A new year, new beginnings

It is a new year, a time to reflect on the past year and think of new beginnings. 2015 was a year of many changes, of victories and challenges. New jobs, new projects, new people entering our lives, and time spent with those that were already there. It was a busy year, perhaps too busy. At the end of it, we find ourselves tired, happy at all that we accomplished, but still tired. We want 2016 to be a year of renewal, a year to nourish our bodies and our souls.
This year, we will:
1. Get healthier. Last year, we weren't the best in watching what we ate or in exercising or in taking time out for ourselves, and it showed. The old cliche says, health is wealth, and that is so true.
2. Be grateful. We sometimes forget to count our blessings in our rush to the next thing on our list. We are much more likely to count our shortcomings or what we haven't done. In 2016, we want to take the time to celebrate the beauty in life, even if it is the perfect cup of coffee or the first white rose of spring or a dancer twirling or a saxophonist playing an ode to joy. We will celebrate the victories and our loved ones, and we will be thankful for all the good things in our lives.
3. Be creative. We will write and we will paint and we will photograph and we will create beautiful spaces. Last year was a start, with one of us entering and winning a photography contest, and in 2016, we want to continue to dream and create.
4. Be mindful. We want to take the time for what matters, to strip away the nonessentials, and be present in our lives. We want to be conscious of how our actions and our words affect ourselves and others, and to be our better selves.
5. Give back more. Everytime you look at the news, the world seems to a dangerous place, full of strife and wants. We could retreat into our safe lives, but we have been lucky. We will give back more  for even small gestures can make a difference.

Resolutions show us what we want to do, bright glittery things full of hope, but then we wrap them up and put them away and bring them out once a year, with our Christmas ornaments and the New Year's confetti. We are careful with them, but then we forget them, and we let another year go by, and we stay our old selves. This year, we will check in every 3 months to see how we are doing. We will stay accountable. We will love and we will live, we will hope and we will dream, and we will be better. We hope you will join us.