I was lucky enough to be away over the holidays with enough time on my hands to focus on what I wanted for 2014. But I kept putting it off. I don’t know why. I’m typically the sort who likes to make lists and have a master plan. But just like doing my physical therapy exercises over the break, I completely ignored the making of resolutions. Until now.

My good friend Elizabeth, who writes the gorgeous lifestyle blog Pretty Pink Tulips and who was the inspiration for the character Ainsley in On Grace, did something creative this year. She did a one-word resolution. Hers was “light” and she explained it like this:
*Lighten up: don’t take things too seriously.
*Be a light: be the kind of person people are drawn toward.
*Feel lighter: make those better food choices and exercise most days.
*Light hearted: have a full and grateful heart.
*Tread lightly: everyone’s dealing with something, go easy on them.
*Go toward light: focus on what fills you up, not what brings you down.

What wonderful aspirations. I think being light in all its iterations is something we should all strive toward.

I thought about what my one-word resolution should be. The first thing that came to mind was “authentic.” Since I turned 40, authentic is a trait I’ve both valued highly and tried to embody. I even toasted to it with new friends this past New Year’s Eve. It’s a magnificent thing to be and as I have worked toward being my most authentic self over the past few years, I feel I’ve gotten so much more out of life and been more myself. More me. More, well, authentic.

But for 2014, I’ve decided my one-word resolution will be “forgiveness.” A la Elizabeth’s different iterations, here are mine:
*Forgive my Kids: Let them be kids.
*Forgive my Husband: Not for anything big (he didn’t Darren me after all!) but for the little things he does that aren’t exactly the way I would do things, but they’re the way he does things and that’s perfectly okay—most of the time :-).
*Forgive Others: I have very little patience for the incompetents and inconsiderates of the world who don’t signal before they turn, don’t say please and thank you, act entitled, reply to all when they don’t need to, and all manner of other annoyances. Yes, I really need to work on this area!
*The big one for me is Forgive Myself: I’ve always been too hard on myself; it’s time to give myself a break in all areas of my life. To be more forgiving and understanding and gentle and realistic in my expectations of myself.

Just saying that felt good. Yes, my brain is swirling with all sorts of things I want to accomplish this year related to the relaunch of On Grace, my blog, family events, and my next book. But for right now, I’m just going to practice forgiveness. I have a feeling everything else will fall into place.

Tell me in the comments: what is your one-word resolution?

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