the magical "Familiar Objects" by Claire NereimAs promised, today I'll share the first three of my six new year's resolutions for 2011. (I have to say, it feels awfully strange not to have weekend scenes this week.)
Pulling these together really is one of my favorite rituals of the year...and you know January (oddly) might actually be my favorite month. I love the quiet, the organizing and cleaning and sort of readying, the promise of a new year stretched out all shiny and hopeful ahead of us...
I can't help but feel a little buzz in January.
Ok, here goes with part I of the resolutions. I'd love to hear what's on your list this year!
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#1 -- Be Lazy.
This one isn't as bad as it sounds...I promise. I'm not planning to shirk responsibilities or lounge about watching trash television. Rather, the idea/hope is to do less, in fact to sometimes do, well, nothing, to avoid the temptation to fill all the empty spaces in our calendar with plans and projects, to sit around and daydream more.
I'm a pretty social person. I could have friends over or go do something almost every day of the week. I'm also a planner. I like a plan, I can't help it. My hubby on the other hand... is not. He likes huge stretches of alone time. Don't get me wrong, he likes people, he just doesn't feel the need to be around them non-stop... And the girlies are pretty social little creatures, but they're kids, so they need a hefty dose of downtime (certainly more than I've been giving them).
We reached a "need for downtime" tipping point late last month when all four of us seemed to be walking around with a sort of permanent glazed look in our eyes. We were all irritable and snappish. I had become an over-scheduler extraordinaire, and there was something on the calendar for us pretty much every day in December. It was a majorly bad scene friends. But truthfully, (and sadly) it probably had to reach that point for me to change my over scheduling ways; I needed the wake-up call.
So 2011 will be the year of doing less, chilling out, and daydreaming...because really, it's when you're busy doing nothing that all the magic happens.
#2 -- Embrace Effortlessness.
It started with the bangs...the bangs that will give me an additional three days this year to do nothing.
The bangs have made me (wait for it) low-maintenance. I'm not even sure that the bangs are my best look, but no matter, I'm keeping them. Forever. My hair has never, ever been easier to do. I can wake up, brush it, and go.
A little background: I spent the better part of 2010 wielding a curling iron in an attempt to replicate my "dream hair"...it took a lot of time, and made my hair a bit of a fried mess, so the bangs are a total game-changer. I feel so footloose and fancy free.
So my second resolution is to find other ways this year to embrace effortlessness, to streamline, to be (as Michelle geniusly coined it) "low-fi".
I think the coolest girls have this down pat.
The bangs have made me (wait for it) low-maintenance. I'm not even sure that the bangs are my best look, but no matter, I'm keeping them. Forever. My hair has never, ever been easier to do. I can wake up, brush it, and go.
A little background: I spent the better part of 2010 wielding a curling iron in an attempt to replicate my "dream hair"...it took a lot of time, and made my hair a bit of a fried mess, so the bangs are a total game-changer. I feel so footloose and fancy free.
So my second resolution is to find other ways this year to embrace effortlessness, to streamline, to be (as Michelle geniusly coined it) "low-fi".
I think the coolest girls have this down pat.
the lovely francoise hardy...effortlessly rockin' the bangs.
#3 -- Purchase (extremely) Mindfully.
This one makes the list every year, but I can't help it, I want to master it. I want to be ruthlessly discerning and smart and yes, mindful in every. single. thing. I purchase this year. All of it...clothes, things for the house, stuff for the girls, even with what I buy at the grocery store.
I have this quote (copied off a postcard from the Portland shop, Canoe) pinned above my desk. I think it's a good litmus test for deciding if I should make a purchase...
"How many things have you purchased this year that will become valued possessions? How many things will you soon discard?"
I also love this article found on Zen Habits...I'm going to really try to use the list of parameters in the piece as my guiding principal for how I make all my purchasing decisions.
I want to only buy things this year that I could see myself (truly) owning forever...
image via a lovely being...
20 comments:
All excellent resolutions!
The bangs are the best, truly. I don't even brush my hair every day now. (Is that gross to admit?)
i like your resolutions...
but i don't quite understand how having bangs made your hair MORE low maintenance. my bangs are a serious pain in the butt. maybe its because my hair is so fine, or maybe i just need to do something differently. bangs for me are definitely high maitenance...
Is it wrong to steal all your resolutions for myself?!
Sarah
I'm not really sure how it happened either...but somehow, with the bangs, I can just wear my hair sort of straight...I don't really have to fix it. My hair is pretty straight naturally, and I've spent my whole life fighting that, but with the bangs, it just does its thing.
it's crazy...
Great resolutions especially #3...I might need to embrace that idea myself.
we are making every effort this year to focus on mindful living ~ using our time wisely and for the betterment of our well-beings, health, dreams, and planet around us.
And your bangs, well, I think they are absolutely lovely on you and you should keep them forever, ever, ever (as the crumb would say!)
absolutely a perfect resolution list. all the other ones i've seen thus far stress me out and make me feel like i am not doing enough. i feel like this list captures a healthy mindset for the new year. i'm definitely borrowing it.
also right there with you in regards to bangs. so easy.
i am the same when I have bangs. plus some days I just rewash the bangs
Your list is beautiful. Might want to check out some zen and minimalist blogs (also the art of non conformity & illuminated mind) for tips on mindfulness and relaxing.
Good luck!
Dear Joslyn, I could not agree more with your list. Very inspiring!!
Perfect resolutions. Last year, I worked on mindful purchases of big things. But now I'm taking it to the small stuff. Do I really need that lipgloss or this magazine? Because sometimes it's more interesting to think about why you want that hit. It usually has so little to do with the product.
Being lazy is something I need to practice too. I'm trying to stop working an hour before bed, so I have some completely free time every day.
I love 'be lazy'! It's more important than we think - why rush around, exhausting ourselves being CRAZY when we can slow down, take a breath and be LAZY! It's a great resolution, and often the kind I make for myself when setting intentions, like in yoga. Love it! xo
I love all of this - maybe because they're universal struggles in our busy world. We quickly buy a [disposable] item we need because it's so hard to search for the really great version we'd keep forever, we rush from this to that, we rarely take time to just stare at the sky. I always wonder how much staring-at-the-sky people squeezed into their busy 19th century schedules. :)
These are great resolutions, plain and simple.
P.S. I recently wrote a post on bangs, where I think I may have subconsciously stolen your thoughts.
I love your resolutions! They are truly inspiring and I hope you keep us updated about how you're putting them in practice.
You probably have a bunch of blog ideas lined up, but I was wondering if sometime in the future you'd do a post featuring some of your girls' favorite pictures to read and be read. I was planning to buy some for a few birthdays coming up and would love to know your most-read faves.
I can identify with each of those... One of our very wise friends said... 'it is very easy to make your life complicated and very hard to make your life simple.'
I am taken by your first resolution to simply be lazy. A planner myself, I often don't find time to sit, relax, read and think. My husband and I were stuck at home for two days due to snow and ice. We had nothing to do and it was lovely. We watched a scary movie on TV, we read, I baked and he played his guitar. So enjoyable. And what a wonderful goal to carry throughout the year.
I too am a reformed overscheduler - I got so tired of every weekend being totally booked, weeks in advance, and I wasn't allowing time for things that needed to get done, so I scaled way back this year and I'm so much happier. Totally with you on the mindful spending too. I find it VERY hard though. It's so easy to say "oh, it's only $20." Being more resourceful and thoughtful about money is a major goal of mine this year.
Canoe is one of my absolute favorite places. I go in when I am having a bad day and the world just seems a little prettier.
I'm finally getting caught up on all of the posts that I've missed (on a little, or big blog reading hiatus over the holidays).
I love the thought, and simplicity of your goals. I look forward to reading the next 3.
Here are mine, if you'd like to see (and congratulations on the bangs:)...
http://torriesessions.blogspot.com/2010/12/listography-2011.html
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