to listen to.
Find another writer to trade pieces for feedback and edits.
Ask for help more often.
Make up my mind to say yes or no (even if I have to take time to respond) and feel good about it, rather than saying yes, with regret or no, with guilt.
Respond to the earth, others and myself with love.
Be present, let go of goal focus and get into the flow.

If something doesn’t get done or is delayed know it really doesn’t matter.