Happy New Year!
Although I just hit publish on my 2022 recap, I’m feeling unusually antsy to begin this new year.
I thought I’d embrace this bout of cautious optimism today to share a few of my intentions for 2023. I’m not one for vision-boarding (although I wish I was!) or strict resolutions, but I love a good list of ideas. Some I’m keeping pretty close to my chest, but for the sake of authenticity, here are a few of my intentions for life, travel, and this very blog as we greet the new year:
Use the good stuff | While I have gotten better about using consumable items or wearing my “precious” garments with regularity over the years (well, for the most part – there’s still a little room for improvement), I frequently avoid using my “good” household things for fear of loss or damage. In 2023 I plan to reach for the good stuff first – the nice pens, the good yarn, the handmade dishes (but I’m saving the stemmed wine glasses for when company is over – after breaking eleven over the last ten years, I’m not risking it more than necessary).
Get back in the air | The very reasons I started this blog were to share 1) tips for taking quick, flyaway weekend trips, 2) travel guides to those weekend destinations large and small, and 3) my carry-on packing lists. Exploring the Southeast in 2022 was incredibly rewarding and life-enriching, but I’m feeling ready to return to my roots of letting airfare and schedules determine where we go (that being said, there are still a number of local destinations I want to visit, so I suppose I’m not done with road-tripping entirely). I’m also ready to book a longer trip to a far-flung locale – but where? I’m not sure yet!
Continue exploring my personal style | I’ve spent the past few years building my wardrobe and exploring the way clothing makes me feel (frequently sharing that journey here!), and I’m looking forward to digging in a little more and having more fun with my clothes in 2023. It’s easy to feel lost in the cycle of trends (which seems to be spinning faster and faster – it’s not just me noticing that, right?) and I’m grateful to have a foundation wardrobe of pieces I love. But I’m looking to expand my outerwear and (almost non-existent) skirt sections of my closet this year for an even more versatile wardrobe. I can’t wait to show you what I find!
Get moving again | I lightly touched on some health issues in my last post, but they are (hopefully) starting to resolve themselves and I’m feeling a little more confident about returning to the gym safely to follow through with this intention. But I’m hoping to not just move within the four walls of the gym, I’d like to get back into taking daily walks again (please send your podcast/audiobook recs!) – it’s really just a matter of scheduling it in my day, which leads me to…
Establish healthier blogging routines | As this is my creative outlet, I never intended for running this site to ever feel like a job – but I think it would be better for my mental health and for my home life to add in a little more structure. Currently, I work on my site and social content over odd hours every day, and it can sometimes eat into the time I spend with Michael in the evenings or on the weekends. I’m hoping to establish a writing/creating schedule in 2023 that concentrates the bulk of my work to weekday hours, freeing up more of my nights and weekends. And perhaps I’ll even manage to fully step away with some regularity! If you are a blogger or freelancer, I’d love to hear your techniques for scheduling your time and any tips for automating time-consuming processes.
Make self-care the norm | I’m sure I’m not alone in my proclivity to basically ignore my body when it’s in pain. Rather than recentering myself and learning from what my body is telling me, it’s much simpler to neglect and tune it out entirely. I’m ready to start listening and caring for it once more (it is the only one I’ve got, of course!). I’m once again embarking on another thirty-day yoga series, and have already taken steps to ensure my days include a little more downtime through knitting, reading, and getting some sunshine. Even small things like remembering to use retinol and take my multivitamin are on my list of intentions, as those little tasks can make a huge difference over time. As much as I’d love to indulge in monthly massages or facials, it’s simply out of my budget given my travel goals this year. I think I can make room for quarterly massages – that feels like a good middle ground.
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Looking through this list, one theme stands out to me more than any other: routine.
The past few years threw me for much more of a loop than I could have ever anticipated, and I’m really anxious to find a sense of normalcy. I once thought that establishing routines equated to a boring, impulse-free life – but in reality, I find I’m much freer to follow my whims when the rest of my day feels in order. Rather than dreading making these changes, I’m feeling excited. What a wonderful way to begin a new year!
Are you setting intentions this year? Creating a vision board? Ignoring the change in the calendar completely? I’d love to hear!
