A year of reconnection

Like most people on this first day of the year, I am thinking about 2019 and the goals I’d like to accomplish. I’ve got a couple fairly typical items on my list (read 50 books, run a marathon) that I don’t feel warrant their own post, but one of my resolutions for the year is not something specific, but rather a theme. I don’t want to simply set goals at the beginning of the year and check them off the list; instead I’d like to set intentions and adjust my goals as I see where the year takes me. I want 2019 to be a year of reconnection. I’ve been thinking about what that means to me, and I’ve split it up into four categories.

I will reconnect with myself. I will learn more about what my body needs and honour that. I neglected my yoga practice in 2018 because I joined a gym rather than a yoga studio, and while I’m happy that I’ve finally learned to enjoy strength training, I miss the near-everyday routine I was in before and I will get back to that. I don’t see myself going to a plant-based diet permanently, but I am going to participate in Veganuary this year and explore how a diet without any animal products feels to my body. I’ve been thinking a lot about dreams and plans lately, and I will try to solidify some ideas about what I really want for my future, although obviously that is a neverending process.

I will reconnect with others. I’ve never been good at keeping in touch with people, even though I care about them a lot. I’m lucky in that my closest friends will always be close to me even if we don’t talk for months (or years), but I miss knowing what’s new in their lives and sharing what’s new in mine. It’s hard to reach out after a long time; it feels like the moment has passed but I would always be thrilled to hear from someone after a long absence and I will hope others feel the same. I will make an effort to reach out and catch up—if you randomly receive a message for me in the coming weeks or months after a long period without contact, please don’t find it too strange.

I will reconnect with community. I used to do a lot of volunteering, but not so much in recent years. A lot of the organisations for causes that are important to me look for long-term commitment for their volunteers, which is totally understandable, but makes it difficult for someone who moves around a lot. I took a step in the right direction organising a beach cleanup event a few months ago, but I will continue in that vein in the new year. I will also get involved politically; the 2020 presidential elections will be massively important for obvious reasons, and it’s likely that candidates will be starting to announce their runs in the next few months. I will do what I can to support my chosen candidate, whoever that ends up being.

I will reconnect with the world around me. I’m still not quite sure what this entails, but I have some ideas. I think that the internet and social media are a mostly positive force in my life and in general, while I am definitely guilty of spending too much time scrolling through apps out of boredom when there are more enriching things I could be doing. I will be more mindful of how I spend my time and how technology relates to that; maybe I will go a day without my phone, or a weekend, each month. Maybe I will find a different way to reconnect and stay present. I’m still solidifying this goal in my mind, and looking forward to living a more intentioned life in 2019.