This Year’s Menu
Happy New Year! I think it’s still pretty new. So far, I’ve spent about 45% of the month under the weather. But on the bright side, I’ve had the chance to enjoy the crisp, cold air as a retreat from my sick bed. Nearing the end of antibiotics and prednisone, the fog of congestion finally cleared and I began the routine work of wading through expectations and goals for the year: some practical, some enriching, and others more abstract or dreamy. It’s a buffet laid out of good things, but how do I begin to eat it all?
Pup enjoys a balmy January 1st, whilst the “5” balloon ominously deflates above.
In the short term, there’s a list of things that need doing. Meal planning, renewing my passport, visiting the eye doctor, get prepped for taxes. My first act of ambition and triumph: a pre-spring-cleaning to purge the house from whatever bug I caught.
Now we turn to drafting actionable plans for commitments and artistic compulsions. There’s the things I know, like starting a new theatre marketing contract and leading a small group. In April, I’m producing a new short play for a local Fringe festival (details to come). This semester, I’m finishing my certificate in Church History, then I can jump into letting those stories spark my creative practice! And of course, I’m already looking forward to half-formed travel plans in warmer weather.
I love January. It’s planning a beautiful multi-course meal… then writing your grocery list. Looking ahead into 2025, I’m thinking about the things I want to lean into (the In’s) and the habits I’d like to leave behind (the Out’s).
In
theater etiquette & dressing up to see a show
enjoying meal prep & cooking
painting for fun!
hand-written cards and letters
regular coffee-shop, thrift store, and art gallery visits
listening to albums all the way through
using what we have!!
Out
triple snoozing alarms
skipping ab day (sad, but necessary)
skipping a little chocolate with coffee (balance)
polyester and pleather
bad desk/computer posture
second-guessing sending nice texts
avoiding collaboration
What’s on your plate for the year? Which bite do you take first? Pace yourself, too much of a good thing and all.
Wishing you a blessed 2025!
