What do I want to carry forward in to 2026 ...

 As the two years lie side by side, I an inclined to set intentions for the New Year rather than resolutions. 

Intentions are more encompassing, more forgiving, more gentle. 

Intentions invite reflection & introspection about the path life is taking.  This is not about being critical, just accepting the passage of time & the happenings of the past year. 

Accept that life is not perfect for anyone, it is a series of misadventures & misdemeanours that will define us if we allow it to. Learn the lessons then get the heck out of the past is how I view it. Don't carry it forward to a new year with you. 

I am acutely aware that I have less time ahead than the time I have already lived & that makes me mindful to enjoy the time I have, while I have it. 

This is a big year for me - it is the year I officially retire, when I step away from a lifetime in education of sorts. I have worked for 2 decades with 5-18 year olds in Elective Home Education.  I have loved it & being privileged to work in people's homes & to know their family well.

In a previous life when we lived in the rurals of Lesotho, I drew up a programme & trained several nursery helpers to run a nursery school in the Maluti mountains.  My training programme was used nationally too & I loved the challenge of working with children who found it all new & exciting when their communities were thrust in to modern life. 

In England, I worked in academic & county libraries - jobs I really loved, especially the buzz of the university environment before I returned to education which suited my family life more. I can confidently say that I rose to all these challenges.  Challenges are what shape us & that alone is good. 

So with a new chapter on the horizon this coming year, I am already thinking of what I want this chapter of life to look like. 

I am fortunate in having many hobbies & interests. I love taking classes & courses (typical I think of teachers) & I look forward to devoting more time to my interests. Being idle is not on the agenda, life is too short to not embrace it fully. 

What do I want to carry forward in to 2026? I intend to do more of what I love, I think more travel is on the cards too ... 

Are your intentions set for 2026? May you be blessed with realising many of them,

Dee 🥂✅📋

2024 is almost done & dusted ...

... and just like that, another year winds down quickly & it is always a time to just take some moments to reflect on the year & how it has been. Do you find yourself evaluating how your year went? I think it is natural to review your year, mentally at least. After a year of highs & lows, striving & surviving, breathe & sit with the passing year.  

Resist the urge to hurry this year out before its time, let it linger a little longer while you think about all the lessons it has brought with it; at least 365 lessons, which is only one a day in the greater scheme of things.  Take note of the missed opportunities, the challenges, the things that did not go as planned.  

It is important that you weathered the storms with resilience & fortitude. Life will always be a series of adventures & misfortunes & none will define us indefinitely, they are just natural bumps & delays requiring adjusting to the unexpected. 

Life is meant to be experienced, not controlled so it is in the quiet moments when we catch our breath that we learn. 

Some chapters don't need revisiting, you don't need a reason for everything that happened, you don't need to untangle it all - just let it go. 

I will once again enter the new year with intent  rather than resolutions, to invite growth & knowledge in to the coming year, to ease gently in to it all.  There is no rush, it does not have to be hurried along, just a little movement towards a new day. 

As time marches on, I am aware that I have less time ahead than the time I have already lived to it is natural to guard my time & energy more.

There is a need to make sure that friendships & other relationships are on even keel & that you are not always giving more than you are receiving.  Carry the ones forward to those who loved & stood by you, who believed in you even when you didn't. They are your people, your tribe. 

Let the others go, release what no longer serves you out of courage not defeat. 

Life is never perfect, it is not meant to be; no one has it all figured out, we are all just making it up as we go along so don't let comparison be the thief of joy in your life.  Carry only the lessons forward, not the weight of them. 

I am joining a daily journaling group to give focus, reflection, & curiosity to another year, hoping it will bring clarity, freedom, purpose & understanding to my life.  Some chapters will end, because they are done, the lesson is delivered & not every thing is meant to go forward with you each year.  

Make peace with the year that is ending & look forward to the new year, trusting that you will figure it out, one day at a time ... 

Thank you to each & every one who visits my blog, however briefly & for whatever reason. May 2025 be good to you, 

Dee ⏳🕰️🥳⏰

Enter 2024 with Intention

We stand at the cusp of another new year. The time between this year & the next is good to ... 

Reflect on the year we are leaving in 2023 

What did I do well? What challenges did I overcome? What lessons did I learn? What brought joy to my life? What is on my 'must do better' list? What were the highlights? What do I want to leave behind? What drains my energy? What things am I most proud of? 

Do not move from one year to the next without letting go of things which no longer serve you. 

Let go of old fears, habits, clothes, labels, tasks which no longer resonate with you. 

Do a digital declutter - inbox newsletters that no longer serve you, delete old emails, files & photos - back up the rest.

Do a physical declutter - clothes, shoes, post, books, magazines, bedding etc Organise the space & time 

This makes space for new intentions. 

What feelings, situations, people am I making space for & welcoming in? These provide a sense of direction through flexibility & adaptability. What are my priorities & motivation? 

Set intentions: I intend to improve my life  ... 

Physical - improved sleep, better food choices, self-care, health benefits of small changes

Emotional - saying NO without guilt, saying yes to people who value you, not being a listening post 

Financial - effective money management & savings 

Social - quality time with my tribe - people who make me feel valued & seen, 

Spiritual - time in nature & spaces that give me peace, deep conversations  

Personal - more time reading, hobbies, perfecting skills, more family time 

What are my visions for 2024? 

More time? To do what? Set an intention of how I would use that time. What I don't want life to look like? What quotes that inspire me?  

WORDs to inspire 2024 -  I AM words to inspire & provokes change?

This time is also just a good time to ... 

Thank you for stopping by & spending time with me. What I AM words would you use to describe yourself? It is quite hard to think of but please share ... 

Dee 🥂🎉🗓️