Endless Possibilities

By Michele Bazan Reed  |  bazanreed@hotmail.com

 

It’s that exciting time of the year, when we put up another perfectly pristine calendar. In fact, I love the artwork on the calendars so much, I’m guilty of buying several each year and then have to search for places to hang them. The laundry room? Days for towels, reds, jeans. The bathroom? Days to scrub the tub, wash the sink, mop the floor. I’m joking, I don’t really do that, but you are likely to see two in the kitchen, another one over my desk and multiple planners on my desk: one for medical appointments, another for writing assignments and a third for daily to-dos.

Whether your calendar features grumpy cats, quilt patterns, fine art masterpieces, 365 beers — or like my yearly must-have, adorable puppies — they all have one thing in common. Fresh, empty squares, not yet cluttered with doctor appointments, bills due and grandkids’ soccer games and music recitals. Wide open days that show us we can do anything, anything at all, with our time. It’s at once exhilarating and intimidating.

Time is the most precious commodity we have, so it’s natural we want to use it to our best advantage.

That coincides with another beginning of the year tendency. We look at where we’ve been and what we’ve been doing in the old year, and contrast that with where we hope to be. How to make the leap? That old favorite: the New Year’s resolution.

I don’t know about you, but I always make resolutions with the best of intentions. This year, I tell myself, I’ll finally lose that last five pounds, read that pile of books, declutter my apartment, spend more time with my family and friends.

One year, I even bought a special planner, bound in leather with gilt-edged pages, where you listed your goals at the beginning of the year and broke them down for each month. There were charts for tracking your progress, check-ins at the beginning and end of each month and pages for listing things you were grateful for each day. I faithfully filled in these things — until about Jan.5 and that was that. The book made an awfully pretty paperweight though.

One resolution I make every year is to write something every day. It’s an old chestnut, oft repeated to would-be writers. My whiteboard carries the words at the top, written in my late husband, Bill’s, hand. I grew up with writing teachers drilling it into my head. And every holiday I receive at least one journal from family and friends encouraging me to follow the advice.

And yet, I’ve never gotten to February with a perfect record.

This year, I’ve added another daily practice in the hopes of building additional skills. I’ve enjoyed shopping and accumulating art supplies, paper and books in the hopes of learning new forms of art. I’m challenging myself to make art every day.

So I thought long and hard about how to be successful in these two goals that are important to me.

One good piece of advice I’ve read often is to make an appointment with yourself. That’s where all those pristine white calendar squares and planner pages come in. Block off the time and if anything else comes up, just say no. You deserve to have time for yourself. And cultivating a hobby can be great for one’s mental health. Some, like art, scrapbooking, crocheting or woodworking, can help with hand strength and dexterity as we get older, too.

Another bit of advice is to set yourself up for success — literally. If you’re interested in doing some painting, find a space where you can set up a simple studio, a surface with space for paper, pencils, pens and paints. Add some paper towels for clean up and an instruction book or two. There are plenty that promise projects that can be done in as little as 30 minutes.

If writing is your goal, keep a journal or notebook and pencil or pen in an easily accessible spot in your home, or in a tote bag or purse. Then you can take advantage of free moments waiting in line or between loads of wash at home.

For yoga, you can keep a mat rolled up and stowed under the bed or couch, with accessories in a basket alongside it.

Reading’s an easy one: keep your TBR (To Be Read) pile on a nightstand or end table, along with any reading glasses and a cozy blanket or two.

Yarn makes a pretty decoration, so a basket of yarn and knitting needles or crochet hooks and instructions can be left on a coffee table or tucked under a desk waiting for a moment to create something cozy.

The same holds true for hobbies like model trains, fly tying or chess, which look beautiful on display and can be ready to enjoy at a moment’s notice.

If your goal is to drink more water, equip yourself with a good water bottle with graduated ounces, or set out several bottles of water each night for the next day.

Want to eat healthier in the new year? Stock up on easy-to-grab healthy snacks or have cut-up veggies and cheese handy for when the urge strikes.

Vowed to walk every day? The night before, make sure your walking shoes, hat, water bottle and appropriate clothing for the weather are by the door, ready to go. Better yet, get a walking buddy — you can encourage each other and have a nice visit on your walks.

The possibilities are endless for building positive habits and enriching your life. Embrace those white squares on the new calendars and have fun.

Now I’m off to schedule a date with myself to sit by the river and sketch.