New Year

Listen. Do you hear that? It’s the sound of a new year.

Today it snowed–the first dusting of the (new) year. It was that slushy stuff, the kind that drips into the small openings of your jacket, steams up the back of your neck, drenches those few hairs that strayed from your hood and turns your mascara into dark mice under your eyes. Despite my cold and soggy edges I could sense 2015 settling in. It’s like a new friend who you have just met. It’s a familiar stranger. This is a year that we are just getting to know. Hi, nice to meet you.

As I puddled out into the white and grey coldness to meet a friend at one of our secret spots for chai and good company I got to thinking about new years resolutions. Earlier in the week I had been adamant about making a list, forcing friends to ponder what they really wanted to do to make 2015 the best it could be. As per usual, we brainstormed the common humdrum: better eating, more exercise, more sleep. My list felt unsatisfactory. 2014 was a year full of so many rare gems, many of which I didn’t plan for. And so this year I have decided to throw out the list. The only rule that I will take from 2014 is to be ready, be spontaneous and follow my gut. Life is a balance. It is not about frontloading all of the things that we haven’t accomplished or didn’t perfect at the beginning of a new year. I have to ask myself, will getting down on the floor to hold a plank make me a better person in 2015? A happier person? Maybe. Stronger? Sure, if I kept it up. But it is more likely that heading out into the cold to meet a friend will better serve my needs in the short and long term, making me stronger and happier all around.

This year I want to set my standards high. I want to hold out for the best things. I refuse to settle. But don’t confuse these ideals with “resolutions”–these are not resolutions, these are my rules. This is my lifestyle.

“We were not put here on this earth to barely squeak by and settle for a lukewarm, watered-down version of life, or to live in fear of what other people will think. Our lives can’t rise any higher than our standards. Rise above settling in life or in love. And next time someone tells you your standards are too high, don’t apologize. Tell them, “Thank you.” The standards you set determine the life you get. And those who know their worth don’t even entertain the lesser things. They hold out for the best things.” –Mandy Hale

Get ready 2015! I am not slowing down for anyone.

This cup is for Hannah and Alyssa (because you can keep up with me)

And for Maynard (who sets a standard we should all live up to, year round.)