I’m not a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions, mainly because they get a bad rap for fizzling out by the time mid-February hits, and while I have in the past picked a word for the year (my word for 2022 was BRAVE), I decided that for 2023, I’m going to do things a little bit differently.
No resolutions. No word.
Instead, I’m packing a bag, if you will, for 2023.
There are things that I want to bring along for 2023. Attitudes, beliefs, dreams, ideas that I want to take with me.
Hope is a big one. I’ve got big hope for 2023. I feel that 2023 will be airier, roomier, and more carefree. I can already feel the stillness and simplicity, and it’s a feeling I’m liking rather a lot.
Simplicity is hitting home for me, too. I want life easier, I want my house cleaner, and I just want to get rid of all of the stuff that I don’t need that’s weighing me down, physically and mentally.
But connection is something that I’m really going to take with me into 2023. Most importantly, connection with my husband and connection with each of my children.
When life was the most difficult, I learned that connection is really important. Connection really matters. Without it, life really doesn’t make much sense.
In the past I’ve failed to create connection with my husband. I didn’t realize how important that connection was, but as we are currently working on strengthening our connection, I’m realizing how much of a difference it really makes. My attitudes toward him are different and life feels lighter.
What I’ve enjoyed most recently is connecting with each of my kids individually, and this is something I definitely want to bring with me into 2023.
Spending that one-on-one time together is priceless, whether it is running errands with just one kid, going on a walk through the neighborhood, or working on a craft together. Our bonds have been strengthened and our hearts are much more full. But not only is it good for them to spend time with mama, but it’s been really good for me. I enjoy each of their own individual personalities, and I love where the conversation leads us when it’s just the two of us.
This connection and bond-building is something I want to continue, especially as they continue to grow up.
I can’t forget the connection with friends. This one is important too, but in a different way. Over the past year I’ve had to minimize my interactions with others because life was just too overwhelming, there was a lot of processing I needed to do, and my brain and emotional energy just didn’t have a lot of room or space.
So now it’s true connection I’m after, true friendship I’m looking to continue to build. Intentional friendship.
That’s what I hope 2023 brings, and these are the things that I desire to take with me into 2023.
What are you after? What are you going to bring with you into 2023? Or, what things do you need to leave behind?
These are questions worth asking as we approach the new year.
