A New Year
Prompt #1: 2024 has begun! 365 days of new experiences, adventures and discoveries. What magic would you like to receive this year?
Prompt #2: The start of a new year follows the close of an old year. What would you like to let go of from the past year so you don’t carry it into the new year? (examples: procrastination, victimism, poor self-talk)
Prompt #3: Resolutions? Are you a resolution-setting type person? What if you didn’t make any goals for 2024 and instead decide to surrender to what is ahead as a student of your experiences?
My Journal Page
Prompt #3 Response:
For me, resolutions traditionally were exciting to set. I love a good checklist. In past years, I would take a long look at myself; my behaviors, my habits, my failed resolutions from the prior year and think … “Hmm, what do I want to tackle this year?”
But this year rolled in and I was already tired. 2023 was a lot. Making resolutions seemed pointless. I am a control-freak of sorts and my expectations are formed from my need for perfection. Thus, my exhaustion. I want this year to be different, which means I want to go about life in a different way.
This year I’m imaging a mountaintop stream. A river seems too much, so I’ll go with a large stream. It’s my imagination. I get to make it up. So I’m visualizing a large stream. A wild stream of cool water running over my toes. The water steadily rushes over large stones and small rocks, shiny and smooth. I imagine a raft, comfortable enough for me to hop on. I flow with the water. I don’t fight it. I don’t try to redirect it. I ride the water, listening to the water’s shushing sounds. A canopy of green above me, rays of sunlight dancing about. Sometimes the water will roar, rushing wildly, and the ride will be bumpy but I intend to hold on and trust the flow. Other times, the ride will be slow and lingering. Instead of pushing the stream, I will relax and have faith in where life is taking me. And hopefully this year I will learn to enjoy the ride.