A Year of Possibilities

It’s that time. We are now in a brand-new year, and are faced with either making, or starting on our New Year’s resolutions. In Episode 90, we talked about the feeling of being stalked by our resolutions. To boil it down, the word ‘resolution’ often feels as if it is a synonym for ‘duty’. If you’re like me, you have enough ‘duties’ to last you a lifetime, and most of that is errands and housework! 

Rather than look at this year as a duty to perform and complete, we are going to peek around the corner of that barrier and take a look at what possibilities are out there. When you look at it that way, you may just get excited to see what your new year will hold.

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Transcript

Episode 92 – A Year of Possibilities (Unwrapping a Gift)

Welcome back to the 3rd Season of Living a Simple Life with a Back Porch view. I want to thank you for listening in each week, and to express my deepest gratitude for those who are weekly listeners, and for those who are supporting the show through the Support link. This helps me to continue our visits through this podcast!

Next, I want to welcome you to 2024. We are now in a brand-new year, and are faced with either making, or starting on our New Year’s resolutions. In Episode 90, we talked about the feeling of being stalked by our resolutions. To boil it down, the word ‘resolution’ often feels as if it is a synonym for ‘duty’. If you’re like me, you have enough ‘duties’ to last you a lifetime, and most of that is errands and housework! 

Rather than look at this year as a duty to perform and complete, we are going to peek around the corner of that barrier and take a look at what possibilities are out there. When you look at it that way, you may just get excited to see what your new year will hold. 

First and foremost, there are two possible scenarios for a new year. The number 1 possibility is to redesign your life. Recently, I had a pity-party – complete with balloons and cupcakes. Well, in reality, I was on a tractor, bushhogging the pasture. The balloons were puffs of dirt and dust that flared up when I ran through a bull wallow, and let’s just say the cupcakes I found are only good for the compost bin. 

But you would be amazed at what you can resolve while driving slowly back and forth across a pasture on a tractor. And I needed that time to think. You see, I’ve begun to realize there are a few things in my life that consume me. In the process, those things have begun to take over and push who I am on an overall basis into a dark and cold corner. 

The worst thing you can do in life is to lose who you are at heart. And whether we like it or not, the fact is we all go through a period in life when other things, people, responsibilities, and issues push away who we really are. 

If you are in a relationship with someone, often times we strive to become the person they want or need us to be. In the process, we slowly begin chipping away at the person they fell in love with, and then unsuccessfully become some type of weird clone-blob. 

The same thing happens with our lifestyle. We start out in one direction, but other influences begin to creep in. As we adapt to allow that one to fit, the next one comes slipping in through. Before long the lifestyle we want to live doesn’t look anything like the one we are living.

A second possibility for the new year is that we are able to see a new and beautiful horizon. There is a light that is beginning to get brighter, and it highlights all the things we could do with our life. There is a blank canvas between you and that horizon, and we are eager to start painting what our year would look like. 

In order to find solutions on how to stay true to yourself in Possibility #1 and colors to use for Possibility #2, it may be helpful to start your new year by giving yourself a gift. No. The one you are imagining is too small. Make it bigger – I mean really BIG. Okay. Now, you have just received a gift from yourself, but for some crazy reason, you can’t remember what it is. You have some anticipation building up – and can’t wait to open it.

There, nestled among some sparkly tissue is your gift. Inside, you find not one, but a multitude of beautiful ornate boxes. Some are hand carved; others are embedded with sparkling jewels. And each one has been specifically tailored to you. Tailored for who you are. What you want. Where you want to go in life.

The first box you choose is filled with your dreams. These are all the things you have thought about doing, places you want to go, the way of life you want to pursue. You look lovingly and longingly at each one, then set it aside. Those were dreams you once had, but there never seems to be enough time to pursue them. 

The next box is carved with a vine of beautiful roses. In the box you see the sparkle of your long-forgotten passions. You barely recognize them, because the last time you looked, they were coated with a thick layer of dust from being stuck in the back of the closet. Now they have been brought out into the light, carefully cleaned, and are glittering with possibilities. 

Your anticipation level is heightened now. You reach for the next box that seems to be made of mother of pearl. This one takes you a moment just to admire before lifting the lid. But when you do, you see your sense of purpose nestled in satin, just waiting for you to pick it up and embrace it. 

As you reach for the next box, you realize it is a bit heavier than the others. This one is a silver filigree design. You lift the lid and find several smaller items – your goals, determination, and tucked in the very bottom a note that says, ‘You can do this.’ 

It may sound silly giving yourself a gift like this. But all too often, many of us feel as if our dreams, passions, purpose in life, and goals should be set aside in order to tend to the needs of our family, and diligently try to keep up with the expectations others have for us – or even the unachievable expectations we have for ourselves. 

Instead of heading down that same weary path of trying so hard to maintain a lifestyle you no longer enjoy or want, maybe it’s time to slow down. Rather than trying to make and fulfill any new year resolutions you made, use the month of January to explore those gifts you just gave yourself.

Take another good look at the benefits of living a Simple Life. Resurrect those dreams you once had for your life. Search for the passions you long ago stored on the closet shelf. Discover what your purpose is, and then engage your determination to design goals that help you to recapture the joy, contentment, and time you’ve been missing.

Living a Simple Life is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. And when you embrace the gift, you realize that it is one that can be regifted to others, yet you still get to keep it for your very own as well.

If you haven’t already started living a Simple Life, I can help you get started. First, if you’ll check out the link in the show notes, I’m offering you the gift of a Free Simple Life Starter Kit mini workbook which is designed to help you get started on your journey. 

And if you enjoy the free gift, there is also a link to my Living a Simple Life Workbook, which is a comprehensive workbook that can help you start mapping out your journey through discovering your true priorities, embracing passions long forgotten, and finding ways to slow down, celebrate life and learn to deeply love the new life you have created. 

I’m wishing for you a beautiful new year, one filled with passion, possibilities, and purpose. 

If you want to learn more about living a Simple Life, just visit my website at www.thefarmwife.com/ . If you’re enjoying listening to these podcasts, you can support the show by clicking the SUPPORT button in the show notes. When you do, you’ll be helping me continue bringing you fun and helpful ideas for living the Simple Life you love!

If you have questions or just want to stop in for a visit, you can do that through email at thevirtualporch@gmail.com. And be sure to subscribe – you don’t want to miss a single conversation. I'll be sitting on the porch every Monday morning waiting for your visit!

Thanks again for stopping in. I will see you next week on Living a Simple Life with a Back Porch View. And while you are waiting for the next episode, grab that glass of refreshment, pull up a rocker, and sit back for a while. It’s time to relax and enjoy.