Hi everyone, I hope your holidays  were filled with happiness! Our celebrations were quiet this year, no kiddos to visit, so it was just me and Mr B. We went out for dinner on Christmas Eve… because we’ve entered the elderly portion of our lives. Even with reservations there was an hour and a half wait so back home we went. I can’t even remember what we ate later! I hear short-term memory loss is a hallmark of the elder years…….

2019. I can barely say it without wondering where last year went. 2018 went by like a speeding train. Before I begin with the Word for this new year, I thought I’d take a look back at last year’s Word. Notice the Capitalization of Word…..because choosing a word to guide you through a year makes that word important and deserving of capitalization. I used to think choosing a word was dumb, along with making a new year’s list of resolutions, always broken. I was wrong. Not so much about the resolutions, those are still broken by most people before spring arrives. So I didn’t expect much from choosing one word. So what happened? And while I’m at it…. what happened after I completed my 30 Day Challenge in July of 2017??

Remember my trip to Tennessee in the summer of 2017? When I went a bit crazy and shopped until the car could hold nothing more? All those spur-of-the-moment purchases that I loved in the shops, had to have, and then? Got home and immediately had a bad case of buyer’s remorse over most of it….. why do I bring these things home without really thinking? Why do I feel the NEED to collect? Beats me…. but I knew I needed to stop…. my home is small…. we need to actually live in it and I was tired of spending money on things that I didn’t want after only a few weeks, sometimes only days. Time to admit I may have a problem. So I did a self-imposed 30 day challenge. 30 days of no shopping. I had to go cold turkey, that meant no browsing at my favorite antique stores, no stopping in Target “just to look.” I could purchase groceries and health care items and replace clothing if need be. NOTHING else.

How did I do? And how did it impact my life? Or help me choose a word for 2018 and get me to where I am now?

The first week was brutal, not lying. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I wanted desperately to go shopping with my bestie, to stop by my favorite shop and chat with the vendors I have relationships with. I wandered the house. I moved things around. Then it was week 2. I decided to do a mini purge to help jump-start some creativity. I stayed busy. I made a pile of things to sell and donate. Week 3. I was no longer sweaty, had no urge to shop. Watched some movies, finished a couple of books. Relaxed. Week 4. Deep cleaned the house, added to the pile. Mr B took 2 carloads to Goodwill and I recouped some of the money I’d spent on my crazed shopping excursion. 30 days later and my house was clean, there were a  few clear spaces on tables. Eureka!!

Since then, I’ve become much more selective about my purchases. Things still come in but things also go out. I’m thoughtful and intentional about what I buy. Mostly vintage, not much cutesy meaningless decor. Sometimes there is a stinker in the mix, but those are few and far between now. And I’m in the middle of a major clean-out to begin the new year, a whole house purge.

My Word for 2018 was Intentional.   It changed how I live my life. For real. I’ve become more thoughtful about every aspect of my life. Friendships were lost. Friendships were made. Shopping was no longer a time-wasting, money spending event, it became a joyful experience, more for browsing and learning than actual buying. My mindless collecting has stopped. I enjoyed spending time at home and there were days I didn’t leave the house. My savings account grew. I felt peaceful. Mr B’s take? I was now intentionally bringing crap home. (insert eye roll here.) Intentional crap for the win!

Choosing a Word for 2019 became important. I wanted an impactful word, one that would help me navigate the year and give me focus. One deserving of capitalization. After multiple choices were discarded, I ended up with my Word for 2019.

APPRECIATE.

ap•pre•ci•ate

verb. appreciate

1. recognize the full worth of

be grateful for

2. Understand ( a situation) fully; recognize the full implications of.

3. Rise in value ( the house will increase (appreciate) in value.

I want to take the time to appreciate my life, my home, my friends…. to count my many blessings. To not let the things I want make me forget the things I have. To spend time with my friends now, before they are gone, to say I love You ….to let them know I recognize their full worth so that I don’t lose  anyone else without that person knowing he or she was loved by me.

To appreciate that Oscar, my little Heart dog, got to spend another Christmas with us. To make sure the end years of his life are quality and filled with as much love as I can give him, to continue to let Lily know this home is a place of refuge, that no one will ever hurt her again…. To make sure my granddaughters know I recognize their full value and that I will love them unconditionally. To let my kids continue to grow into the amazing humans they are, without unsolicited advice, and let them know I am grateful I have them in my life. I want to remind Mr B how much I appreciate every thing he does for me, to thank him for his patience as I/we continue to create our suburban sanctuary…. to make sure he knows how much I adore him, and that for me, he is the perfect compliment to my soul.  To take nothing for granted. Appreciate. My Word for 2019.

Happy New Year everyone. May it be filled with many blessings.