More or Less

It's that time of year.

You know, the time of year when we pretend that an arbitrary mark on a human creation for tracking the movements of the earth on its axis and around the sun means we can become a different person.

A whole new you. Shinier. Better. Healthier. Calmer. SOMEthing-er.

As a teen I made lists of the many ways in which I was going to upgrade myself to some impossible external standard really only achievable via airbrushing and lies.

Not that I think there's anything wrong with setting goals or trying to change or improve. But "Live Your Best Life" is a pretty high bar. Exhausting, really. Some days it's a win if it I lived My Pretty Darn Good Life, or even My Reasonably Acceptable Life Given that It's Only Tuesday.

And I'm one of the very fortunate ones. I have someone to love who loves me back, children who bring me joy and some -- ahem -- insights into my tendencies, a job I enjoy that I'm good at and in which I make a difference, a solid home, easy access to healthy food, clean water to drink and hot water in which to bathe, transportation choices, an extended family and friends who can give help if I need it -- on and on. So much goodness. So many things that make my life easier rather than harder.


I'm not going to make resolutions with a capital R. As Betsy says (I quote Betsy pretty often), if you think of something you want to change you could just do it now, not wait for January 1 as if that date has some kind of magical quality.

I am going to make some lists of More/Less.

More forgiving. Less absolute.
More realistic. Less all-or-nothing.
More pragmatic. Less puritanical.

Like this:

MORE              LESS         
Salad                 Sugar
Moving             Sitting
Mindfulness     Impulse
Kindness           Judging
Sleep                 Late-night reading

This is a start and doesn't include every idea I had in thinking about this structure. What would you put on your version of this list?

Related reading

• Give Your Power to Truth: What Story Are You Writing for Your Life?
• Showing Up
• Keep that Streak Going: #30DaysOf Something that Matters to You 
• Kindness Matters (Jan. 1, 2018)
• Biking as Downtime: Musings on Overproductivity 
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 20: Purpose 
• Being Thankful (Mindful) Every Day
• The Words You Speak 
• I Suppose It Takes All Kinds: Musings on Human Behavior
• Head, Heart, Hands, and Health
• Eating Shoots and Leaves: Real Food, not Bad Grammar
• Stuff I Didn't Do Today, or, I Know what Happiness Tastes Like
• 3 Things My Mother Taught Me 
• One Word for 2014: Purpose 
• One Word for 2014 Bicycling 
• One Word for 2014