2.1.16

I think I might have something to say....

My first coherent thought upon awaking on January 1st was 'I am so tired' my second was 'thank god I haven't got a hangover...'. It has to be the upside to having a quiet new year. Not drinking any alcohol has now become a bit of an ongoing theme, over the whole year in fact, and a few before that. A clear head in the morning is totally worth it, even if sometimes my life feels a little tame. I have some quite memorable and crazy new years eve's logged in my memory as well as some down right awful ones. I guess now I opt for safe, happy and relaxed, and hope that whoever is around me feels like that too.
So that was my new year. I spent the first day of the new year out of communications too with my phone firmly off and feeling what I can only describe as sheltered in the warm glow of a new years bubble. There have been no tears this holiday season, until Julie Andrews earnestly sung her way through The Sound of Music and reminded me of my Mum. It was her era you see. The hair cut and the singing and the handmade clothes, and the scenery, which no doubt led to some of our Alpine adventures, with cousins and friends whilst growing up. But well a few tears to soften us and open us to the new year ahead is probably a good thing.
I've found my way back to this space, I will talk some more in the future about who inspired me and why. I needed to feel like I had hit the refresh button, in terms of approach and style, and I think I needed to just hangout on instagram a while and experience the community there. The ease of taking quick photos, creating and connecting. For me it's an inspiration board. But I do value this creative space here. I've often been popping in to polish and change things around, and I do love to do that. It's a ever evolving space. Maybe one day I might jump to a new space, but not yet. I'm okay with blogger and I haven't tried all the different options yet! 
So a new year beckons. I do have a new word for this year. A word that I hope will resonate and guide me. Last year's word was REVITALIZE. You can read that here, and the previous year before that was COMMIT, you can see that here Looking back revitalize was a big word to embody. Or perhaps that's how I saw it. Our lives are big aren't they, made up of many different elements. I suspect that's true even in the smallest of tiny living houses. Health, our relationships, family, our homes, our work, our dis-functions, all the little bits that make up the whole. There hasn't been an almighty wand swept through my life scattering fairy dust and transforming everything but suddenly I can see that just a little shake and flap can bring things back to life. I can see this in most areas, it's all on my radar now. I know I can't get past without engaging and making something of what I see. They are the very basics of self-care, self-worth, value and how we chose to live. Perhaps I'm rambling now, but this is what's emerging. I may need to make some bigger decisions in the future to really transform my life, and I will try and remember that sometimes things just need a gentle butterfly flutter to come back to life. 
So this year I'm going to be looking for what I VALUE, and by value I don't mean ka-ching.  

     I mean what do I value in my life. What are my values. Am I living them. If something is in my life, does it bring value, and if not, why not, and is there anything I can do to change it so that it does, or do I need to let go or move on. How do I value myself? How do I value the people in my life, how do we teach our children to value themselves. Important huh? I think if we care for something it's because we value it.

 So I can ask myself, is this cared for, is it valued, and how do I show that? 

So VALUE 2016.
Bring it on!....

I'm going to enjoy my little tree and decorations for a few more days, then put it all carefully to bed until next year. I'm looking forward to finding some nice bare winter branches to decorate for January. Perhaps if I put them in a little water they will bring me some little green buds and new life, but for now I will enjoy the warmth and glow from this festive season. Hope you are too.



P.S if you would like to read a little tale about the dog-walkers christmas tree pictured above, you can read that here.