New Years in Maine, little things to change.
Happy New Year from Me In Maine blog. Is the change of years a big deal or ho hum? When you rip off the last calendar month, do you have a plan for the new year ahead? No doubt, more trips to Maine are on your list if you live out of state. COVID makes it a little creative or restrictive to access Maine depending on the news headlines.
But what else is on your New Year’s Resolution list if you do put on the thinking cap, scribble down a new plan for 2022?
The list, if you make one. Does it include start a garden if you don’t already drop to your knees to dig in the fertile soil? You can look at the list from the last few years, bring it all forward.
But it seems many who front load the list with way way more than it feasible to pull off, it can all cause disappointment when you fall short. Again.
So little things, easy does it. What if your life is pretty full and healthy already? Or could you benefit from adding a couple more books to read cover to cover in the New Year? What subject or topic?
Drink more water, make exercise a daily habit, say your prayers all on the New Year’s resolution list?
Heck listen to more Johnny Cash or whatever other artist inspires and gives you a good inner feeling? That takes you back like a golden oldie music tune. Or join the community choir, the local town band and make music for others like McGill’s Band does in my little home town of Houlton Maine.
Everyone could benefit from decluttering.
Simplify and don’t buy it unless you need it. Forget plastic. Retail therapy can be expensive and needs to be fed around the clock. Do you take the steps when heading into a building with lots of floors that has an elevator you avoid using?
Talking less, listening more and fully paying 100% attention to whoever has the floor? That would not hurt most of us unless you live pretty much “Quaker’s Meeting has begun” day and night. Active listening is an art. All of us has something to contribute to the conversation if given a chance for back and forth, two wayexchanges.
Volunteer.
Everyone benefits on both ends of volunteering. Just pace yourself and don’t neglect other important aspects of your life. Small Maine communities could not survive and prosper without the quality of life volunteers bring the communities.
Writing letters, not posting about every trip you take on social media. But keeping a private scrap book of where you have been. Writing a letter and not checking your email every ten minutes. No one has to quit social media but pulling back to leave space for something else in your life can free you up in a good way.
Calling and having a conversation instead of a quick impersonal text that leaves so so much out of the exchange for the pair or group messaging. Spend more time with family.
Dieting is always top on the list of many for New Year’s list of resolutions.
Why the scales are showing overloaded or a higher weight number than you wished it did? Eating more than the three balanced meals a day or just the wrong things that are sky high in fat, salt, artificial this and that? Often no time to prepare the right meal and enjoy it slowly means overbooked life is your problem. Or age creeps up and the body metabolism slows down causing love handles to appear. Smaller portions, eating slower, the right stuff. Gardens when in bloom, the root cellar when stacked and packed. Those are way better than Mickey D’s or square burgers at the girl named Wendy’s wearing pig tails and a smile.
If you are wearing a spare tire around you and nothing fits, dieting is no doubt in the plans.
But sensible, not trying to lose a quick 50 pounds by the weekend means pushing away from the table. Spending less time with the knife, fork, spoon. Eating less, filling the time you stress consume means you need more time doing something instead of stuffing the pie hole. The goal is to feel better, eat healthy right? Don’t diet to look thin… ship shape the daily diet so you are the healthiest version of you and fit.
More energy comes from less junk in the trunk and not striving to have the rocking body you tooled around with back as a teenager.
Healthy thoughts, counting your blessings, avoid gossip or stinking thinking. Give a compliment or two a day and be sincere. Care more for others, less about number one. Lots to adjust in the little things that can creep into your gray matter to wrestle with and try to tame. Striving to be positive is way easier to seek out than staying in the lazy rut of negativity.
Complaint is bankruptcy, gratitude is riches. You and I have way way more than we need. Pass along and help out without needing recognition for doing the right thing with random acts of kindness.
Work smarter not harder in the New Year in Maine.
Write a song, jot down a poem. Take an adult ed class for work working, cooking, computer web design, accounting, something outside your comfort zone. Education is never wasted. Learn to paint, shoot more images that you can frame and create your own art. Learn to knit, how to play cribbage, to make bubble and squeak. Buy a home needing DIY skills to rent out or flip. Fish and ski more all four seasons for both. When you live in Maine, the options for four seasons outdoor fun is endless. You dress appropriately but are outdoors year round in Maine.
Hike a trail, ride a bike or horse. Join a fish and game, snowmobile club or fraternal organization.
Enjoy the social aspect of creating something new and worthwhile for your community. Small town living in Maine is like that. Soon you will have lots of friends if you are new to the area and want to become part of the Maine community. Coach a team, learn to skate at the local ice arena. Play a pitch up basketball game down at the local recreation facility. Become part of the Maine soap box derby group!
Donate clothes, take a Rotary exchange trip to help out in a third World country that needs assistance desperately.
Live without credit card debt. Avoid folks who complain a lot. Whistle a tune, learn to hum and make a list of what you hope to accomplish today. Focus on getting some of those items completed and don’t worry if the entire list is not check off as done the same day.
Take better care of your vehicles so you don’t have to buy one with a payment booklet.
Easy does it in what you consume for spirits and food portions. Be more open minded to folks with opinions different than your own. Judge less, be more forgiving. Look for the good and don’t get in the trap of whining or feeling sorry for yourself. Seek contentment.
Appreciate reading to a grandchild or as part of a local literacy training program in the New Year.
A warm house, hot shower, a steaming cup of fresh brewed coffee or tea. Home made anything for a meal that is slow cooked beats fast food thrown together. Budget your time better. So the food you eat on the run and shove NASCAR quick through down the gullet from a drive thru window is less commonplace. Call your friends, delegate who brings which part of the meal for pot luck delicious and social interaction.
Happy New Year from Maine.
Thank you very much for following our blog posts on Me in Maine. I love where I live, work, play and grew up and am here for questions on anything Maine. Hope the list of New Years Resolutions is similar to yours and that you can add more to mine!
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |
MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA