“Give yourself a perfect day. Do what makes you happiest. Look upon what gives you joy. Speak to those who warm your heart. Listen to that which lifts your spirit. Surround yourself with sights and sounds and people who give you pleasure. For all the happiness you give to others all year long, give yourself a perfect day.”
~author unknown
You know, I love the New Year. I love it not for resolutions, which I don’t particularly believe in for the way they allow us to put off the important things a little longer (if you have a resolution to make, make it now, don’t wait for next week or next year, do it now). I love it because we remember what a beginning is, and we feel the hope and excitement that comes along with beginnings. Just as the transition from winter to spring does, January reminds me of the renewal each day offers, and in times of global turmoil and bad news, it is this renewal that is sacred.
A beginning often marks a change of course, or at least some type of change in one’s life, whether it is a new day, a new job, a new outlook, or a new way of living. I will tell you that I am a generally positive person, fulfilled in love and family, and though I don’t make much money, I know how to make my own bread, grow my own food, and create my own happiness. Still, there are obstacles I run into, and I have been known to let my frustrations ferment, trapped behind the walls that my own desire creates when something does not come fast or easy enough; and I have been known to give all my energy away to others until I am empty and have none left for myself. So when I read the quote above, I thought yes. Yes I will give myself a perfect day. Then I realized, I can give myself many perfect days. For me, this means waking up refreshed, taking time for tea and yoga in the morning, taking time to write, time to run with the dogs for hours in the woods, time to cook and tend to the farm animals, time to be with my husband: time to create a life rather than to buy one. I am reclaiming my days and renewing my energy. This is my beginning, my change. This is my resolution happening now.
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A few days ago, I opened an old journal of mine and read this entry, dated 9/29/05:
I’ve been thinking about my future. And I have no idea what career I want. I know what I want to do—I want to laugh a lot. and smile. Just simply be happy.
As a freshman in college, this sentiment set my path, and I follow it still. I will give myself a perfect day. I will do what makes me happiest, and perhaps this joy will find others, and bring a perfect day to them as well.
Edge and I Raising our Yurt
Canoeing with Edge, Green River Reservoir
Homemade Bread
Yurt at Night
