More

I’m happy to report that I believe I’ve finally hit upon the formula for creating the peace and joy that was previously lacking from my holiday seasons. It involves saying no to a lot, saying yes to yourself, and spending time with those who see and love you. It involves gratitude, for the aforementioned, and for the odd miracle. And it involves slowing down to allow plenty of time for reflection.

I shared some of my year-end reflections here. As the house slowly returns to its pre-holiday state and I to my routines, I’ve been blessed with some extra solitude and the chance for contemplation. And I’ve decided to add something to this coming year’s mantra of “choose love”, based on a word that kept arising during my meditations: more.

As someone who absorbed a boatload of negative messages about myself in childhood and unconsciously sought out confirmation of those messages throughout most of my adult life, I rarely thought I deserved anything good, let alone more. Today I know that there was never anything wrong with me, and that, even at my imagined worst, I deserved more. And I also know that I can be deliriously grateful for what I have and still want more. Not because of a sense of lack, or greed, or because of a need to “fix” myself, but because I’m ready to let go of a scarcity mentality and accept what I now believe is the abundance and limitless joy available to us if we look for it.

I want to be more. More daring in my daily life. More loving. More receptive to love. More feral. More compassionate. More informed. More grateful. More mindful more often. More open. More forgiving. More intuitive. More outward-looking. More accepting of challenges. More generous, materially and spiritually. More human.

I want to do more. More daydreaming. More creating. More exploring. More connecting. More mentoring. More simplifying. More adventuring. More self-care of both the frivolous and serious kind. More writing. More celebrating.

I want more tangible and intangible things. More beauty. More books. More joy. More travel. More shared humor and goodwill. More coffee dates. More peace. More delicious food. More awe. More physical and mental health. More self-love.

I spent part of my quiet time doing a bit of collaging and vision-board type stuff, and chose the following as my bathroom mirror reminder:

Wishing you all the happiest of New Years. And wishing you more.

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Thanks for reading. Any resolutions or mantras or plans for 2025 you’d like to share?