Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free
‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come ’round right.
– Joseph Brackett (1797–1882), Shaker Hymn

I can hardly believe it is February. January seemed to go very fast, yet when I look back, it seems a lot of good things have happened. I think this must be the mark of time well spent. But, now it is February, decidedly my least favorite month of the year. So, I have saved some of my favorite January activities for late in the month, hoping to cancel out some of February’s still winter dreariness.

I recently read an article recommending a good practice is to think back over your year and write out what you’re most proud of. This act of recording it reinforces all you have to be proud of and grateful for, and reduces the tendency we all have to beat ourselves up for failings and misgivings. Being one to regularly berate myself for all sorts of things, real and imagined, I approached this task with enthusiasm; I would create a retrospective. Surprisingly, after looking back at my outlook calendar, project list, and family calendar of trips, appointments, and activities, I was sufficiently impressed with all I had done and accomplished. I also noted; no wonder I am so tired. It was a whirlwind of a year. This led me to think, how would I like this year to be? What would I wish to keep the same, what did I want to do more of, what would I change?

Sometimes I think it is hard for us to know what we truly want. For me I find it’s something that’s bubbling just under my subconscious. I really have to stop and pay attention, focus my energy on pulling it out, often through writing. After a few lines, I often discover what was really bothering me was not exactly what I imagined it was.

Another way is to do this is through visualization. Throughout the year, as I page through magazines in the evening, I am constantly pulling out pages that appeal to me. Inevitably these pages end up in ragged stacks all over my house, squirrel piles, my husband calls them.

Last year I read an article about creating a visualization board, encompassing a collage of images representing things you wanted, or those that just interested or enticed you in some way. The simple act of looking at it was supposed to make it come true. I am naturally a bit suspicious and it seemed like hocus-pocus, but I decided to give it a try, particularly as I was in need of some organization for my magazine page squirrel piles.

I went through the piles of pages, pulling out the ones that most spoke to me. I arranged them on a cardboard collage and stood it up on my desk. I saw it each morning as I sat down to my computer. It reflected images of people canoeing in boats, pictures of beautiful ballet dancers, images of fulfilled people traveling, pictures of pretty blue china with bright red berries. There were words about living with your whole heart, not wasting time, doing what you wanted to now, embracing your inner wanderlust, making time for wellness, simplifying your family, making a difference in the world, being generous with your time and energy. It went on and on, uplifting image upon image, positive phrase upon phrase, one beautiful aspiration after another.

Unlike the calendar exercise, in looking back over this, it seemed I had failed. I hadn’t done the vast majority of the things on my visualization page. I didn’t travel to Europe. I only made it to a handful of ballet classes, or fitness classes in general. I put off many things I wanted to do. I wasn’t sure I had been all that generous or really helped anyone at all.

In retrospect, I realized even though I hadn’t succeeded in most of these lofty goals, my visualization had become true. It was all a bit too much. It was too busy, with too many things to focus on, much like how my 2015 had been. This was a sad realization, that I had spent a year or really several in truth, accomplishing a lot of things, but in absolute, frenzied chaos, and not necessarily the things I wanted to do.

Upon reflection, perhaps the deeper idea of the visualization exercise is that by looking at what you want, you spend more energy on making it happen. So, this year I decided I would create a simpler visualization and focus on a few things, reflecting my desire, albeit need, for a simpler year in 2016.

My 2016 visualization board has an overall smaller footprint, less images, and just a few themes, of things I hope will make this a year I am not only proud to look back on, but also one I enjoying living as well.

But, how do I ensure I stick to this? Resolutions are made to be broken, and I have a terrible tendency to over-commit myself. I am completely incapable of going on a vacation and relaxing, or seeing just the highlights. I want to do it all. I like defaulting to yes. It feels good to say yes, but saying yes too many times means saying no to my family and often to myself.

So, how can we avoid abandoning our best laid intentions? I placed my visualization board on my desk again so I can see it each morning as a powerful reminder. I’m counting on this to help me stay committed to not over-committing. Central on my visualization is one sole woman calmly regarding a sweeping view of a canyon. She seems to emanate both peace and awe, coexisting beautifully. But, my favorite one is of a little girl being chased by her Dad, both wearing super-hero costumes. The look on the little girl’s face is pure joy and excitement. She has that confident look kids have who feel secure in knowing they can really count on their parents to be there. I want this for myself and my family. I see these images every day on my board and they inspire me. I think she, and they, are worth the effort. I owe it to them, and to myself to create the gift of simplicity in 2016.