Dogs don't make New Year resolutions ...

The hound and I ... when we're NOT walking!

Dogs don’t make New Year’s resolutions ... I know ... I asked the hound.  She lives in and for the moment ... she’s always happy ... and especially when she’s in the waves .... no New Year’s resolution is necessary to improve her enjoyment and appreciation of life.


I seldom make New Year’s resolutions either ... I know from past experience there’s little chance of me keeping them.  2011 has been a tumultuous year though - I feel as if I’ve been in a washing machine .. on the heavy wash and spin cycle ... a perpetual fast-forward.  It’s been hectic, unpredictable and frantic and, much as I try, I can’t help but be glad that it’s come to an end.

My beautiful bay at Christmas ... the weather was gorgeous!

So, with this in mind ... I’ve made my first New Year’s Resolution in a long time!


My resolution this year is to pay more attention to the little things in life ... I want to fall in love with the world ... from every aspect.

I want to be aware ... and really notice .... the little happenings in my day.  I want to surrender to the warmth of that moment in the sun .... that wave racing to the shore ..... the butterfly that flits along beside me as I ramble with the hound.  I want to savour and enjoy every cup of coffee I drink ... wether they be from my local haunt or wether they be made at home by Gav.  There is nothing more aromatic than  the smell of freshly brewed coffee .... it makes my taste buds salivate.

I want to lose myself in music .... I want to hear ... yes, really hear ... every word of every song.  Music, no matter what genre you enjoy, has so much beauty to it.  I want to dance on the sand .... sing out loud ... and just forget who I am for that moment in time.

Gorgeous Indy

I want to be fully engaged in as much of my day as I can be .... I want to notice the richness and beauty of the world we live in .... and yes, the ugliness too .... it’s part and parcel of this awesome place we call home.

A hole to hide a log in

.... and yes, the weather changed.

Everything has two sides to it, you see .... every choice has a consequence .... every action has a reaction ... for every beautiful thing I see, I’m bound to see something ugly too ..... for every shell I see on the beach I see just as many pieces of broken glass.  My life is made up of happy moments and sad ones ... it’s important that there are both and it’s just as important that I don’t dwell on the sad ones.

Having fun with Indy over the holidays.

Genuine happiness is SO dependent on our perception ... each of us views happiness in a different way ... even if I do “all the right things” there’s no guarantee that I won’t end up being wrong.

So at the time of this New Year ... at a time of new beginnings ... it’s an opportunity to say goodbye to the adventures ... or is that misadventures .... of 2011.  Our 2011 journey has had many twists and turns, some of them way more difficult to navigate than others.  That said though, it’s been a year of personal growth ... a year of discovering strengths I never thought I had ... a year of forging new friendships and of learning more about the people who have an impact on my life.

So welcome 2012 .... here’s to more glorious walks in the waves with my hound .... more mirth-inducingTui moments .... more opportunities to just ‘be’ in the moment and aware. 

Wet, wet, wet ... on New Year's Eve!

 I want to wake every morning knowing that each day has something special in store for me ... wether it be a hug from a loved one .... a smile from a stranger .... or bird droppings on my head .... see, the good with the bad!  I know that whatever each day has in store, I have within me everything I need to weather it ... so bring it on 2012 ... I’m ready for you!