I love January. With the holidays behind me, my schedule frees up in a way that’s as refreshing as the blast of cold air that hits my face when I open the door. I realize that it’s been months since I wasn’t making Halloween costumes, planning holiday menus, sewing holiday gift wrap. I feel as though I’ve quit a part-time job.
While I love all the Christmas decorations, having them cleared away makes the whole house feel cleaner and less cluttered – bright and expansive. It’s as though the coziness and warmth they provided in December have given way to clarity and energy in January.
And, like I do every year, I get over-excited about how wonderful this year will be, how different, how I’ll finally do all those things I have always wanted to! I will be the perfect parent! Eat breakfast every day! Put snacks out on the table before my kids get home! Do laundry and meal planning before the weekends so we can FROLIC! Yes, FROLIC! together as a family all weekend long! I will eat flax seeds and drink green smoothies and make sure my kids are offered three servings of vegetables a day and I will run three days a week and bike once a week and do yoga once a week and go to bed AT TEN PM EVERY NIGHT!!!
My life will be as close to perfect as I have the power to make it. And oh, do I feel powerful in January.
While I only articulate one major New Year’s Resolution, I start to tack on intentions in the first week of January. Little hopes, not clearly defined as goals, that make me start acting completely different in likely unsustainable ways.
It used to frustrate me when all these little goals gradually dwindled, and getting up at 7 a.m. EVERY DAY!!!! became 7:10, then 7:30, and finally OH SHOOT I HAVE TO PACK THEM LUNCH!
But I’ve started to see January and all these little changes as a helpful “reset” button and embrace the inner drive that has me trying to go to bed before 11, eat more leftovers, and occasionally replace my second glass of wine with a mug of herbal tea. It’s adorable, and I don’t mean that in a condescending way.
My own joy at trying anew to live my ideal life is not something I should stamp down just because it’s not realistic that I’ll consistently achieve these mini-goals all year. It’s beautiful and wonderful and fun.
Rolling my eyes at myself doesn’t get me any closer to an empty laundry room and finished novel. I’m learning to embrace my energy and excitement whenever it comes and when I lose inertia, look for another opportunity to “reset” or reassess and reprioritize which ideas are worth working harder to keep alive.
And hey, so far so good. It’s January 7th and I’ve already run 11.59 miles, biked 55.41 miles, and served myself breakfast and my kids chocolate kale smoothies. They even came home to a snack today. I’ve hung out with friends twice while the kids were at school, plus we’ve gone to the movies and for a family bike ride. Totally sustainable, right?
Who loves January?
ME.
