My 53rd New Year's Day

It's only 8:13 a.m., and I've been quite industrious in these first few hours of 2012. Took a walk around the park, started preparing food for a party later this afternoon, and began purging those things that waste energy and time.

I started by deleting my Facebook account.

I know. Some would say that is an extreme way to begin de-cluttering one's life...especially if the "some" are the 24/7 Farmville afficianados. But I feel lighter already!

I'm not a "resolutions" person at this time of year. I actually do something like "resolutions" on my birthday. Instead of making resolutions, which are things you immediately are going to start or stop doing (maybe we should call them "repentences??"), I focus on what I want to be or have accomplished by my next birthday. Maybe it's a financial goal, or a trip I want to take.

New Year's Day, in contrast, is when I focus less on goals I want to accomplish and more on attitudes, people and things I'd like to bring closer to the center of my life.

Last New Year's Day, I chose four words to be reminders for me daily, and put those words in a little frame in my bathroom so I'd see them each morning when I brushed my teeth:

Peace.
Health.
Courage.
Presence.

The idea was to see these words and have them spoken in my mind each day as reminders of new ways of living and being for me to pursue in 2011. Looking back, I probably needed more than just the little framed reminder in my bathroom--I needed a constant, looping audio recording of those four focus words, set to one of those tunes you just can't get out of your head.

So--decision: No new words for 2012. I still have work to do on last year's list.

How will I seek to be a peacemaker, or peacebringer, in the daily situations I will encounter throughout this year?

What will I do to secure my physical, financial, emotional, and spiritual health in 2012?

Where will I seek opportunities to speak the truth in love, and muster up the courage to do so? How will I develop a courageous attitude to be the best, most authentic version of myself that I can possibly be? When do I need to be courageous enough to say "no," even if it means someone may "like" me less?

What else needs to be removed from my life in order to be fully present to the people who matter most to me?

These are questions I'll be thinking and writing about here this year. Maybe that is a resolution of sorts--to be disciplined about journaling on this blog. I wonder if others will follow and share.

Now that I've gotten rid of Facebook, I should certainly have time to do it!

Comments

  1. kabrumleyJanuary 2, 2012 at 8:34 AM

    Hey - quitting facebook to free your mind for more meaningful things brings to mind a favorite old hymn...

    "I am resolved no longer to linger,
    Charmed by the world's delight;
    Things that are higher, things that are nobler,
    These have allured my sight.
    I will hasten to Him,
    Hasten so glad and free,
    Jesus, greatest, highest,
    I will come to Thee."

    ReplyDelete
  2. ScottJanuary 2, 2012 at 10:38 AM

    Never heard that hymn, and I thought I'd heard them all! Thanks, Kim, for sharing those good thoughts...and for following my humble blog! / SE

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mary A.January 3, 2012 at 7:44 AM

    So glad to see you blogging! it is much better for you than FB. Says the FB Whore.

    I DID resolve to NOT FB during business hours. While I can argue that I got quite a bit done on FB that benefitted the college, more often than not, a quick FB check turned into 15-30 minutes.

    Will be reading! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. GeriJanuary 3, 2012 at 11:51 AM

    I love this first entry. Am shocked that you elminated FB, but good for you. I'm not there yet. Maybe some day! YAY! Happy 2012!

    ReplyDelete
  5. GJanuary 27, 2012 at 3:54 AM

    Hey, Scott,
    Love the word and concept of "peacebringer." So important in today's world. Looking forward to connecting with you through your blog...
    ~G

    ReplyDelete

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