This post was inspired by the lovely Sammie at The Annoyed Thyroid. Go check out her blog. It’s awesome!
“You stay out of hospital this year Douglas!” These were our good friends parting words as she placed her hands on the back of Doug’s shoulders before she left for home at the very late hour of 9.30 pm New Year’s Eve.
We don’t usually do much on this milestone evening anymore. I take it as a sign of maturity and contentment rather than admit to being two boring old farts that now prefer to stay home with a cuppa and mind numbing tele rather than dancing around someone’s lounge room to ‘Bananarama’ at 4.30am sipping on half spilled alcoholic beverages. Not that I’ve ever done such a thing (bites lip and looks skyward avoiding eye contact).
Back to Doug and the parting words of our friend…
Doug didn’t last 48 hours from when those words were spoken. Off to emergency we trundled and the poor bugger then spent most of the week in Critical Care with an infected gall bladder. He’s home recovering now in his own bed looking mighty comfy and feeling a whole lot better but far from lots and lots better. No place like home for healing though is there.
I’ve done sweet fanciful all the last day or so. I just tend to keep going when I have to and then fall in a heap when I don’t have to keep going. It usually only lasts a couple of days but I find the tiredness and funk extremely irritating. Being kind to myself when the ‘switch off’ comes has never been one of my strong points.
While dithering around I have managed to do some blog reading and this particular post from Sammie at The Annoyed Thyroid New Year, No Word certainly got me thinking about goals and New Year resolutions.
The post begins…
“I feel like such a rebel because I have neither a word for the year, nor do I have a resolution. Not even one!
This is partly because I have commitment issues – the idea of choosing one word and one (or more resolutions) and having to stick to it/them for the whole year makes me feel quite anxious. And partly because I know myself so well, setting resolutions for the whole year is really just a glorified exercise in setting myself up to fail.”
This describes me to a ‘T’. Seriously, we could be sisters. Maybe half-sisters because Sammie likes baking and cooking and I bloody hate it!
So the mutual aversion we share to setting New Year commitments conjures up a very interesting question…
Does this then mean that we are destined to flounder through the year ahead with no purpose or direction driven by fear of failure?
Surprisingly (or not surprisingly) the answer is NO.
If you have come up with a word to guide your year, or made lists of your goals, or defined your desires for the year ahead then all power to you. I admire you and wish you all the best. But if you’re like me and the thought of committing to self-designed expectations for the next 12 months makes you break out in a cold sweat then maybe my comment left on Sammie’s post may resonate with you and dial back those heart palpitations; much like the effect Sammie’s post had on me when I read it!
My response to the post was so…
“Thank goodness I’m not alone! No new word and no New Year resolutions for me. Taking each day as it comes, living it with as much purpose and meaning as the circumstance of that day allows while noticing the splashes of joy like I always try to do! Think I just had a light bulb moment for some writing! Thanks for sharing Sammie. Love ya work ya ‘gorjus’ hunny bunny!”
I like Sammie! Can you tell? You should pop on over to The Annoyed Thyroid and read a post or three. Totally worth it.
So if you do happen to feel like you’re lacking focus or direction for the year maybe honour the old cliché of taking things a day at a time. It’s okay. We don’t always have a big picture vision. And if you do have a big picture vision that’s okay too. Just be kind to yourself on the hard days when things aren’t quite going to plan (says she who is way better at preaching than practising kindness to herself. Need to take a leaf out of my own book, lol).
Now I’m really curious about how you welcome in the New Year?
I’d love for you to share with me in the comments below.
Stay safe now,
Sandra Xx
I’m hearin’ ya! The only New Year’s Resolution I made was not to make a New Year’s Resolution. I was in bed at 9.30 and then woke up at one minute to 12 so did accidentally see they new year in. Odd! (Not glad that Doug has been naughty again but am glad he is back at home. )
xo
I’m really happy to take each day as it comes at the moment Majella. Quite content with it really. Doug’s slowly on the up. Hope to see you soon-ish!
Always so nice to have you stop by my friend. 🙂 Xx
Oh Sandra, that’s totally me to a “T” as well! (Maybe it’s that thyroid part of me that was so annoyed it had to come out!)… No, no New Year resolutions for me to get anxious about, and all kudos to those who publicly state theirs, just not for me… I have a hard time just committing to day to day things, ALWAYS changing my mind…
Thank you for your blog Sandra, say hiya to Doug, & maybe you can take your friend to mean the Chinese New Year (which hasn’t started yet-Feb 16!!) ?
??
Hello there Narelle!
Committing to our decision to move house and towns with all the positivity (I hate that word, don’t know why I used it) I can muster is enough for this little black duck for one year. I also might pass on the Chinese New Year too – don’t want to become a party animal so early in these New Years. I need to pace myself over the twelve month period, lol. 😉
Thank you so much for stopping by lovely. 🙂 Xx
With teenagers in the house we are still out and about which ruins NY ‘s day immeasurably. Next year I have the adults all geared up to do a horseback winery walkabout on the 1st which should provide a year worth of blogging for me.
Glad Doug is home xx
Ha ha ha I just love the way you can pull a post from almost any experience. I envy that skill. Maybe you should start training for the big day now – you’ll be well seasoned and ahead of the crew come the big day (read ‘be able to stay upright on the horse and take legible notes for posts while everyone else is tipsy’). 😉
Thanks so much for stopping by Kooks! 🙂 Xx
Not glad about Doug’s return to hospital but very glad that he is back home and on the road to recovery. Poor love! I am very honoured that I’ve inspired your blog post – in fact, it’s the first post I’ve ever inspired in six years of blogging – and rest assured the fan girling is mutual! I like a bit of vision in my new year but just without the commitment. Life is full of surprises and one day at a time is my favourite kind of fresh start. I hope that the year ahead is healthy and happy and that if nothing else this year, you practise what you preach, because you know you’re worth it! Mwah xx
Naw, Sammie, you are the best-est (yup, that’s a word). I have no doubt that you have inspired many, many people over your six years of blogging; in oh so many different ways. You are a breath of fresh air and so deserve your bloggy award for Best Personal Blog. You really do light up so many lives with your way with words.
Thanks so much for stopping by. You are so inspiring to me. 🙂 Xx
Happy 2018 ahead for you and Doug, and a very healthy one I hope, or it not, short bursts of sickness, because that’s probably closer to reality. This year I am going to declutter, which I’m sure will in turn transform my entire outlook. Too much stuff both in my house and in my head which is stopping my progress in life, especially in my professional life. Take care and keep trucking. Em xx
Hello there Em!
Thanks for the well wishes. It never ceases to amaze me how a declutter, how ever small, can have a huge impact on how we feel about life in general. I hope the process works well for you Em. Thanks so much for stopping by. 🙂 Xx
Oh Sandra, I love the way you look for splashes of joy.
Hello there Kate!
Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving your lovely comment for me. (I apologise for the very delayed reply). Hope you are doing well.
Sandra 🙂 Xx