I remember my New Year’s resolution for 2016.

“Say yes.”

It was one of the first years in my memory when I made a decision (voluntarily or involuntarily) to set an intention for the days and weeks ahead that didn’t center around my body. “Exercise X times per week. Cut out processed foods. Practice yoga more often.” Blah blah blah. Sure, I may have been a tad healthier, but I wasn’t any happier on December 31 than I was the year before. 2016 was the first year I put my happiness at the center, and guess what? It also happened to be the year I met Dave.

This year, I hope to replicate that pattern of positivity.

It seems the world often conspires to deliver us that which we give the most energy. So this year, I want to make a conscious choice to give energy to things that will being me (and the world, hopefully) joy and progress.

My 2018 “Resolutions”:

• Commit to a volunteer activity (at least once/week)
• Write a blog at least once a month
• Teach myself a new skill
• Sign up for the PGH Adventure Race
• Tackle a DIY project
• Create more photography
• Dedicate time to self-care
• Read a book a month (I can tell you right now, this will be my biggest struggle)
  • Particularly female and/or POC authors & feminist classics
• Continue bus-commute meditations
• Continue taking care of my health by nourishing my body with food (that means all food) + exercising in ways I find enjoyable
• Continue searching for a career that uses my skills to help make the world better

Writing Again

I’ll be honest. Writing has been frustrating for me lately. And when I say lately, I mean since I’ve transitioned to adulthood. I no longer have expansive summer afternoons to daydream in the backyard, or the sense of assertive confidence that I didn’t yet recognize as the feeling of liberation, or the playful imagination unbound by APA style, time, mental health, or shame.

So this blog is among my biggest intentions for 2018. To choose to view every day, every cup of coffee, every step up this mountain, with glittering eyes. To be present and mindful. To allow myself the forgiveness of imperfection. To finally put my (our) life in writing and out into the world. Documenting these innocuous moments and parts of life that bring me joy will help me look back with a more vivid perspective. It will force me to write with regularity, so that with practice, I can begin to restore my youthful romance with prose.

I’ve started a blog at least 2 or 3 times before. This time is different. This time I’m not going to squeeze myself into a box. This time I have a partner who’s as adventurous and passionate and joyful as I am. I have more days and experiences fueling me. I now know I have something to say. I can be serious and silly and frivolous and complex and that doesn’t dilute my work. And honestly, writing without a set goal may well be the permission I’ve been waiting for.

I’ve always felt stifled by the pressure to write within a niche or even to find one for that matter. My last attempts never became anything but a sad pile of drafts because I needed that permission to stretch my legs and explore new roads. Now, we’re free to write about our travels, our passions, the people we become together, and perhaps ultimately, encapsulate a tiny blip of Millennial life. I can jump in and see where life takes me. I can allow myself the freedom to explore, learn, grow, and evolve. Most importantly, and most challenging of all, enjoy the process.

-Maura