2015 began with a slower start than I had planned. Usually, I hurl myself into the new year with renewed vim and vigor and a To-Do List a mile long. My body and mind tingling from the excitement of a new beginning and probably too much caffeine.
Editor’s note: I made this myself out of tortilla chips while on vacation, while my husband shook his head, I mean…watched in amazement. No tequila was involved in this photo shoot.
But I was sidelined…
Unplugging from most of social media and my blog while my kids were back home from college and grad school, was a struggle at first -just looking at my iPhone made my fingers twitch- but ultimately felt so right. I knew the month they were home would pass quickly and I didn’t want to spend it behind a screen, unless, of course, that screen was a TV and my kids were watching with me.
Occasionally, I went online for a quick fix and saw oodles of new blog posts and status updates, which sometimes left me feeling anxious and unproductive, thinking I should be doing something. I wondered, don’t these people ever sleep or binge-watch TV? Nothing like taking time off to feel like everyone is passing you by…until you remind yourself this is not a race, even if sometimes it feels like one. So I let go of the shoulds.
I’m not going to lie, getting back on blogging track after taking a month-long self-imposed siesta isn’t easy. Every day for a blogger feels like it’s measured in dog years. One month feels like a year! It also makes clicking publish a little harder.
Now that the kids are back in school, far far away, and I’ve been nursing a nasty cold, all I really want to do is catch up on Season 2 of Nashville. Love triangles, backstabbing, sexy southern drawls -all the good stuff!- it’s my guilty pleasure, y’all.
But, I must get out of pajamas at some point and get busy, am I right?
I hope easing my way into 2015 after weeks of frolicking in the sun and baking cookies deep contemplation allows me to approach the new year more thoughtfully and deliberately, which leads me to New Year’s Resolutions.
Every year I make a list that somewhat resembles the list from the year before. (Hmm…) I also make a One Word Resolution, where I choose one word which sums up how I want to shape my year. Normally, I chose relax or brave, because I’m a worrier and I tend to want to play it safe. (Yes, I know, I’m working on that.)
But life can throw curveballs at you and if you’ve ever seen me try to catch a ball then you know I need all. the. help. I. can. get. This year, more than anything, I want connection and community, and all the warm fuzzy stuff that entails. I want to connect.
What’s your word? I hope you’ll share it with me below.
Whether you hit the ground running or, like me, are still writing 2014 on your checks, I wish for you, my dear readers, a New Year filled with health, happiness, peace and laughter. Thank you for taking this journey with me.
xoxo Linda
Welcome back Linda! Glad you had such a nice time with your kids. Love your word. Mine is depth–I want to go deeper this year with my writing and my relationships. Here’s to a happy 2015!
PURGE. Glad you are back connecting! Happy New Year!
Happy New Year CG..Loved this post! And who knew you were so handy with a tortilla chip!?
(Drum roll) My word is “relish” (not the condiment)
My one word resolution is DO. So instead of trying, I will DO it.
We seem to be leading parallel lives, although I will confess I have never been one to make NY resolutions, that’s more of a birthday thing for me. Love your word — I feel as if that is why we are all here — to connect. Welcome back and cheers to that slow start.
I can’t think of a better way to spend an entire month than to spend it with your kids. And yes it is hard to get back into the swing of things. I know because I took off from marketing my book for a whole and it was really hard to work up the momentum again.
I love the “editor’s note” and I’m going to check out Nashville, too.
Welcome back! My word is Improve because there seem to be so many areas in which I can achieve that. I can not, however, improve on that tortilla chip 2015 – which is awesome and making me want to already blow my diet, thank you very much.
I love Nashville! Just another reason why I love you so much! Happy New Year. My word is NO.
Succeed is my word. It’s a HUGE word, encompassing my goals as a wife, mother, and writer. And general human being.
Great to see you again. I have never formally chosen a word for the year, but as I consider what I’ve been focusing these first days of 2015, I suppose my word must be HEALTHY… in so many ways that go beyond eating better and exercising. Healthy relationships. Healthy spending, eating, working — with all of that focusing on balance. So maybe my word is BALANCE. Heck… maybe it should be FOCUS.
I love “brave,” though. I’m a worrier, too. Maybe it’s a Cancer thing. Good luck with that. 😀
I love your tortilla chip photo! My word is FOCUS!
You need to get well soon, goddess! Yeah, going around.
I only took two weeks off and had a difficult time getting back into it as well! IT felt so right and so wrong at the same time! My word of the year is refine which has also been my word the last 2 years, I am hoping to get it right this year!
Your post could have been mine because it says so much of what I’m feeling and thinking. Good stop getting started again – I hope to follow in your footsteps soon.
I can tell my brain is cotton after being on vacation because I thought I left you a comment!
I am leading a parallel life except for Nashville! (Sorry) I haven’t chosen a word, but I love “reach”, “less drama” (yes, I know that’s two!) and “healthy.”
Here’s to an incredible 2015!
Awesome! 2015 will be a great year to all of us bloggers! Cheers to all of our success 🙂
So happy to be back and thanks for the warm welcome! Love the words y’all have come up with.
I hope you are feeling better! My word of the year is happy. As my children get older and life changes, I realized much of my happiness revolved around making others to the point of losing touch with what makes me happy.