Happy New Year! 2014 is upon us and collectively we are starting anew. It is a great and liberating feeling with endless possibilities in store for the coming year.
Since it is my mission to find love, adventure, and joy in everyday life, I am going to start today’s blog on a slightly different note. Rather than giving you a list of my resolutions and talking about goal setting in the traditional sense, I would like to encourage you to have a goal or resolution to enjoy the New Year. I mean really enjoy it. Take the time to enjoy those around you, appreciate the things that are going well (even if it is just one thing in the midst of chaos), and find activities that have meaning and enrich your life.
Over the past several years I have found making things for other people brings me joy and enriches my life. Especially in the colder months when I tend to naturally spend more time indoors. Up to this point I have not ventured much further than homemade greeting cards and some vegan zucchini muffins. Simple activities can bring great joy. In fact, before I tried making my own zucchini muffins, I received some as an unexpected gift from a friend. Coffee and zucchini muffins, simple pleasures. That was a great day.
Yesterday, I was able to try my hand at candle making with my good friend, Tracey. My first attempt at candle making went much better than my mug painting adventure back on Thanksgiving. I enjoyed adding the color and scent to the wax and watching as the wax hardened into a candle. I made several candles as gifts but I made one extra candle for myself. I could hardly wait to get home and set my candle on the coffee table and light it. There is just something so cozy and inviting about watching candles burn on a cold winter evening and my homemade candle did not disappoint me. I have grand hopes mastering how much scent to add, blending colors, and adding decorations to the candles over the next year . I can’t think of a better way to say good-bye to the old year than trying something new with a friend and looking forward to sharing my candles with friends and family.
What are your simple pleasures to focus on this year? Do you have a loving family, close friends, or a significant other? Do you have a sport that you enjoy? Are you a connoisseur of beer or coffee? Whatever it is that brings you joy, I encourage you to make a resolution to pursue it on January 1st and the rest of the year.
If you are interested in some ideas for New Years Resolutions and goals or my coffee mug adventure, you might also enjoy:
Out With the Old and In With the New
Until next time,
Happy New Year!
Laura
The Next 50 Years 