As we close out a year and a decade, I’ve already started
thinking about what’s on my To Do list for New Year’s resolutions—New Year’s
Goals, really, since I tend to think about where I want to head next whenever
the calendar changes.
The past year was a rough one for me, leeching away some of
my hopes and faith in people, leaving holes in my heart. I’ve spent months
trying to patch myself back together, pushing away old hurts to breathe deep
and focus on the things I can control in life—my perspective, my projects, the
people I let close to me. Sometimes, that’s all you can do after a loss. Put
one foot in front of the other and keep moving.
But as the year comes to an end, I find I want to do more
than just keep moving. In 2020, I’d like to patch up my weary soul and restore
some of the optimism I seem to have lost. Unfortunately, that’s a goal that
doesn’t come to fruition just by speaking the wish aloud. How do I recapture the
old joy after a year of hurts?
First, I plan to unplug. Not right away, as I have work commitments
to honor and I need to be online while I see those through. But once the bulk
of my professional obligations have been met, I hope to take a hiatus from
social media and even my phone. Remember the days before cell phones when you
could go for a hike in the woods without anyone knowing where you were for the
day? Granted, there is a reassuring sense of safety that comes with a cell tower
signal. But there is also a sense of anonymity and adventure that is lost by
being reachable 24/7. I think it would do me good to turn off the phone,
disconnect, and just BE for a little while. I’ve looked outward for a long
time, reaching my hand out to others whenever I could, and I’ve enjoyed that.
But while I’m refilling the emotional well, I think focusing on just me could
be helpful.
After that, I plan to re-nest. I’ve moved a lot in the past
few years, and I think the merry-go-round of homes is a tangible reflection of the
pieces of myself I’ve misplaced. I’d like to regroup in a physical way even as
I regroup emotionally. I plan to find a home and lovingly remake it into my own
space for a new phase of my life. My bedroom will be a place to invite good dreams.
My workspace will be a place to invite stories in a way to encourage my Muse.
Old things I don’t need will be re-homed and I want to store away as a little
as possible. I’m going to create a clean, lean space that reflects me.
Finally, through it all, I hope to be present to all the
little moments I can be. My sons are grown, so I can now focus on me in a way
that I haven’t in years. I loved my time with my boys at home, but now I will
need to start loving this new phase of my life as it presents me with different
opportunities and different people. I’m going to embrace the newness and find
out what I can do to make the world a better place, or a happier place, with my
time and talents. I’m trusting the universe to put those opportunities in my path. |
| Available 2/1/20 |
That’s my 2020! A new adventure. A new decade. A soul renewed.
But it all starts with giving thanks for what I’ve learned up to this moment—even
down to the hurtful things that have taught me what I’m made of. No one gets
through this life unscathed, even optimists like me. Today, I feel weary. But I
know that by year’s end, I will have wonderful new things to be thankful for,
and it all starts with a plan for change. Cheers to you in the New Year, my
friends. Thank you for reading my books and sharing my stories. I hope 2020
brings you all good things.
**What are you doing New Year’s Eve? Will you be mulling over
the year to come? Smooching a loved one at midnight? Share with me and I’ll
give one random poster an advance copy of RULE BREAKER, book 3 in my Mesa Falls
series from Harlequin Desire.
