Are New Years Resolutions a Good Idea?

 Let's face it if we were going to resolve to do something to improve our life why is January the best time? 

It's after the holidays when, truthfully, I just want to relax and veg for a while. The last few months have been a stressful time. Wouldn't it be better to just let January pass by and rest and think about all that other stuff maybe in February? 

Oh, I've tried. Every January for over ... well at least 45 ish years.. I've thought what should my resolution be this year? Usually it came back to losing weight. Yet, whatever it was seemed to kind of be in the negative column. How come our resolutions aren't in the positive column? 

So here's some positive New Year's Resolutions (I'll pick mine in February :) 

1. Draw more pictures. It doesn't matter if you're a professional or never picked up a pencil to doodle - just draw more pictures. Art is therapy and we could all use a little of that right now. 

2. Play some music. Did you take lessons as a kid? Or ever wanted to? Do it. Pick up a guitar from a thrift shop or see what other instruments they have there and give it a go. 

3. Perfect one cooking skill. Ever want to bake from scratch? Make a tart or roll some sushi. 

4. Take a painting class. They're all over the place now days. Google paint and sip and see what you can find. Then go paint it. You might surprise yourself. 

5. Plan a trip to some place you've never been. Okay, you might have to wait a few months till travel is safe again, but go explore some place. Do the planning now so you can be ready later. 

6. Make something for someone with your own hands. Sew or knit or ...back to #1, draw something and gift a gift for no reason. 

7. Read one book classic book a month. Any library can tell you what the classics are; Tom Sawyer, To Kill a Nightingale, Anne of Green Gables. The list is long so there are plenty to choose from. 

8 Make one day a week your Pamper me day. Give yourself a pedicure, soak in a tub full of bubbles, or cuddle up with your significant other and watch a movie. 

9. Have a night out with the girls or guys once a month. Plan it and make it more than beer and pretzels. Make it a special event with something interesting. 

10. Volunteer. Find your favorite charity and volunteer. Animal shelter, Red Cross, Homeless Shelter, Meals on Wheels. There's always something, someone, somewhere who needs help. Find some time and do something. 

So do that New Year's resolution now or later but make it something that will help your soul grow and blossom. 2021 is here so let's make it beautiful. 

Got a great idea for a resolution? Post it below & share the wisdom! 

Life After 60?

Yes, life after sixty. Just think of the quote; You're never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream.

I had a dream at age 5. When people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up I'd always reply; An artist. I knew it then, in my heart, that I was an artist.

Giraffe rock painted for a friend

My mother disagreed.

Let's remember my mother grew up during the depression. She saw the worse of it and although her father always had a job times were lean and the man she married wasn't so lucky. My father came from a family of 12 children. Only 6 survived to adulthood. He quit school in the 6th grade to work to help support the family yet he was one of the smartest people I've ever known. I think it bothered him that he lacked even a grammar school education, but I know that had he been given opportunities, he would have gone far. He was kind and fair. His family was tough as nails, they had to be to survive with 12 kids and little money during those times.

Anyway, my mother said, "Artist don't make any money, pick something else."
Always the good little girl I believed my mother and wandered most of my life looking for that something else. I've worked retail, as a dental assistant, bartender, office manager, more retail, waitress, election clerk, sales manager, marketing director, human resource director, etc. I just floated from job to job as the opportunity arose and never really felt fully satisfied. Some were more interesting than others, some challenging (I loved the challenging jobs) and some were frustratingly boring. None touched my passion. Marketing came close, but the place where I worked was micro managed so it had limitations.

I wrote some books. Got a few more almost done. Yes, writing is in my heart, too, but I guess it's just another kind of art. A few books up on Amazon and really should get the others up soon. Working on that!
I wrote for the confession mags before they went under. Loved those stories.

Now at age 61? My kids moved 900 miles away. Let's face it, New Jersey is a hard state to start out in. They got out and I'm glad they did. Both bought their own homes and built a life. I missed them terribly. It was decision time.

My husband and I started investigating our options. If we moved down to be closer to them what could we do? How about our own business?

So here we are in Florida. No, not to retire. We are starting our own business and yes, it involves art. (More on this later.)  Right now we're in a kind of limbo doing the prep work for our new biz while living with my youngest daughter. I miss having my own home. Hey! This is the first time in over 30 years I didn't have my own house to take care of. But things here are going good. We're crazy busy getting this off the ground and since we're starting from the bottom up it's going to take months to get from leases & lawyers through the build-out process to the Grand Opening.

For a while I felt a little panicked. What have we done? Sold our home, left everything we ever knew and now we're ... homeless?  Then I go back and think;

You're never to old to set a new goal or dream a new dream. 

Family Tree painted for a friend. 

Suddenly Sixty

Funny, I don't feel sixty.
Except at work where I'm surrounded by coworkers the same ages as my kids. Yeeek!  The weird thing is, sometimes they talk to me as a coworker, sometimes as a mom. Yes, they want their cuts looked at and advice for how to handle that snarky so called friend, then they talk business with me. It's a very strange land I live in now.
Suddenly Sixty.

My kids moved 900 miles away and it broke my heart. I'm happy that they moved to a less expensive state and are doing great in their jobs, but they're 900 miles away. :(
Last week my dog went to Heaven. Another heartbreak. I cry every day now. I look to her spot on the couch and where she naps under the table as if I expect to see her. It was sudden. Wednesday fine, Thursday sick and rushed to the dog hospital, Friday gone. I can't stop crying.
I washed her beds and blankets intending to donate them to a rescue. They're still in my car. I can't let them go yet.


On top of all this, work sucks. Changes are being made and it's not what I signed up for. I told them I didn't want to travel. I never had a job where I had to travel and I don't like driving. Done.

List the house, move to Florida. Wish me luck.
Listing a house is like an opening night 24/7. Always be ready for the house to be "on" and ready to show. Its exhausting. Couple that with the fact we had to de-personalize the house, it doesn't even feel like our home anymore. None of my art is around the house, I don't have a workshop anymore (now it's a bedroom.) Boring beige bland house.

And I'm itching to paint something. Anything. Before I used to paint all the time. Now all my stuff is put away. Hidden in a box in storage. Blah.

I can't wait to move! Get me into my own home again with an art studio and family photos on the wall.


Sell this house and bring me to my new home in Florida! I will it to happen soon!  Please send positive vibes this way! Sell the house! Sell the house! Sell the house!