Brrrr, it’s cold outside! Okay, so maybe it’s not intolerable, but when a girl was traipsing around in flip-flops and t-shirts well past Christmas, the sudden arrival of real winter weather has caught me off guard. I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but here in the Midwest, we welcomed the frigid temps along with the new year, and I am just a bit out of practice.
A new year. I like the sound of that and all the promise a fresh start can bring! There seems to be any number of resolutions, goals, promises and clean slates that can help guide us on the path to better health, happiness and self-achievement. . . until about early February when the first fun holiday rolls around with its hearts and chocolates. Is there a reason why the gift of choice for Valentine’s Day is everything chocolate? Yup, all those decadent heart-shaped boxes are just testing us and weeding out the weak before we waste anymore more of our vain resolve on self-improvement. And here I thought my “word” for 2022 was going to be “optimism.” I’ll try harder tomorrow.
Seriously, I really do like fresh starts! I think most of us would love to put the last couple of years behind us and find a way to put a positive spin on living outside of the C-word. I’m tired of letting my life be defined by this virus. In fact, “I’m done!” I recently declared to several folks that I was done letting this thing rule my world, which is funny because I’m writing this post from my couch as I blow my nose for the umpteenth time because what I thought was a regular old head cold turned out to be COVID. Seriously!?! I guess that’s what I get for making promises.
I do want to lose my COVID weight, which means getting back on the WW (Weight Watchers) wagon, so you can expect to see several new health, fitness and recipe updates in the coming months. I lost 35 pounds about three years ago and have gained much of it back, so I can’t wait to return to what works for me and add in a higher level of physical training. I use the term “higher” loosely, considering I’m not sure I could run around the block right now if I was covered in honey and a grizzly bear was chasing me. That being said, I plan to start training for my first of several 5k races this year, or just walk up the stairs in the basement without sucking wind. . . whichever comes first.
I also want to return to my love of blogging. As if a deadly virus stalking the world wasn’t enough stress, my husband and I both started two new jobs last year, we moved our family to a completely different state, and then we quickly decided to move back home again. “Crazy” might just be an understatement of our 2021.
Along with blogging, went most of my other creative ventures. My photography, scrapbooking and crafting projects mostly came to a halt, but I did manage to refresh my loom knitting skills right before the holidays. I can’t wait to share what I churned out for Christmas gifts; but that’s a story for a later date.
I truly am excited about the new year and ready to see how much quality (non-crazy) living I can squeeze into the next 360-something days, even if that means slowing down a bit (or a lot) without being forced or frightened into seclusion and immobility. Here’s to 2022! I hope you have a year filled with health, happiness, adventure, creativity and a whole lot of fun!