When I was in my late teens, I started driving down to the beach on Ocean Avenue in Carmel. It soon became a tradition for me to drive down there sometime around New Years day, all by myself, for some alone time.
There is a little bakery on Ocean Avenue and I would stop on my walk down to the ocean for some steamed milk with a hint of vanilla and a warm pretzel. I would continue on my little walk down to the beach and then I would just sit, think, meditate, pray and ponder. I continued my tradition for years - all through my college years and any of the years that I lived in the Bay Area.
I miss that place. I've gone back there since I've lived in Utah and I took Tony with me a couple of years ago. It still had that magical feel, but there was something about going by myself around the New Year. It was a place for me to reflect about my recent past and where I would be in my near future.
It was the site of epiphanies, tears, happiness, joy and sadness. But most of all, it was a place where I made decisions. It was a place of goals, dreams and hopes. For some reason, I find that I need an event or location (like a beautiful beach) to inspire hope and change. I love New Years day. I love the feeling of a new beginning and new possibilities. And I suppose I also like the feeling of ending the old year.
For whatever reason, I haven't been able to arrive at that mental place where I need to be to make some goals. Maybe it's because I don't have a place of serenity where I have an hour (or even a few minutes) to myself to ponder and become inspired. But whatever the reason, I don't have a complete set of goals. I do have ONE however. Well, maybe two.
ONE: My annual goal to become healthier. I'm off sugar...again. January 1st was day one. I'm taking it one day at a time. Tonight I'm going to a Green Smoothie Girl conference with a friend. I've been thinking about Green Smoothies quite a bit lately and doing a bit of research. Ryan likes the banana/almond milk "smoomie" that I make for him, so I'm thinking I might be able to get some green vegetables into him in smoomie form.
TWO: Enjoy life more. I've been working way too much and my 2013 workload isn't looking to good. So I'm going to have to take advantage of moments from time to time and schedule some real vacations away from work.
I've got some other ideas swirling around my mind, but that's all they are doing right now - swirling.
Anybody have any inspiration, goals, ideas out there?
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