This time of year we often briskly wish people "Happy New Year" in parting without thinking what we are actually wishing them. It's simple, I guess. We wish them a brand new year with the hope that it will be happier than the last.
2014 was quite the year for me. I moved across the country and back again, I learned more about politics than ever before, I gained new friends, reunited with old ones, traveled by bus, plane, train, boat, and automobile, visited at least 6 art museums, attended about 20 live theater performances, I discovered the reality of exhaustion and the will to continue, I lost hair and gained wrinkles, I was brave, I welcomed deep sadness into the depths of my heart, I was exhilarated, I went on more first dates than ever before, I made some big decisions, I started new jobs, I taught politics, piano, English, and theater, I relied on the strength of my family, I ran, I took three road trips, bought a new car, and finally, I looked at myself in the mirror and felt beautifully satisfied with my imperfections!
Of course my year was so much more than that. It was the little things, the people who entered and exited my life, the lessons learned, the emotions felt and expressed, the struggles, the rejoicings, all of it! I realize that new years usually bring about resolutions, but this year I've decided to simply write out hopes I have for the upcoming year. Here are a few:
I hope...
I'm more patient with my heart this year
I stay fit and confident
I let go of the past in order to embrace the future
I celebrate the joy of others
I am close enough to the spirit to feel directed on my decisions about Graduate School
I am brave enough to step out of my comfort zones
I'm bold with my feelings and careful with my words
I hope I allow myself the opportunity to be imperfect
I laugh and cry so hard it hurts long after I'm finished
I fall in love again
I gain greater understanding of God's plan for me
I learn to trust that plan
I make a difference in someone else's life
I can be a missionary
I will write, travel, sigh, and of course....
always stay hopeful
So here's to a happy new year! May we be courageous enough to try something new in order to be happier.
What are your new year resolutions, or hopes?
You may also like:
---- "Not your Year" by the Weepies
----- Alfred Lord Tennyson - "Hope Smiles from the threshold of the year to come..."
