New Year

Oh, the New Year. A time for reflection on what has passed, and renewed hope for what will come. I find this week in between Christmas and New Year's the hardest part of winter - I'm tired from all the entertaining, my house is a mess, and I feel the oncoming winter blahs. Once January hits, I tend to find some energy to soldier through our Canadian winter (usually by mid-February I am cursing the snow and cold).

As I'm sure you are all in the middle of doing, I'm now writing my resolutions, in the hope that I can make some positive changes this year and meet some of my goals. I'm excited to follow along with a friend's new blog as she embarks on a personal journey.

This year feels significant for me, because my husband and I hope to start trying for another baby. But before that happens, some changes need to be made. For one, my firstborn needs to start sleeping better. There is no way that I can be pregnant and deal with this amount of sleep deprivation. I'm willing to wait to have another baby until things improve. But rather than just waiting around, we're hoping to make the changes ourselves. This may involve a bit of crying, which I have been very much against, but there comes a point that my sanity is more important than my 16-month old feeling angry and frustrated.

The other changes I would like to make are somewhat more personal. I'm aware that I won't accomplish all these things in 2011, but I want to list them all out and then pick my "top 3" priorities. So in no particular order, here they are:

1) Make sure I take my daily Omega3s and other vitamins
2) Get back to a daily meditation and/or yoga practice
3) Find space for creativity in my life - whether it's writing, music, painting...whatever!
4) Do some kind of cardio exercise, at least 3x per week
5) Implement Operation A-to-sleep
6) Find a good therapist
7) Eat less Omega 6-9s (I know this sounds very specific, but if I put "eat healthy," that won't happen. Omega 6s and 9s are found in many of our processed foods, such as crackers, cookies, breads and chips. These are the things I hope to cut back on)
8) Eat more Omega 3s (olive oil, walnuts etc.)
9) Be kinder to our earth, by eating less meat and fish, conserving more water, becoming more self sustaining (a big garden, and starting a new project - a root cellar!) and cutting back on WASTE...all the junk I find myself buying!!
10) Take time to look around and be grateful for this life

I hope to continue posting on these resolutions, and find ways to really make some of them happen (even just one???).

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones. Here is Sarah Harmer's Lode Star:

Out of the night, into the water
We push the boat from shore
Breaking the air and the stillness of the bay

Intensity of stars reflected in the harbour
Silently ignite
The oar dips into oil like water
And we are away

Your hand won't write
Not tonight
But your mind may wander
Into those deep lagoons that you know
And your boat will go by starlight alone
Da da da da da da da da
You sang to the moon
In the great black night
With no lodestar in sight

Out of the night
Out of the water
We pull the boat back to shore
Breathe in the air and the stillness of the bay
Intensity of stars reflected in the water
Silently ignite
The oar dips into oil like water
And we are away

Under the moon in the great black night
With no lodestar in sight

And wait for it
There are only two things now
This great black night
And the fireglow

And listen! The darkness rings
The darkness....

Listen! The darkness rings

And wait for it
There are only two of us now
This great black night, scooped out
And this fireglow

Listen! The darkness rings
The darkness...
Listen! The darkness rings
Take off your things

And listen!
The darkness rings