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We feature an original illustration by the wonderful Mari Andrew every Friday morning. Here’s today’s. Will you be making any resolutions?
P.S. A guide to heartbreak, and silver linings.
New Year’s Resolutions
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I do like a beautiful space, but when I asked myself what I would really like to be doing, my honest response was to be outside, exploring the woods or some unknown spot on a beautiful day. So my goal this year is to choose things that really make me happy.
Rather than the usual resolution (keep fit, eat healthily blah blah) my friend and I decided to learn to break dance. We’ve even booked a “dance off” for New Years day 2019. Admittedly I’m already cringing at the thought, but trying to learn some moves is already proving hilarious. My children (3 and 18 months) are also loving it.
Try pole dancing! It’s an incredible workout and is powerfully joy-inducing. Just make sure you find a good studio (inclusive, body-positive) and stick with it for at least five classes to get past the initial struggle and start to feel the JOY!
Cup of Jo Team: may I suggest that you post on this topic again this week?
I love and adore goal-making and resolution-planning and couldn’t wait to see what riches the comments section would contain. However, there are only 26 (great!) comments. It seems like the post came too early for most readers and perhaps during a busy travel time? Now that it’s actually the new year, if you reignite this topic I think the comments section could be such a gold mine and could be helpful for so many readers in kick-starting conversations about good changes and good habits.
Of course, I am always grateful for any post you publish. Thank you either way. :)
My general intentions for the upcoming year–not broken into more specific goals yet: get married (elope), save money, exercise and eat well, cook new things, read more, be creative, try new things.
My resolutions for this year: more DIY projects and live neatly.
Making friend with fear is not easy at all. I think I will never beat my fear of height and fear of people :( Love the illustration.
For 2018, I want to buy only colorful clothing; all my closet is black and grey! I want to run more regularly, and I want to spend at least 3 months in Thailand.
Similar to Margaret’s comment, I think resolutions or goals can be made anytime I’ve reflected. I took a mini-sabbatical from work last summer with the single goal of spending lots of time with my family, who lived across the country. I wanted uninterrupted time where I didn’t have to worry about e-mails, Sunday blues, etc. The break also allowed me to develop habits that then became resolutions/intentions moving forward. Some of them included:
-Reading books by WOC (as Mari shows in her illustration- and there are so many great ones! Homegoing, Sing, Unburied, Sing, The Hate U Give to name a few)
-Make coffee at home (tastes better and saves money)
-Research political candidates with my parents and family members, engage in healthy debate
-Show gratitude to my parents
-Run, no matter what, put on my running shoes and just go somewhere!
we have all the same goals! I also want to brew my own coffee to save money, run 3x a week, and read 2 books a month! Also, I want to be a better daughter.
i like to think that resolutions should begin on 2/1. January is for reflection and consideration of the past year and what will work in the coming year. Then by 2/1 you can really think about what you want. That said I don’t remember what my resolutions were for last year!!!! They are long forgotten but maybe partly implemented at least. Oh well, I like the process.
I am committed to learning how to play the piano, how to weave, read a classic a week, journal, read a chapter of the Bible a night and finally start using the envelope method of budgeting.
#2! I’ve made a pact with myself to take adult ballet classes in the new year to rekindle my joy of dance & movement.
Traveling more in my own city! Definitely want to do this.
Oh man. I thought the second cartoon said ‘make friends with your DEBTS instead of doubts!”
These are amazing! XO
I love this! My friends and I started a small book club a year ago, not really going for any specific genre or theme, we just take turns choosing the books. Somehow, without intending it, all the books we read this year were by and about women from different cultures around the world. We’re going to keep rolling with this theme. There are so many powerful contemporary women authors out there and it feels so amazing to read stories told by female voices of all shapes and colours. And, frankly, much more relatable than stories written by men several decades ago (though I do enjoy classics too). I can’t wait to read more women in 2018!
This past week I was working on cleaning and straightening my house and I just felt so sick of it. I do like a beautiful space, but when I asked myself what I would really like to be doing, my honest response was to be outside, exploring the woods or some unknown spot on a beautiful day. So my goal this year is to choose things that really make me happy— and to get outside and explore my state and city more, both with friends and with my family. (I feel like if that’s my focus, I will also focus less on acquiring things, and then there will be less to manage and clean up in my home.)
We do yearly goals. Previous goals and have move to a different city, buy a house, etc.
This coming year we’re focusing on eating better and everyone helping cook dinner. My daughter (she’s 4) is a picky eater and stubborn. I’m hopeful that if she helps find recipes, pick the ingredients and cook she might just eat a bit more. Wishful thinking!
I heartily agree with reading contemporary women of colour, but I will not stand for this classics bashing. Classics are wonderful. ;)
Agreed! Modern, diverse voices are great, but there is something irreplaceable to be gained by reading old literature.
This last couple months has been my month of finding exercises that bring me joy after a decade+ of running came to an end when I realized one gray, dreary morning (among many in winter Berlin) that I no longer enjoyed the running.
So I came back to a couple weeks of trying free trial classes at Cross Fit, Athleta, Yoga Vida, Paragon, Pon de Flo, Surf Beer Yoga, etc and rediscovered how much I love engaging my body, and needed the variety to respark my joy of movement.
http://www.nynomads.com
Sustainable and rent free in NYC
Making friends with my fears. This will be the year I’ll overcome my amaxophobia and I’ll be able to drive a car. Yes. After all, I got a driver licence.
I’ve been saying this the last 13 years.
My resolution, for the third year in a row, will be: no French fries :)
And on a more serious note I have made a goal to start journaling. For purposes of self reflection, discovery, therapy, memory… I picked up a simple day timer and am committing to just one sentence a day, and am very interested to see where it goes.
Can I get an “Amen”?
I read something recently that said our recent obsession is with downsizing: our bodies, our possessions (minimalism trend), schedules, etc. I’ve definitely been inspired by minimalism and it has had a positive effect for me aside from having to repurchase a couple things :D, but I’m reminded of the adage: nature fills a vacuum. When I make space, things will want to fill it. So the article talked about filling our lives with our priorities (family trips, laughter, reading, volunteering whatever brings us joy) and letting those things push out what is unnecessary, rather than doing the opposite. Made sense to me!
THANK YOU FOR THIS.
100%
Another great one from Mari! Now, excuse me while I head over to her Grub Street Diet! :-)
Yes!!!! All of these are excellent!
These are great resolutions! It’s tempting to just take them all and not have to come up with any of my own. I especially like travel within your own city– my toddler is two and finally into DOING things, so I think we’ll make a resolution to explore one new thing with her every… month? at least every quarter. We took her to a music festival last summer that I was dreading, and it ended up being my favorite day of the summer.
Also, I read Mari’s delightful Grub Street Diet this morning in NY Mag– I got so excited, it felt like one of my friends was being interviewed!
Making friends with my fears and doubts is a big one. I have been making great progress with that over the last year, but next year I plan on pushing myself a little further. Facing those anxieties effectively squashes them and I grow in confidence a little more each time. I love all of these!
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