2025: Determined

Hello and welcome to the second Saturday of January and the first Saturday of what I call "Ordinary Time" here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is January 11th. (1 -1 -1!)

This past week it was back to our regularly scheduled programming revolving around school, work, and extracurricular activities, i.e. Ordinary Time. I don't know about you, but I felt so exhausted every day, and just a little bit sad. The slower pace of the holiday and the long break was a welcomed time of rest, reflection, and celebration. I whined about this to a friend and she reminded me that we (as humans) like feeling relaxed and the comforts of this reality. She also reminded me that returning to the routine - choosing to stay consistent and doing the things I don't "feel" like doing - will get me back on track. 

And she wasn't wrong.

With each passing day, I inserted a few more of the regular routine things back into my days so that, by Friday, I was feeling relatively back to normal - and okay with being back in Ordinary Time. 

Of course, Thursday's night of Pints & Puzzles at the local brewery was also a welcomed break from the week of getting back in the saddle. And, who knows? Maybe it was one of the stepping stones on the trajectory back to normal, because, really, by Friday - and definitely today - I feel like my mind and body are back in the game.

Which brings me to New Year's resolutions.

Over the holidays, I noticed some articles and social media posts poo-pooing resolutions. I'm a stalwart, faithful fan of resolutions because I'm human and I fail - often. A new year is the cosmic permission to reflect, resolve, recommit and begin again.

The last few years, I've chosen a word or phrase to harness my resolved energy. A quick search through our 6 years' worth of blog posts showed me that in 2021 I chose "Sky" and 2022's word was "Ground." In 2023, I shared my blog post space with my husband who shared his New Year's Advice. In 2024, my words were "Light & Bright."  (And even Antonin got on the resolution, vision board bandwagon.)

This year, I have two words: Focus and Determined.

Focus is my WOTY (Word of the Year) for my work. I can get excited about a lot of things and when you're excited about a lot of things, it's easy to lose focus. I don't know if it's because I'm getting older or if it's because I'm in this amazing time and space where I have the gift of opportunity to really affect change to make the world a better place for both people and communities - whatever it is - I'm much more pragmatic and interested in tangible outcomes. I want wins. And the only way you can knock out wins is to see an idea or project through from the alpha to the omega.

I spent the last quarter of 2024 culling and paring down my list to just a few carrots I can dangle on a stick just before my eyes and hands and actually obtain in 2025. Now that I've decided on what I'm aiming to grab, I can commit to staying focused on those few achievable goals. 

As an approach, I am determined. This is similar to focus, but there is a key difference. Focus says to me, "Kim, don't get distracted. Keep your eye on the ball." Determined says, "Don't give up. Believe in yourself. Stay the course. You CAN do this." Determination kicks the nasty nemesis Self-Doubt to the curb like my very own personal superhero.

No matter if you resolute or not, may your 2025 be filled with focus and determination as you show up and navigate through the cycle of Ordinary Time and holidays.

One last holiday hurrah! Happy 2025!