Onward and Upward

Happy New Year!  OK OK I am early by Western standards.  But, as I was saying last week at Winter Solstice, my new year has begun.  I'll wait for ya'll to catch up.  ;)

One of the articles I was reading recently suggested an alternative for the coming year in terms of reflection, resolutions, goals, etc.  I have been thinking about this because for whatever reason it rang true to me.

First, in terms of reflection, it suggested on placing a word for the past year in your mind as a means of saying goodbye and moving forward, or as a sign of thankfulness for blessings that you have experienced.  I must say that the first word that popped into my head was:  drudgery.  I know that is not a particularly happy or thankful word but you have some banner periods and some not so bright periods in life I guess.  As human animals we do tend to group things by time frame and "years" happens to be a common one so I do not see anything wrong with placing a word on a time and closing the door if that is what needs to happen. 

So.  Drudgery.  Definition - exhausting, boring, unpleasant work.  Synonyms - labor, toil, chore, grind, slog.  Yup.  Kinda covers it.  I thought of other words too.  Mire.  Stagnant.  LOL.  Oh, that one is better.  Stagnant.  Definition -  still and unmoving: not flowing or moving, not developing or making progress.  THERE IT IS.  Stagnant.  That's my word for 2013.  So, let us prepare to

CLOSE.THE.DOOR. 

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and take the stairs. 

I am a real firm believer in onward and upward as a mindset.  We all get tangled in the mire from time to time but the key is to not allow that to impede small progress while you deal with it and also to continue to function daily, lest the mire become the permanent place of residence.

2014 for me is truly a year of new beginnings.  The slate has been wiped clean with a super huge swipe and I'm standing in front of an empty chalkboard just waiting to be filled with life.

I have been meditating on a theme for 2014, the other suggestion of the article.  Words like awareness, acceptance, acknowledgement are floating around in my mind.  I'm not sure any of them fit completely but they all have a part in where 2014 will take me. 

I am hopeful about this approach though and as someone who shuns resolutions but acknowledges the feeling of beginnings and commitments this time of year, it seems feasible and a little more soft than the normal "new rules of my life" that everyone makes on January 1st only to break them by mid-February. 

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