newy newness

omigoodness. it's 2012, a new year! how did that happen?!

confession: i'm not one of those amazing environmentalist yogis who repurposes every single thing and only buys what she needs. i reuse, i recycle... but i also buy a lot of clothes, shoes, accessories, you name it. i love new things. new, shiny, shimmery things.

and now it's a new year. hooray! it's new: un-damaged, un-tarnished, and un-dirtied. i can put it on, strut around in it, and make it my own. i love the anticipation of wearing a new dress or a funky new ring. i love seeing how people react to it. i love finding out how the fabric feels and drapes over the course of the night.

and, as much as i love new things, new things can be a bit scary. there are so many unknowns. how will it wear? how will it stand the test of time?

one of the ways we deal with unknowns is to plan and to make alternate arrangements, just in case. in some ways, that is what new year's resolutions are. they help you plan what you'll do in the new year, where you'll go, and how you'll get there.

but let me posit a counterpoint. new year's resolutions are also expectations. and, in yoga, we try to let go of expectations--to just breathe and enjoy the ride.

i'm not saying that resolutions are a bad thing, or that they aren't helpful. but i'm someone that really struggles with letting go of expectations; i like making plans. i live on lists.


and so this year, i'm not making any resolutions. not because i'm perfect, and not because i don't have things to work on. (although, there aren't enough messages telling us how amazing we are, or that we don't need to change to deserve to be happy and loved. maybe i should be writing a manifesto against resolutions!)

the reason i'm not making any resolutions is because i want to just try this year out, and see how it fits. i want to explore this new year as it unfolds. i want to see what happens. i want to enjoy the newness and watch it glimmer.

so no resolutions for me. i'm just going to breathe.