Reframing the New Year’s Resolution
A new year is upon us, and with it so many expectations. It can be both exciting and daunting, especially if we’ve set ourselves some lofty goals for the year. Those New Year’s Resolutions, have they worked well for you in the past? If this tradition has proved a struggle, here’s a way to rethink the meaning of resolution, and how to infuse some hygge (hoo-ga) into your New Year initiatives.
So often we think of a resolution as something that requires us to be resolute, like a soldier. Dutifully, we do what we said we were going to and not what we said we were going to give up. But dutiful willfulness often peters out after a while to old habits and internal resistance. What if, instead, we thought about the other root of the word resolution: resolve. By this, I mean how we might use the word for conflict resolution or when a piece of music resolves at its end to the root note for a sense of completeness.
With this idea of resolution, we are seeking to bring back into alignment, to find peace, to mend, to make whole. One of my fiber arts students shared that her mantra for the year was “Finish what you started,” which is a beautiful way to think of bringing resolutions to the new year. Tie up loose ends. Pick up the unfinished bits and find a way forward. Here are some tips for getting started.
Mend Things. Patch holes, sew on a lost button, even get out the baling twine and duct tape if necessary. You know that one thing around the house that makes you cringe because it’s still broken? Find a way to mend it, even if it means asking for help from someone with more experience than you (for instance, I wouldn’t be the one to jump into a welding project, but I can ask others). Glue might be your new best friend.
Declutter. When working through a pile of whatnot, an overstuffed closet, or a craft supplies stash in disarray, I look for what I know I’m using, what brings me enjoyment, and then see if I can’t creatively let go of the rest. If it doesn’t seem to fit any of those categories and I’m not willing to give it away, I challenge myself to make art out of it. Students had a fabulous time in my needle felting Kris Kringle class pawing through tins of bits and beads to stitch onto Santa’s satchel of toys. It was great fun! Decluttering your home has a way of decluttering your inner thoughts at the same time.
Refresh Spaces. Take one closet, one bookshelf, one nook at a time. Remove everything and give it a good cleaning. Then only put back what is useful or what makes your inner voice sing. Objects are talismans of memories—if something’s been hanging out in this space that carries painful memories, why keep that energy in your home? Time to let it go. And those precious things you keep stashed away? Grandma made those quilts to warm loved ones, not languish in a cedar chest. Bring out your treasures to enjoy.
Reconnect. Write or call up friends, family, or mentors you’ve been meaning to contact for some time. Surprise them with your positive thoughts their way. Knowing that someone’s thinking of them might be just what they needed this winter. Need a pick-me-up? Write yourself a sweet letter and mail it randomly one day. Tell yourself how proud you are to see you moving forward with a practice of resolution. See what happens when you read it days later.
Transform Scraps. Bits and pieces collect over time. If you’re like me, you’ve saved every little bit of yarn leftover from previous projects. They linger in a basket or tote until they simply overflow their vessel or turn into one enormous snarl. Our emotional life does the same thing if not well tended. Take out those scraps, give them some detangling love, and turn them into something fun and colorful. Lately, I’ve been turning my tidbits stash into cozy scarves. You can find the pattern for free via the latest blog post on my art studio website, www.erindaletapestrystudio.com, so you can make them too!
These, as well as many other centering practices, can help reframe the New Year experience from a daunting list of heady expectations to small but real steps that bring the scattered pieces of last year’s end into a sense of renewed whole. At Farmstead Creamery, our mission is to create and sustain a space for empowering a vibrant culture of compassion and renewal. So, if you need some time to emotionally refuel before tackling the New Year—whether through a creativity class, a hearty farm-to-table meal, or inspiring colors in the Fiber Loft, we’re here to help bring some thoughtful hygge to the launch of 2020. See you down on the farm sometime.
