2015 was not my favourite year.
Professionally, I spent the entire year feeling like I was both spinning my wheels and shouting into a void. Attempts at advancement were ignored and while I enjoyed completing a certificate program I took throughout the year, some major goals I set to accomplish by the end of the program didn’t come to fruition.
Personally, I saw my family struggle with disappointment and illness. I struggled to feel a sense of direction in my life and my career and to feel like the things I did with my time mattered in any way larger than myself.
Ultimately, and whether I liked it not (and I did not!), 2015 was a year of patience and foundation building. And the foundation I’m most proud of is this blog and the things I share here with you.
So, what does this have to do with beer and wine?
Well, it’s a new year, and a new January specifically. For a lot of people that means going ‘dry’, or abstaining from alcohol as a way of wringing themselves out from the indulgence of the holidays. I was never one for abstaining, but I am starting to see the draw in hitting that metaphorical reset button.
I get the draw of a Dry January. It’s about taking a step back. About making the effort to pause your habits so you can think about what it is you really want to be doing. That is an idea I can get behind.
The tagline of this blog is ‘tasting with intention’. When I first wrote that phrase I wanted to make a statement advocating for an end to mindless drinking and turn toward more thoughtful choices in what I consumed and enjoyed. Ideally, I would either learn something new from everything I drink or welcome it like an old beloved friend.
So instead of a Dry January I’m making a conscious return to that original idea. I had a great time over the holidays slurping up whatever looked good, but we all know that sort of behaviour can’t last forever. It’s a treat to be able to be, as my friend Martha calls me, the ‘Little Funnel’. There’s a time and place, but sadly those times and places can’t be common if you want a long and healthy life.
Call it a resolution if you want. I think I’ll call it a righting of the ship. I’d rather drink less of what I love than more of what I’m indifferent toward. Wouldn’t you?
2 Comments
Hey Meg,
I can relate to this post. I am doing a dry January for many of the reasons you mentioned. I wanted to step back and dedicate the month of January to not only setting my intentions, but taking steps to begin putting the foundation in place to actualize them.
Dry January was actually something I had never heard of until a few days in (I don’t know how I missed that one!), but what really encouraged me to give it a shot initially was this article I read in Mind Body Green that was about mindfulness and drinking. (http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-22752/how-to-effortlessly-drink-less-at-holiday-parties.html). Even though I spent much of 2015 learning about mindfulness, I didn’t associate it with consumption of any kind before, which was why it was sometimes easy for one glass of wine to turn into one too many.
I’m sorry 2015 wasn’t your best year, but it sounds like you’re starting to set out on the right path by thinking about the things that truly matter to you. I wish you the best of luck and congratulate you on finishing the certificate!
I’m glad something struck a chord with you, and I’m interested to know how your dry January experience goes!
Thanks for the congratulations, I hope you can join me after the finish line soon. 🙂