Breaking free from resolutions

When all that's left is intentionality.

I haven’t been about resolutions in a number of years, and I’m not feeling pulled for this year to be any different, but I am wanting something more from/for my life.

I read a Substack recently that talked about how Americans just accept that life is supposed to be tough and expensive and violent and chaotic, but in reality, most of the rest of the world is far happier and enjoys life to the fullest without accepting that it’s meant to be hard.

Spaniards close business in the middle of the day to have a big lunch with friends and family.

Scandinavian parents are given a full year of maternity leave to settle into and welcome their babies into the world.

Italians pop in to say hello and connect with one another on their way home at the end of the day.

Austrians visit with neighbors during the holidays to admire their decor and check in with one another.

All of that sounds so foreign and simultaneously, so wholesome, so connected, so fulfilling.

Before even reading that article, I knew that what I was living - the life I had created, was not quite it.

Yes, I am grateful.

My life looks better than it did last year, vastly different that it did 5 years ago, unrecognizable from 10 years ago.

And yet, it feels…not mine.

It still very much looks and feels like what American society tells me it should look and feel like:

Strapped financially.

Fighting kids to go to school and/or do homework.

Battling screen time.

Overconsumption.

Boredom. Disconnect.

Accepting bare minimum in marriage and partnership.

A revolving door of health issues from the school yard germs to chronic pain and illness.

Work, work, work until you’re bone tired and have nothing left to pour into your family.

Scheduling time with friends the way you schedule doctor’s appointments.

Need I go on?

I’m fortunate to have staked a claim or planted a flag in the middle class, but we are slowly being pushed into lower class despite having a six-figure income.

All of this to say, this is not OK.

This is not it.

So while there are no resolutions and I am not going to make claims on how I will show up every day by listing out workout four times a week, cut out all sugar, lose 15 pounds, turn off my phone at 7PM, have a date night with my husband one time per week, save $12,0000…I will say this:

2025 is about being intentional.

It’s about showing up in every moment (mostly) as the woman, mother, wife, friend, sister, daughter that I want to be in that situation.

It’s about forethought and insight. About recognizing what brings value to my life and what is begging to be released. It’s about stepping into the natural flow of human existence as it is intended to be, and not accepting the American way of life as the be-all-end-all.

It’s about cultivating connections and curating a life that feels right to my soul, my inner child, and my future self.

It’s not about the grand gestures but about the small intimate moments between the larger milestones–the moments that, when strung together, create a life.

My life will be intentional.

It will be about listening to my body, mind, and spirit to know exactly what it’s yearning for and giving it just that.

Some days that might mean a 3-mile walk/jog, while others, it might mean a box of dark chocolate salted caramels.

What I know today that I didn’t know 10 years ago, 5 years ago, or even last year, is that my soul knows the way and when I get quiet enough to let my soul lead, I will create a life that is meant for me.

Here’s to intentionality.

To coffee dates before work.

Fire pits before bed.

Dinner under the stars.

Writing what’s on my heart.

To deep, meaningful connections with friends.

Delicious, homemade desserts and bread.

Sleepy mornings snuggled on the couch with the babes and a book.

And toes in the sand.

May intentionality be woven into every moment of every day, helping me (and you) cultivate a year of memories and a life meant exactly for us.