Happy New Year! What's Your Idea of a Fresh Start?

Is it just me or does time seem to speed up every year?

This year, we don't have the kids for New Years; but instead of partying it out like imprisoned teenagers being let out for the first time, I opted to surprise my boyfriend with a visit to his mom who lives up in a little town 2.5 hours north of San Francisco, in Gualala. This quaint town sits right along the California coastline and is known for its rocky cliffs and dramatic surfs. It's the perfect setting for reconnecting with family and quiet reflection from a year of craziness in work, life and world events. It's also a wonderful place to dream and plan out goals for the coming year.

The question at the top of the page is not rhetorical. I honestly feel like every New Years Eve it's getting harder and harder to recount the past year's events. I was asked what my most significant personal moment was in 2015 and it was a struggle just to name one. So much happened in my life from a personal and professional perspective that everything was a blur. All that activity occurred at such a frenetic pace. This gave me pause and set off a series of questions. How is it possible that I can't immediately recall things that happened, trips I took or events that I'd gone to? Does time really just fly faster as you get older? Do these events that occur lose their significance when they occur so frequently? My boyfriend had a rather peculiar explanation. As you get older, the amount of time you have to spend on each memory gets to be less and less, which is why time seems to go by quicker. For instance, a three year old only have three years' worth of memories to recall and so he or she would have more dedicated time spent on each memory. On the other hand, a 30-year-old has, obviously, 30 years of events so time allotted for these memories are very sparse. 

It makes sense, I guess. But it doesn't make me feel any better. The irony sucks - just when you begin to value your memories you have less time to do so. So my answer is to live every moment and hold no regrets.

As for New Years' Resolutions, I don't believe in those. I think they're just opportunities to make grand-sweeping statements with no true accountabilities. Instead, I prefer to think about fresh starts, and what I should be more focused on. Things like spending more time with family, learn to say 'no' in order to give yourself some space and much-needed balance. Health is a biggie, of course. To be more mindful of healthy choices in diet and exercise is more important (and longer lasting) than a commitment to "lose 10 pounds." 

My idea of a fresh start is to spend more time on learning about myself: what my passions are, what makes me whole and complete as a person. These are questions that form the beginning of a journey, one that can take one year or ten. And just because I set that as a focus on January 1, 2016, it doesn't mean it must be completed by January 1, 2017. My journey in life is not defined in precise years or other forms of measurements. I trust my gut, my instincts; and that is based on feelings. 

Below you'll find pictures of the view from my boyfriend's mom's house in Gualala and also our trip further up north to Mendocino. It such a place of calm and reflection - what a perfect way to start 2016. 

Happy New Year everyone,

xo