Resolved!

As 2025 winds to a close, I'm trying to think about resolutions for the new year in a different way. In years past, the anxious pessimist in me wars with the striver: I'm both scared to dream too big, to ask for too much, and yet I judge myself if I don't set some reasonable, healthy, virtuous goals and make half-hearted attempts to reach them (through January 31st at least).

But that's kind of sad. Okay, really sad. And boring.

So I am taking a page (literally) out of my daughter's book. Her resolution for 2024 was: "More Love. My resolution is to be with friends more and to own a puppy and to celebrate more and to be more silly."

I can just feel her words. The whole run-on sentence tumbles out without hedging or apology. She's focused on what would feel good and joyful to her, something we do not consider enough as parents and adults.

We don't need to always be realistic or prudent or healthy or virtuous or SMART (Oh boy do I hate SMART goals, even though I understand their functionality). We can resolve, just for now, to be honest about some stuff we truly want, and see how it feels to say it aloud. I have to believe that it's a start towards making it real.

So here's the template for this year's resolutions:

1) A title/ theme
2) With whom would you love to spend more time?
3) What does your heart want to have/ own?
4) What would you love to do more of?
5) What quality would feel great to embody more often?

If you're up for it and willing to share, please send me your answers!

For now, I leave you with this photo of my daughter living out celebration and silliness.