Lots of people celebrate New Year’s Eve and think about New Year’s resolutions.  They plan the ways that they want to change themselves, or their lives, to improve them, and be better.

Too much of our lives can be spent planning and dreaming of the future, usually a different future than the present we are sitting in right now. My life experiences have taught me a harsh lesson and I no longer spend time waiting for the future that may never come.  I live more in the present moment and, although I still make plans for the future, I do not do that at the expense of living in the now and enjoying every moment that I have.

Rather than New Year’s resolutions I write a list of things I want to do, or achieve in the coming year. This year this list looks a little like this:

22 Things to do in 2022

01- Grow some vegetables

02- Go to the theatre

03- Launch The #Writer Box

04- Dig foundations for new house

05- Stay at the Cartford

06- Run writing workshops

07- Dance, Dance and Dance some more!

08- Read 22 books

09- Attend 10 networking meetings

10- Go to RO

11- Do blockwork for new house

12- Visit an art gallery

13- Start morning walks along the prom again

14- Grow Decking Daddy

15 -Enjoy Bessie the Beach Hut

16- Have family Sunday roasts as often as possible

17- Do a reading in a library

18- Chill at a spa weekend

19- Purchase a piece of original art

20- Write 12 chapters of my novel

21- Hear some live poetry/spoken word

22- Write a blog every month

Some are serious, some are silly. Some will be easy to achieve, some I won’t manage, but that’s ok.

Living through the global pandemic I guess it’s a bit hard to talk hopes and dreams of the future without mentioning COVID.  My biggest hope would be that COVID would cease being a threat to our physical health, mental health and way of life.

I intend to spend 2022 living in the now, living from love, having fun, laughing out loud and dreaming, dancing and doing whatever feels good!

I hope you have a great 2022 and I’d love to hear your plans!