New Year’s Resolutions

There was a time in my life where I realised that I wasn’t enjoying what I was doing. Sound familiar?

Obligation can feel like work. Are you trying to please others more than yourself? I put my life on hold to assess my situation. I could only do that by being honest to myself and not feel selfish by following through with the solution.

Voicing your new year’s resolution brings about a sense of obligation and pressure. Starting things you don’t finish, investing in activities you can’t keep up with, adding stuff to your already busy schedule.

So I decided to have a more abstract and open-ended goal. That way, it would slot into my every day life, rather than become an ‘extra’ I need to make room for.

Last year I wanted to be more courageous. Going to see the fireworks at Sydney Harbour Bridge on New Year’s Eve on my own was a pretty symbolic step towards it. Though I was disappointed in myself for not staying for the second lot of fireworks at midnight. In the morning I heard there were public transport problems that left people stranded for hours. So perhaps a smart move.

I could add a few other personal achievements to the list for which I keep private.  One of which I’m happy to share is the publication of my latest book. I put my heart and soul into the book.

I do believe that it’s not enough to put your heart into something. Not that it’s wrong, and I don’t judge people who write only from the heart. But without ‘soul’, poetry is not alive.

Heart gives what the mind needs; breath, oxygen, love. The soul cannot be expressed in words so easily. It moves, it sings, it reaches, it escapes the body to unknown dimensions, and it is where creativity blooms and dies. Like a life cycle the elements that are taken over by the soul take different forms and experience different stages. It takes a lot of energy and courage to dig deep as you don’t know yourself what you have found, until you read back on what others have read in your work. You are not interpreting anything as you write. A soul, not necessarily yours, has consumed you, has taken control.

The red rose on the cover of my book means love and courage. Courage comes from the soul. The white background silk design represents the spirits (ghosts) and it has a spooky feel balanced with a romantic feel. I didn’t plan that- it just formed itself as I was designing it and went along with my senses. Petals are part of that silk effect. They are red.

As a release, I promised myself a new word for 2016, ‘FUN’. The word that we all forget to have and do as we venture into adulthood. A few nights ago I watched a movie called The Little Prince. The movie just about sums up my thoughts. I’d like to be a bit more spontaneous. Not lazy and thoughtless, but try new directions. And not feel guilty when I say, ‘no’ to people.

And so hey, assessing and reassessing is all part of growing up, and I do believe we never stop ‘growing’. Learning is a big part of that. In general,  I’ve gone with what the universe brought forward. I’ve ‘traveled’ along with my senses.

As a contrast to ‘fun’, next year I’d like to be more knowledgeable. Not to plan, but to have a good grasp of ‘knowledge’. Simple- the best restaurants, bars, places to generally go out. Interesting destinations, people, research into history. That kind of thing. And have fun with everything dance brings. There are a few private aspirations- we all have them. These lay in my love for life and the people in my private life and music.

Do you have any inspiration for the year 2016? I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading and being part of my world! If you have anything to say, leave a comment. It encourages me to write more. Would love to hear from you. Thanks to everyone who has been following me over the years- and thanks to my new subscribers as well!

Poems That Dance is so far my most successful blog and I enjoy it a lot. I’d like to keep going and putting my energy into this. It’s FUN!

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM POEMS THAT DANCE!