A Resolution for the New Year

Miami Beach — Florida, U.S.A. Christmas day in the United States must be the quietest 24 hours of the year. Shops are closed and streets are empty, and the few who venture out to parks and public places move slowly and with a thoughtful, inward gaze. In the stillness, we find clarity, room to breath deeply and with our whole bodies, and space to reflect on another year passed.  I love the holiday for this meditative quality, and for how it eases us into the final two weeks on the calendar.

“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

I’ve recently taken to spending the last two weeks of the year decompressing — I typically take vacation from work and sometimes hit the road for a few days — and contemplating a new year’s resolution. I’m not talking about eating more veggies, reading more, or generally taking the year by storm — though, these are all admirable goals — but about a personal and practical declaration of growth. I take these resolutions rather seriously, drawing direction and motivation from them throughout the year.

Last year, I committed to building the courage to make my own music — metaphorically, that is. In 2015, I took some risks — doubling down in some areas of my life and easing out of my comfort zone in others. I’ll need that same pluck in 2016, but I’ll also need the resolve to break free from time to time and just dance.

So, in 2016, my resolution is very simple: I’m going to celebrate. I’m going to celebrate the beautiful things, the small things. I’m going to celebrate the sun rising during my morning workout, the smell of rain, afternoons on the beach, and productive meetings at work.  I’m going to celebrate the smiles of those I love. I’m going to celebrate the exhaustion of late nights spent planning adventures in faraway places.  I’m going to see with the clarity and focus of the quietest day of the year and breath in all the good I can find, with my whole body. Happy new year.

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