A fresh start. A new chapter. A slate wiped clean from the weathering and dust of months past. A chance to imbue habits into one’s life and to improve upon the person one is becoming.

That is how I see a new year. I know it’s sort of ambiguous, and simply a date marked on the calendar for some, but to me, this mid-winter event is a chance to reflect on and reform my life.

As I grow older, I find I change with the seasons – both internal and external. As the leaves fall, I find myself slowly sinking into a slower pace of life. While the snow drifts by, I cocoon myself in the comforts of winter while my mind and body are at rest. Then, as the buds begin to appear and the air becomes thick with pollens, I am slowly breathed back to life. Finally, as the rushing rivers are filled with inner tubes, the trees are full of emerald, and the flowers burst vivaciously on roadsides, I thrive.

Season to season, year to year, it’s all the same – another song of growth playing along in the symphony of life.

This year my goals are to stick to habits that highlight self-care (movement, nourishment, learning), to read more, and to get fresh air often. I find that I am happiest when I’m not constantly scrolling through social media, am enlivened by deep connections, and fuelled by food that sustains me.

I also want to do immeasurable things like forgiving more, living slower, and loving deeper. It may sound rather corny, but the best things in life really are free. What does it cost me to greet passersby, to live and let go, or to stop and look around at the marvels around me? Why not take a step back from the chaos and just be? These questions of self-reflection allow me to discern the ways I spend my finite time and require me to listen to the world around me a little closer.

For Christmas, one of my favourite gifts is a couples journal from Gabriel. This journal spans three years and has daily prompts to share with your partner. One of the first entries we filled out asked “list five words that you hope describe the coming year”. I answered with positive, travel, loving, fun, and rewarding. These questions let me think a little deeper and the connection we encounter when sharing our answers really is lovely. But, back to my point! I want this year to be all of those things. I believe that by writing more, creating more, and slowing things down from the breakneck speed we’re all too familiar with, I can persevere in my goals and revel in the memories made in years to come.

So let’s allow this year to be what it is while doing what we can to make the lives of those around us (including ourselves!) a little sweeter and a little easier.

Go gently, M.