A new year is almost here, and I have to say I am joyful about preparing for a new year and a new promise. Joy has been a joyride this year, with new adventures and big moves which makes it hard to imagine a new year
But a new year is almost here and a new promise is on its way…..
Here’s to as much joy to behold before the New Year arrives.
More tomorrow…
Lovemore,
Jamie
{joyful}
#lovemore
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I drew a card today that said: “When was the last time you did something for the first time?” It’s a good question. I had to stop and think about it but I still drew a blank.
When was the last time you did something new?
The good thing about NEW is it usually brings me joy. The novelty and the adventure of newness mix with joyfulness to create the thrill of trying something for the first time. The moment gets seared into muscles and brain fibers to create a lasting memory. Like riding a bike, traveling to a new place, learning to surf, ski, or play anything, really.
But new doesn’t happen very often in our overscheduled lives.
The good news is later tonight we all made gnocchi. From scratch. At the direction of Brian with step by step helpful instructions. It turned out great and tasted fantastic. And for me, it was something new.
Which brought me joy.
As we sit on the edge of the precipice of the New Year I am thinking about what’s new that would be fun and adventurous to do.
What’s something new that you want to do?
More tomorrow…
Lovemore,
Jamie
{joyful}
#lovemore
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Hello, 2018! Nice to meet you.
Today begins a new promise here at The Promise 365 — now in its 8th year. (Eight years!) Again, I will make a promise and follow its lead… while blogging every single day. It always takes me to places I couldn’t imagine on my own… that’s the magic of making a promise.
My promises also hook together. Over the course of one promise, I begin to understand what the “big deal” is and what lesson is out there for me to learn, and then that becomes my next promise.
So, dear 2018…..here we go!
Joy
joi/
noun: joy
It’s probably not a shocker that kindness led to JOY …and, yet to me, it totally took me by surprise. Over the course of last year, kindness kept leading me down the path to more and more joy. To more pleasure, and more fun.
And who wouldn’t want more of that?
Apparently, our world needs more joy. Check out this graph of the word JOY over time. It peaked in the 1800’s and has been on a steady decline for the last century.
So what would happen if we all focused on more joy?
I’m about to find out.
Want to come along?
More tomorrow…
{joy-full}
#lovemore
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I’m getting to know my yoga mat intimately. My thick, comfy, turquoise mat.
And tonight while I was trudging through Day 5 of this Yoga Promise and my longest yoga series yet I thought: What the hell was I thinking? and then… This is going to be a long year. and then… I’m okay. I can do this.
And so it goes. The flood of thoughts that flow through the moments on the mat. I’m sure that I’m going to get use to this. I know every day will get easier with this stretch goal. But in the moment it is sometimes hard to remember.
The good news? My jeans already fit slightly better.
Namaste to that moment.
Thank you, yoga mat.
More tomorrow.
Lovemore,
Jamie
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I should have expected this. Sore legs. Sore calves. And I’ve barely even started this year of yoga (366 days for those who are counting).
What have I learned so far? Making a promise to go from Couch Potato to Yogi is a marathon not a sprint. So what’s important to highlight right now? Taking it slow.
And so it was perfect timing that today a friend sent this article my way:
Reading the article reassured me that I already have everything I need to start this journey:
I have this terrible habit of expecting to jump back in exactly where I left off. I’ve done it with golf (why can’t I remember how to putt?). I’ve done it with running (why can’t I finish a 5k in under 30 minutes?). I’ve done it with math, cooking, card games, naming all 50 state capitals….you get the point.
And now I’m doing it with yoga. Why am I so sore after a few (not very strenuous) yoga moves? And so it goes.
I know muscle memory will return quickly and I’m trying to remember that patience is the most important part of that point.
More tomorrow.
Lovemore,
Jamie
It’s that time of year. The last day of the year. Day 365 of this promise and the Year of 2015. And it has me reflecting on what has been and what is to come.
In this year of following my BLISS I have discovered a thing or two. But maybe nothing more important than importance of family in our lives. From heading home to be with my father during his surgery to moving our lives closer to the two little girls that we adore (while they are still little) – it has been a year of reconnection and clarity on the things that are most important in life.
I never could have guessed that the road of 2015 would have led me here. But that is BLISS wrapped up in a nutshell with a ribbon tied on top. In short: knowing what is most important and then doing something about it to make sure you experience it, soak it up and, well, smell the roses.
This year has taught me something else too. Bliss is up to us.
Just this week I had a moment of understanding, a total knowing, of what that means, on the eve of 2016 rounding the corner and 2015 wrapping up. In the eleventh hour really. Right before the party of 2015 wrapped, I had a sense that BLISS is really just up to us. The pressure, the stress, the agony of any moment, or the peaceful bliss of it is a choice. One we make every second of our lives.
I call it being “Peacefully Engaged.” It is the intersection of getting shit done and, at the same time, enjoying the process. Without the pressure. Stress. Agony. Pain. It is being in the BLISSFUL FLOW of it all.
Of course, the hard part is remembering that. I wish I had the key to that door. And while I do not, I have seen it. I have peaked inside. I have a whiff of it, have tasted it. I know it exists.
So maybe, dear 2015, you have really just been a tease. A taste of what can be, of what can happen, of what is available to us all. And that’s where I’m counting on YOU, dear 2016, to set a new pace. One of even more love, more do, more moments, more memories and more bliss than we can imagine.
And I know that starts with me and my new promise. Tomorrow kicks off a new year, and 525,600 more minutes to make new choices.
What will you choose?
More tomorrow.
Lovemore,
Jamie
Oh, I’m already excited to see flowers bloom! It’s barely the end of December and I feel like I can already see into Spring. Spring!
Maybe it’s because there is a New Year right around the corner. Maybe it’s because I am on the verge of a new promise …Or, I’m just cold and looking for the sun.
There’s something about a New Year. It’s a restart. Redo. Re up!
So tonight I’m asking questions:
As for me….Next year is all about action. To Do. Love more. Do more. Make it happen! Starting with my body. I’m committing to yoga every single day for 365 days (ouch! I’m a little nervous already).
It’s all to take action. And solidify a routine this body can live with for a long time. I also think it will spill over to all the other parts of my life… and some I can’t even imagine yet.
So… want to join in? Want to make a promise? What’s your “yoga” for next year?
More tomorrow.
Lovemore,
Jamie
It’s the longest night of the year. Or the shortest day. Depending on how you look at it. And I guess that’s what bliss boils down to… it’s all in how you look at it.
Happy Solstice.
Here’s to more light. Longer days. And a New Year on its way!
More tomorrow.
Lovemore,
Jamie
So tonight, I give you this:
If you’re already giving up on your resolutions this is a must watch. Just soak in the pep talk if nothing else. Because the New Year is here and there’s no turning back.
Here’s to 2015!
More tomorrow.
Lovemore,
Jamie
As we prepare to ring in the New Year my head is ringing.
Head Cold = 1.
Jamie = 0.
‘Tis the season to share colds and flu bugs with those you love most. And now, this girl is going back to bed. Tomorrow, I share a recap of 2014 and a new promise for 2015.
‘Tis the season.
What are you cooking up for 2015?
More tomorrow.
Lovemore,
Jamie
TGIF. F*ing Fridays are back! And, they will continue to occur on Friday. I mentioned some of my favorite F words back on Day 5 in Year 1, including: Fearless, Fabulous, Fine, Fun, Faith, Freedom, Forgiveness, to name a Few. Last week I dove into the word Flip Flops. Today’s F*ing Friday is dedicated to the […]
TGIF. Today continues the weekly series, F*ing Fridays, which will coincidentally occur on Friday. I mentioned some of my favorite F words back on Day 5, including: Fearless, Fabulous, Fine, Fun, Faith, Freedom, Forgiveness, to name a Few. Last week I dove into the word Festivities. Today’s F*ing Friday is dedicated to the word: Finale. […]
You’ve made it. Over the hump of 2011 and looking directly at the other side. Approximately six months left to go, 181 days to mark on the calendar. Today concludes this four-part series, In The Middle. Day 4: Soul I wonder what Lewis and Clark thought as they hoofed it across North America, did they high-five […]
Have you ever felt like you were just supposed to be somewhere at a certain time ~ even though it wasn’t planned, you couldn’t predict it and never expected it? But there you found yourself anyway? That’s how I felt this week having to rush off the island with Pup’s little emergency. It put me […]
It feels like summertime and the shopping is easy. Here in Mexico one can’t escape the local vendors. They come to you. Whether sitting at a restaurant or sitting on the beach. Se vende? Want a new silver bracelet? Want a bright pink strapless beach dress? Want a kabob with shrimp and papaya? It’s so […]
The Promise 365 