Saturday, December 31, 2016

farewell 2016 and taking care of yourself

From what I've seen on social media, it seems a lot of us are glad to see 2016 go. I don't need to rehash world news here, but it was an "interesting" year, to say the least.

I like to reflect on my own life and goals at the end of the year, and also look back at the happenings of the year. There were lots of good times, but some heartbreaking news as well. Though, of course, that's not surprising. It's all part of life.


I find it helpful to journal some thoughts and goals for the New Year instead of making resolutions. Ask yourself what you discovered about yourself in 2016...what surprised you...what held you back? Did anything change for you? How did you handle these challenges?


What are you looking forward to in the New Year - and what are you unsure about? How can you bring more calm into your life, heart and head this New Year? What will you make more time for? 

That's just a few of the many questions you can ask yourself and think about. Two women who really inspire me toward personal growth and self-care are Jennifer Louden and Susannah Conway. If you need inspiration and motivation, I highly recommend you taking a look at these two blogs. 


In the meantime, wishing you all a blessed and safe New Year's Eve. Are you staying in or going out? For the first time in years, we are going out to dinner in Chicago with some friends. We'll be back way before midnight though ~ don't want to be on the roads after midnight celebrations, that's for sure! 

Thank you for your continued friendship and support of my little blog. You all are appreciated and treasured.
xoxo

16 comments:

  1. I'm sure you know that I'm not going out! I saw Andrew this morning, and now I'm in for a few days. Plan to read, maybe watch some TV. Curl up with the pupsters.
    Brenda

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  2. Melanie, I'm feeling positive about the new year and hope others are as well.
    Hugs!

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  3. I hope you had a wonderful dinner and that the new year has nothing but good in store for you. We've having a very quite New Years, celebrated with friends Friday evening before the traditional celebrations :)

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  4. Hope you had a wonderful time out. Happy New Year.

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  5. I hope you had a wonderful dinner, Melanie. I kept our little CJK overnight so his parents could go out. They usually stay home and celebrate with him. They were out until 3:30 this morning....lol....I bet they felt like OLD teenagers again.

    Working on my computer and trying to get this new one 'clean' for the New Year. xo Diana

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  6. I got sidetracked and thought I had left a message here for you but apparently NOT. lol Hope you have a wonderful new year full of positive experiences. xoDiana

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  7. I like your questions, Melanie.

    A blessed and rewarding 2017 to you,
    Dewena

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  8. I'm not familiar with either of those bloggers, but I must say, that the title of one post by Jennifer, The Lure of Doing Nothing, has me intrigued.

    Happy New Year

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  9. We celebrated our family Christmas on New Year's weekend, so we stayed home, which is the norm for us. I never make resolutions, but I want to get my healthy eating back on track.....as soon as all the goodies are gone. :o)

    May your 2017 be happy and healthy, Melanie.

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  10. I never do make resolutions. Maybe I'm perfect? ha ha ha

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  11. Self-care is very important and it's something I work on continually. I'm not good at taking time for myself or at letting myself feel what I really feel in a given situation, if you know what I mean, but I'm working on it. I was taught to be pleasant and smiley no matter what was happening and that's been a very hard habit to break. I hope 2017 is a good year for you and your family, Melanie. Thanks for your friendship.

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  12. Thank you for the links, Melanie. It's fun to find new blogs. I like your questions for journaling. Very thought provoking and I think I'll give some of them a go. Starting a new journal is always my favorite part of the new year.

    Happy New Year to you!

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  13. beautiful pictures.. Happy new year... hope this year will go fine..

    Please visit: http://from-a-girls-mind.blogspot.com

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  14. This was a very intersting post and an usual way to think about the new year. I did learn a lot in 2016 about nutrition and I hope this learning will somehow be fruitful in 2017!
    Have a great, serene new year!

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  15. Much food for thought . . . lovely photos, too.
    Have a wonderful week.
    Your blogging sister,
    Connie :)

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  16. It is nice to go back and look at our memories and to improve it in our present...

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