Planning for the New Year - Happy Holidays, Happy Solstice and almost Happy New Year. Now that the longest night of the year has past, it is time to celebrate the return of the light. Minute by minute, the days will lengthen. The process of the changing seasons is a gentle reminder that life is lived in minutes, not lifetimes. Tick-tock-tick-tock the time passes; sometimes with such speed that it is truly frightening! As a florist, the days between Christmas and New Year’s always have been a time of quiet sanctuary for me; a time for planning and dreaming for the coming year. While others make vows and resolutions, I take action and fill in the calendar. I would much rather strive for a planned date than to punish myself for failing in a resolution.
First are the coveted “blue dot days”. I sit down with a calendar and stick adhesive blue dots on each day reserved for personal time. As a floral entrepreneur, it is easy to let business and work get in the way of personal relationships. I’ve learned, put personal life on the calendar first! Once the blue dots are in place, I schedule a healthy excursion or two. It may be a run through wine country, a bike ride to the beach or a hike in the wilderness. Knowing this is on the calendar will keep me motivated to hit the gym even when the couch is calling my name. Then I block out days for my personal floral design education. Yes, you must always keep learning and I look forward to studying with other floral design masters. Next is a non-floral class of some sort. I maintain you should learn something new each year of your life. I’ve tackled candy making (this year), knitting (oh, you should see some of my scarves!), calligraphy (not so successful) and MS Excel (this I use more than I ever imagined!) I’m considering glass blowing or watercolor…or maybe welding…..going to leave the calendar open a bit longer for the final decision on this.
Now, the dark winter days are not as daunting. I know the daylight hours are lengthening and I have a year’s worth of plans waiting. If I have a down moment, I need only to flip through the calendar to see what fun lies ahead. I’ve found my joy living in the moment and reveling in the minutes. Tick-tock-tick-tock, 525,600 minutes to plan for 2012; I best get back to work with my calendar! (MORE BLOGS)