2020: A Year of Intentions

I usually love the start of a new year. The opportunity for reflection and a fresh start has always been appealing to me. This year has felt very different for a few reasons. As the new year has come and gone, I have been fixated on the news coming from Australia; the devastation that the bushfire season has caused (and is causing). The situation feels hopeless, and a sign of things to come as the planet heats up and many leaders around the world choose to deny this is happening and do nothing. This opinion piece in the New York Times is both informative and heartbreaking. Although we do not know anyone directly affected by the fires (yet), the overall impact on people's homes, lives, wildlife and ecosystem will no doubt be devastating. So, as we enter a new decade, I have found it difficult at times to feel excited or look forward to the future in light of all this. 

On a personal level, 2019 was a challenging year for me overall. I did not really want to leave Australia, but thought it was the best thing for our family and especially the kids. Our move to Melbourne was never meant to be a permanent one, so while we were living there we were always thinking or planning on when we would leave. I had grown to love Melbourne and our lives there, but I was tired of living in limbo and ready to put down some roots and begin the next stage of our lives. But, like many big life changes, it hasn't turned out quite as we'd imagined for a variety of reasons. Finding a job (especially for Andy) has been harder than expected. Traffic in Toronto is terrible, and the cost of housing very expensive, especially on a teacher's salary. And I have already mentioned my dislike of the winter weather in a previous post!

We are still living at my parent's house, which is great and helps a lot. Despite Andy's lack of work, we don't have any financial stress, and although I have a long commute my parents help with things like getting Ella ready for school, watching Ollie when we are both working, and making dinner. It has meant that when I get home from work I can spend time playing with the kids before they go to bed, instead of doing chores. So for that we are grateful. But of course ideally we would like to have our own place so that my parents can go back to being normal grandparents who just get to do fun things with their grandchildren. Although they don't complain, I know it is tiring for them to have two energetic little people to care for all the time. I'm sure they didn't really want to be parents for a second time in their 60s! (As an aside, I think my mom will want me to clarify that she is about to turn 61, so just barely in her 60s!)

So the settled feeling I was longing for when we were in Melbourne has not quite arrived yet. Over the past 9 months we have questioned many times whether or not we should have moved at all, even though we know deep down it was the right thing to do and we had to at least see what life in Canada would be like. At this point we are still living in limbo, with a decision around where we will put down some roots still uncertain. We have not ruled out the idea that we will go back to Australia within the next year.

Ok, so on to something more positive! Last year I came across this article about setting monthly micro-resolutions. The idea is that instead of making big, lofty New Year's resolutions that you have to stick to forever, instead to choose 12 smaller resolutions, one for each month. Year long resolutions are notoriously unsuccessful, but sticking to one thing for 30 days is a much more achievable goal. I LOVE this idea, especially as I always feel like I have too many resolutions I want to tackle and have trouble deciding on what to actually focus on. Focusing for 30 days straight one goal should be long enough to decide to make it a habit if I feel the change is making a positive impact on my life. And if it isn't, well, at least I've tried!

Following a very inspiring yoga class on New Year's Day, I've decided that instead of using the word resolution, I will use the word intention. A resolution tends to be rule-like, and limiting, whereas an intention is something we intend or plan that is in line with our values or purpose. In previous years I have chosen a word to act as a theme for the upcoming year. In 2017 it was Simplify, and in 2019 it was Reflect. I had a lot of trouble coming up with a word for this year until the above mentioned yoga class, where following a meditation we were given some journal writing prompts to help us think about the year ahead. And all of the sudden, my word came to me: Acceptance. This year I would like to try to accept where I am in my life, both literally (in Canada!) and also in terms of the stage I am in, as a mother with two young children. 

So below I have planned out my 12 monthly intentions for 2020. They may or may not change, depending on how the year goes, but I hope they are all intentions that help me to accept (and feel grateful for) the life I have right now.

January: Daily Yoga

Yoga has been a consistent in my life since having Ella, and I have always found that regular practice has allowed me to be more reflective and feel more grounded. I have never committed to a daily practice, although each year I try to complete Yoga with Adriene's 30 Days of Yoga. Adriene is my favourite Yogi on YouTube, and every January for the past six years she has put out a 30 day yoga challenge. Each one has it's own theme, and this year's is "Home", which I think is quite fitting for this time in my life. 

February: Limit Screen Time

In February I am going to make an intention to not be on my phone or laptop around the kids, so that I am more present when around them.

March: Gratitude Journal

There is so much research on the benefits of keeping a daily gratitude journal, and it is something I've started but not committed to in the past. I own this Five Minute Journal by Intelligent Change, which has the following prompts for each morning and evening:

Morning: I am grateful for...

                What would make today great?

                Daily affirmation. I am...

Evening: 3 amazing things that happened today...

                How could I have made today even better?

I like the morning and evening aspects, but I know I will need to make a plan so that I actually remember to do it each day!

April: Move!

Over the last four months, since starting work, I feel like I am sitting A LOT in my day, which makes me very irritable! My current role involves a lot of meeting with students individually in my office, so I don't get the chance to walk around a lot like a normal classroom teacher would. My commute also makes it difficult to get in the amount of physical exercise I'd like. For this intention I would like to focus on "closing all my rings" on my Apple watch every day. The watch tracks three things each day: standing, exercise, and movement (based on calories burned). Each one is represented by a ring, so if you reach the target each day you close your rings. I have never been able to close all my rings for a week straight, let alone a month, so this will be a good challenge for me.

May: Meditation

Meditation, like yoga, definitely has positive benefits on my mind when done consistently. I would like to increase the amount of time I meditate daily (currently I practice for 10 minutes most weekday mornings) and perhaps attend a guided meditation practice in my local area.

June: Write everyday

I've always wanted to take 10-15 minutes to write every morning, so this will be my intention for June. I'm undecided as to whether this will be in my journal, or working on blog posts. (Maybe this should be two separate months instead? I'll decide later...)

July: Take more photos

Andy and I own a decent DSLR that I constantly wish I knew how to use! So in July I intend to get a photography for beginners book and learn to take different pictures everyday. We will be on holiday in Spain and England for a few weeks this month, so that should tie in nicely with this intention. 

August: Eat a Plant Based Diet

I've always wanted to have more of a plant based diet, for a variety of reasons: environmental concerns, animal cruelty and overall health. I've chosen August for this intention because I will be off work and therefore will have more time to experiment with different recipes. It will also be summer so there should be more seasonal produce available, and farmer's markets to shop at, which will make this intention more fun.

September: Go Plastic Free

I'd love to eliminate single use plastics, and I feel like September might be a good month to try this - it will be a good follow on from my plant based diet in August.

October: Reconnect
Having lived in quite a few different places over my adult life, I have friends in many different countries. I am constantly thinking "oh I should email/text/message this or that person". And I hardly ever do. I think about it A LOT though, and so in October I intend to make an effort to get in touch with someone new everyday.

November: Zero discretionary spending

I am super impressed with people that do these "no shopping for a year" type goals. I really wish I could be like that. I hope that a month of no shopping or spending on things like takeaway coffee will help me be more mindful about my spending.

December: ?
I will leave December free, and decide on this one when we get there, based on the rest of the year.

And there your have it, my 12 monthly intentions for 2020. I am happy to report that 10 days into January I have managed to commit to my daily yoga intention, so the year has started off well.
Do you make resolutions or intentions at New Year's? What are yours for 2020?