2020: Resolved

Hi everyone, and welcome back to Too Many Books to Count! I’m so glad you stopped by, as we approach the end of our beloved 2019. Well, I’m sure it was beloved for some of us. Me? I think it was a good year. Not as good as some, but it was still a very good year, a year in which I learned a lot about myself and developed in many ways I didn’t know I was capable of developing in—and I’m super excited to see what 2020 brings!

But today, for the last post of the year, I wanted to talk a little bit about the coming year, maybe just to put your mind a little bit at ease.

2020: Resolved

I know that a lot of you will jump on the New Year’s Resolution bandwagon. I know you will. And for some of you, you’ll even be able to carry those things out. But for most of us, it’s just not feasible. We set goals that we have no way of attaining, and when we realize that at the end of January, we just give up on it completely. I know that we do this, because I’ve done it too, and because statistically, it’s what most of us do.

And that’s what I’d like to talk to you about today. Because I think that by making resolutions, we’re putting a lot of undue pressure on ourselves, as we enter the new year. And I think we’re better off thinking of it as a little more of a blank slate, that can be whatever we want it to be. It doesn’t have to be about losing those fifteen pounds or learning not to eat so much junk food. Sure, those are good things, and probably things that you should be working toward anyway if that’s what’s on your heart to do, but it shouldn’t be 2020 that propels you into doing it. It should be you. It should be your decision, to make a change, to be a different and better version of yourself. And it should be you, to realize that this isn’t a goal you can impose upon a year, and expect the year to carry it out for you. You’re the one who has to put in the hours, and if you’re ready to do it, if your heart’s set on it, you’ll get it done.

In my opinion, New Year’s Resolutions are pretty much bunk. They’re not worth it. They’re pointless. They’re a resolution that we impose upon the months of January and (sometimes) February, before we finally throw the resolution out the window. What’s the point of that?

So instead of looking at 2020 as a list of things you want to change, a list of things you’re resolved to do, I want you to look at it as one thing.

What’s the first thing you want to do, in 2020? Which of those resolutions is the most important to you, and why?

Once you know that, once you understand the motivation behind the goal, it’ll make it a whole lot easier to stick through that one thing. And once you’ve made it through a month with that one thing, you can add a second thing in February, a third in March, and so on and so forth, until these things become the new norm for you.

Some of those things won’t take you a whole lot of time, and aren’t that important in the long run. So save those things for the end of the year, and focus now on the important ones, the ones you know will take you a while, and the ones you know will mean the most to you in the long run.

You can do this. You can be whoever you want to be. You can be what you want to be. I know you can. You just have to look at your opportunities in the right light.

As we say goodbye to 2019 and open the door for 2020, just remember, a new year is just that: it’s an opportunity. And you can do whatever you want, with it.

Knowing that… what would you do, if you could do anything? I think that’s a pretty good place to start.

[love]

{Rani Divine}

It's Christmas: Being merry

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Yeah, yeah, I know, it was yesterday, but I didn’t want to change my post schedule and have to remember to hop online on Christmas day. You know how it is. But still, thank you all so much for checking back in to Too Many Books to Count, and allowing me to wish you a happy, happy Christmas!

You, all of you, mean a great deal to me. Whether you realize it or not, you’ve meant a lot to me, every time you’ve dropped in to read the words I’ve written. And I wanted to express that, during these festive times.

I know that the holidays can be a difficult time, for many people. I know that even I have had occasion to struggle my way through the holidays, though I generally adopt the “grin and bear it” attitude at some point along the way. And I know that for some of you, Grinching is easier for you in the long run, than trying to get into the holiday spirit. And that's okay. 

I also know that for some of you, getting into the holiday spirit is as easy as pie (which, by the way, is really easy to make). I know that even I have had years where I smile brightly without even thinking about it, and barely have to put any effort into my cheer. And I know that for some of us, that holiday spirit is just baked right in, right from the start. And that's okay, too.

No matter which one you are, no matter where on the spectrum you fall, I sincerely hope that you had the happiest of Christmases.

I really do.

I hope that you got a gift, from someone you love. I also hope you gave a few away—after all, that’s more fun sometimes, isn’t it?

I hope that you smiled, until your face hurt—after all, sometimes a smile is all we need, to feel that much better.

I hope that you felt that hope and peace, that’s always around for me, during the holidays. And I hope that you’ll have an amazing year to come.

And don’t worry; I’ll be back next week with some fun thoughts, for the end and beginning of years.

[love]

{Rani Divine}

It's Christmas: Traditionally Divine

Hi everyone, and welcome back to Too Many Books to Count! I’m so glad you stopped by. Thank you so much for joining me earlier in the month, for my series on not-quite-resolutions and things that I have planned for 2020—it was great fun, and it’s always a joy for me to look to the future, with all of you.

But, as promised, this week it’s all about the fun. And I wanted to tell you a little bit more about me, by talking about the holidays in my household.

Divine Holiday Traditions

Decorations

I’m sure most everyone has some sort of tradition, when it comes to decorating the inside (or outside, or both) of their house for the holidays, but ours is a little more intensive. Mum and I like to go all-out on Christmas decorations, putting up little snowy villages and nutcrackers and trees of all shapes and sizes, coloring the walls with bright stockings and festive wreaths and bows, even putting winter-themed stuffed animals in appropriately sized sleighs and placing them strategically around the house.

It's great fun!

I’m not entirely sure how this one started, but I’m so glad that it did. Interior design has always been something I have an eye for, something I enjoy, so a little decorating satisfies that itch in my bones. We usually start the Saturday after Thanksgiving, though this year we changed things up a bit and decorated most of the house in early November and left the Christmas tree itself for after Thanksgiving. If I’m being honest, that might be the new norm from here on out… we just love those Christmas decorations! And you can’t stop us, so don’t complain about our early decorating. You’re just being a Grinch about it. ;-)

Presents

Who doesn’t like presents?! Sure, I’m 28 now, but that doesn’t really change anything for us. We’re a family that loves to give gifts, and Christmas is just an excuse to really go all-out. The space under the tree is completely packed with gifts, wrapped and tagged and ready to be given on Christmas morning. It’s honestly something that we all really look forward to, even as adults, because now we get to give each other more meaningful things, things that’ll make a difference in each other’s lives. We've been known to spend hours on end, laughing and yapping and opening presents until we're all too hungry to wait any longer for lunch... and we wouldn't have it any other way. As long as we're all together, in the same city, that's how we'll continue to do it.

Sticky Buns

This one’s new, but I can guarantee it’ll be sticking around. (Get it?! ;-)) We started it last year, having homemade sticky buns and a pot of tea on Christmas morning, and we’ve all been talking about it for months. It’s something that has to stay with us, for a while. Mum and I love to bake, so sticky buns are an obvious choice in that regard. Every single member of my family loves a good cup of tea, so making a whole pot just makes good sense. And enjoying them all together on Christmas morning? Well, that’s just sheer perfection.

What about all of you? Do you have any little traditions you and your family do, on Christmas? I’d love to hear all about them!

[love]

{Rani Divine}