Thinking about a New Year...

We are a little more than half a month into the New Year, so I am reflecting on 2015 and New Year’s in general? 

2015….

Both Mark and I got new jobs towards the end of 2015 so that meant some lifestyle changes. What that looks like and how we manage it? Well we are still working on it, we are hoping to get a routine-ish figured out soon. 

We also want to have a little more productive lifestyles but we want to also devote some times to our hobbies. Much of 2015 was a rush, especially the summer, we neither were able to get tasks we wanted done nor did we take the time to enjoy our hobbies. We want to slow down in 2016. 

I became a little bit healthier in 2015. I decided I wanted to lose 30 lbs before I am thirty, and create a healthy lifestyle I could sustain. This has inspired Mark to figure out what his goals and what he wants, I hope he joins my efforts that will make life easier in the coming year. 

As I mentioned earlier we want to devote some more time to hobbies! The most important one being reading. In 2015 I did not really recreationally read as much as I wanted, and I am not sure why. May be time? I love reading and it makes me happy, so I am going to pick up the pace on reading again! Also I want to tackle some more organizing projects.

I also want to figure out is blogging a hobby I want to pursue? I think I meant to figure out if I wanted to continue blogging or not in 2015. I did not. I went a year without doing it because I felt like people who blog had more of a purpose in their words than I did?  But I did not figure out if I enjoy it or not, if this is something I want to do or not? The plan this year is to dedicate a little more time to the blog. I believe any hobby requires you spend time on it, and I have not done that with blogging. If I spend some time doing it, I will also figure out if I want to or not. 

As you can see I have taken sometime to think about changes I want to happen in 2016, although I don’t do traditional “resolutions.” I always use the New Year to celebrate life and reflect. New Year for me is about celebrating life; understanding it  and questioning it a little more. It is about reflecting, and sometimes changing yourself, relationships, and worldviews. And that’s what I do every new year! 

What does the New Year mean to you? What do you do with it? 

I love New Year. I am not even sure when it started. I assume back in India; our New Year celebrations were magical. We lived in what would be equivalent of condos in the US, and on the rooftop there would be a party. Starting late evening there would a show put on by the kids, dinner, games and evening ended at midnight with countdown, cake and fireworks. Then as I went to bed I would think about the good and bad of the year that had just passed, and what can be better this yea? My mom told me to  do it one year and I just continued…

I cannot say New Year has been as magical as I grew up. But nostalgia well it is powerful! So no matter if my New Year now involves a huge celebration or falling asleep before midnight, I start the New Year with a little reflection and a smile! 

My husband does not understand this love for New Year he says it is like any other day of the year. No one changes overnight into another person. He believes if you want to change something in your life you should not wait till the New Year. I understand what he says about not waiting till New Year to change things one needs to change (which is why I don’t do resolutions in the traditional sense?) but there is something refreshing about feeling like you have a chance at a new start! I embrace it wholeheartedly. Some people reflect and readjust on their birthday, but I prefer New Years. For me my birthday is about celebrating me, while New Year is more about reflecting on life. So Cheers to 2016!