The party that is New Year's Eve has never completely charmed me, though the ritual of taking a moment to pause, reflect and look ahead is one I find quite compelling. This year, like many of the years before, New Year's Eve was a late night of work. I came home tired and went straight to bed. Today started slowly. The morning was gray and coming off a week straight of rainy weather, it felt cooler than the previous days. I stayed in bed long enough to watch my fiancé fall back asleep and then left the bed, dressed and went to the market for eggs and black eyed peas. After cooking breakfast (baked eggs over garlicky kale and spinach drizzled with heavy cream and goat cheese) I cleaned up and got to work on a giant pot of broth made from root vegtables, two chicken carcasses and some left over lamb chop bones I had in the freezer from Christmas dinner. Once that was starting to heat, I placed the black eyed peas along with chopped onion and garlic cloves into a crockpot, covering it all with water and set it on high.
Resolutions have never worked well for me though I have noticed a habit forming in the past few years of setting intentions and mapping out goals for my life in the year ahead. This process of manifesting begins in early December and continues right through into the coming year. I believe I am getting better at it at each go-around. Last year I was filled with a lot of ideas and plans that mainly centered around putting more time and energy into Forged & Found, my place to be creative. Dedicating more time to throwing pottery and sharing my work became my priority. I chose to be confident and give it my all and see what kind of feedback I received from not only other people but from the universe. I was exposing a part of myself as a test to see if I had the desire and commitment to really express myself as an artist and not just think about or talk about myself as one. A lot of wonderful, positive things came from doing that and I am happy to continue on this creative journey.
This past year there were a few things that I touched on that I would like to revisit and go deeper with. I spent a good amount of time searching for healing. I was and am still seeking an antidote for a skin issue and allergies I have been dealing with for sometime now. I deeply feel the root of this particular problem starts with a digestive issue and I plan to continue experimenting with different supplements, diets and detoxing practices. I also plan on returning to the yoga mat, something I definitely feel the benefits from when I practice regularly. Tomorrow I start a 30 day yoga practice with the help of an online mentor. I hope this daily ritual will help to reset things - my way of thinking and feeling, cutting loose some of my poorer habits and moving toward being the best, most authentic version of myself.
January is my month to sort out what will not support me in this reset and to consciously bring in what will. I have found great inspiration from the lovely Kirsten Rickert of Magnesium Blue and the social media fast she is taking on during the first month of this year. I have decided to join in with her. I ditched Facebook in 2010 when I realized I was pretty much addicted to it. The final straw was stumbling across some information about someone in the newsfeed that I wish I hadn't read. Then and there I deleted my account and never looked back. Presently I feel it's time to check in with myself and break the habit of sometimes spending an embarrassing amount of time looking at my phone, working on Instagram posts, scrolling endlessly through feeds, mindlessly pinning. Instead of waking up and grabbing the phone I want to start seizing the day and pursue more noble pursuits like writing, which makes me incredibly clear-headed and happy. On the flip side of writing there is reading. If I spent the time I waste scrolling through my phone apps on reading, I would have consumed a minimum of 12 novels last year. I look forward to spending as much time as possible developing new skills within my pottery pursuits and designing a new collection for spring. I plan to seriously comb through my belongings, most intensely my clothing and accessories, and pare down to only what fits, flatters and has value because it brings me joy. That is a task I am slightly terrified of, to be honest, but now feels like the right time to tackle it. There are travel plans to be made. There are friends and family to see.
Reset. Intentions. Manifesting. Letting go. Growing.
Happy New Year :)
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