Fall Goal #1: HOME

Yesterday I had a feng shui consultation in my home. I have struggled for years to make my home feel like a home. I have tried various organizational tricks, etc. but nothing has stuck. This time, I decided to look at my home not as a thing, but as an entity–something that gives and receives energy; something that grows and supports our growth. What I really wanted to do was to learn how to support my home in providing all the things we want from it.

The process was interesting. Having a fresh set of eyes look at our lives (through our home) was helpful. The reorganization of the living room provided an IMMEDIATE positive effect. I also learned that the most balanced room in our house is the easiest to keep clean, and it is one of my favorite places to be. It’s the dining room. It’s our most boldly colored room, and it is the one that feels most like it belongs in a home. The living room is getting there. It needs some art, plants, and a mirror, but it’s almost there.

There is still a long long way to go, but I feel like I’ve got a road map. I know what I would like each room/ the entire house to feel like/be, and I’ve got a guide to help get me there.

Fall Goal #2: EXERCISE

I am continuing to exercise regularly. I have been walking/running consistently–no more than 2 days in between sessions. I have also been doing nightly mini-strength/stretch/yoga sessions (5-15 minutes). I can feel myself sitting up straighter with my regular push-up routine.

 

Embracing fall

I am learning to love fall again. As a kid, I loved fall. School, Halloween, Thanksgiving–Fall had it going on! It is the closest season to Christmas and my birthday, so fall was also a time of great anticipation. As an adult, however, fall became a season filled with dread. Each sunny warm day became the last one before winter. Each cold rainy grey day became a taste of what the next three months will be. I stopped loving fall for being fall; instead I resented it for bringing me closer to winter, which in Michigan means lots of grey. In fact, I allowed my fear of the cold and grey rob me of the joy of celebrating those wonderful fall holidays and traditions to their fullest.

Fall also served as a bitter reminder of how little I accomplished on my new year’s goals and resolutions.

Well, this year is DIFFERENT! I am embracing Fall in all of it’s glory and guts. I am not thinking ahead to winter; I am staying in fall.  Instead of fretting about how much I didn’t accomplish in 2012, I am living fully and in the moment.

• I am exercising regularly. (The holiday season will be much more pleasant if I am already in an exercise routine.)
• I am creating a home.  (Winter means a lot more time indoors. I have a better sense of what I need to make my home a refuge for me and my family, and a plan for making it happen.)
• I am listening.