Final Days of Christmas

We have three days of Christmas left! By now, most people are fed up with holidays and ready to get back to "normalcy" - but not me. I'm holding on for my full 12-days-worth.

I'm also transitioning into the celebration of my birthday, so these final days of Christmas take on an introspective, self-focused quality.

Agenda:

1. Me meditation and journal

2. Finish my Ideas Poster

3. Healthy habits plan

4. Birthday pampering plan

1. Me meditation and journal queries:
On New Year's Day I put the Greek Delphic injunction on my altar - Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself - and also a gray candle. Gray is an unbiased color, useful for pondering complex issues or neutralizing bad feelings.

Today I will light a blue candle (for stillness) and the grey candle, and center on my breathing. When I am grounded, I will begin to observe what I am feeling right now, my emotions and my physical sensations. Just take an objective inventory. As a feeling enters, hold it gently, then let it float away.

After 10 minutes or so, I will stop and write down the feelings I'm having: Worries about my aging body, frustrations with relationships, joys, concerns, and hopes.

 
What are my essential truths and values?

What is my growing edge?

What one aspect of my nature could I focus on understanding better this month?

2. Finish my Ideas Poster:

I've been working all week on setting goals for 2021 (You might have noticed that I'm big on goals). Now I will finish making my new poster.

2021: Left to right - top row: Synergy, depth, stillness 
Middle row: Joy, balance, strength 
Bottom row: Receptivity, abundance, integrity.

Supplies: Foam core, oil or aqua crayons, paper, scissors, glue stick

I use the same black foam core board every year: It's divided into nine sections, like the guas in feng shui... it's odd, but it works for me! I filled each section with a background color many years ago, and now I just remove the pictures that I no longer need (if you use a gluestick they should just peel off) and add new ones for my new goals.

I get most of my pictures of the Internet, add my own words, cut and paste, and there it is - a map of ideas for 2021.

4. Healthy habits plan:

Ah, January resolutions! As usual, I'm ready now to upgrade my health habits, loose some weight, strengthen my body, and improve my diet. I know I'd better start with small steps that I can easily maintain.

My January plan is to walk an average of 5000 steps a day, sometimes switching out long walks with aerobic dance and hula hooping. Also, I'm going to schedule a larger daily dose of vegetables: A heaping bowl of greens or a cup of squash or yams. 

5. Birthday pampering plan:

• Get a haircut

• Add fun hair color

• Go on a hike under big trees

• Play with my new hula hoop

• Eat a take-out Chinese feast

• Buy new art supplies