Everyone has some sort of “to do” list of things in their head similar to the movie “The Bucket List”. My husband wants next year to get a motorcycle and perhaps wrap up some unfinished business with his personal matters that bring him stress. I want to pull a Selena Gomez and “become a better person”. That is not a small task and yet I am drawn to it like flies to that sugared paper that people put in the back of yucky restaurants. There is simply no explaining it, it just is attractive. I mean of course there is explaining my “it” just not the sticky paper “it”, but the work that goes into becoming “better” is vague, tiresome, and most likely as unselfish as it gets to this American culture I live in. So I am going to put down tasks, milestones, if you will. To help me achieve the baby steps that I need to better myself and my world somehow in 365 days or less. I feel like a Domino’s Pizza ad now. So let’s do this 2014. I am going to sniffle and cough my way into the new year with such gusto the world won’t know what sneezed on it.

The 2014 “List”

1. Get to my goal weight by May 31, 2014. This will harness a few things. It will require me to make better choices for my health and thus the health of my family. By making healthier, less processed choices I will also be helping the animals and environment. Hopefully it will also help the little bit of acne I still have (here is a current “before pic” unfiltered and no makeup so we can do this right!)!      
2. Buy only what I need for clothing and textiles and try to keep them organic and vegan all year. This will be my hardest one. I love clothes. However, if I am losing weight it may be incentive to lose it faster so I can “need more soon”. In the meantime, I am not contributing to consumer waste and if I need to I am doing it in a responsible way for the environment.
3. Purge items I do not need seasonally at the least. Simplicity is the fruit of the Gods. I straight out stink at giving up stuff but at the same time I am no hoarder. I just feel like i shouldn’t get rid of things I may use even if that isn’t for say 10 years. So this year I am starting it off by purging old shoes on New Year’s Day. Terrible cold and all! I’ll take pics to prove it I promise!
4. Start Surfing and Paddle-boarding again thus summer/spring. This is for my inner peace. I have always found surfing in anyway a lifesaver for my soul. So I will see you all out there on Lynn’s King’s Beach this summer. Inner peace means outer peace and that means a happy world.   
5. Pay it Forward. Every chance I get to pay it forward I will try. This is important. I learned this winter season while my car was broken and the insurance wasn’t fixing it quickly that I have an amazing family and support unit. Without their help, I wouldn’t’ have had an easy time of it. So I am going to pay it forward each time I can. I will start with a giveaway of Beyond Meat free food and gifts on New Years.
6. Learn to do the Crow Pose in Yoga by end of year. This seems like a weird one but let me explain. Yoga has been a great tool for me to de-stress and keep fit and I can do it during my lunch hour across the street. I think by constantly practicing yoga and its meditations with a goal I will continue to reap the benefits of a yoga lifestyle. Finding inner peace and working on my health goals. This will be beneficial to myself and those around me.    (my yoga mat at work)
7. Sing everyday and Meditate Every Night. This will add structure to my day but also allow for me to start off my day with joy and end in peace. I think this is necessary to keep your head clear so that when things arise or joys are exposed you can truly feel them and radiate them to others in a positive way.
8. Be honest as the yoga rules define it. In yoga they tell you to be honest unless it is something that would hurt someone and then just to be silent. I tend to just be honest all the time to a fault (no silence) and this can be a turnoff. I think I need to study the yogic principles more and practice honesty in a compassionate way. It is a hard thing to say to yourself that you are over-sharing but, I am and I need to check it.
9. Help my step daughters become better people through love, compassion, and support. In the past I have had a hard time being a step mom. It is not that I do not love my hubby’s girls, I do. However, I have worried too much about the ramifications of loving them and helping them because it may step on their biological mother’s toes (which are very sensitive). This year I am moving forward with treating them with more love than ever and not worrying about her feedback. She does not need to be a positive person (though I will  meditate on the idea that she will be more positive this year) but I do. The kids deserve that positivity, not just a choice of indifference or careful regulation. I truly kept myself at arms length until recently for fear she would accuse me of something like trying to be their mother or take over, because frankly she has in the past. I think it is okay to have multiple parents and multiple people love you all the same, blood or not. So this year I will be a great mom in every sense.   
10. Last, I will travel on my own at least once someplace I truly want to go and give back while I am there. I believe everyone should travel somewhere alone once in their lives. It forces you to see who you are without any assistance and to give back while you are there gets at your core values. It shows what you care about and believe in without any outside influence. I am excited to do this. I almost want to try for twice 🙂

So that is my 2014 bucket list. I encourage you all to make one too. Send it to me and I will post it! Let’s see what we can accomplish.

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Food is Love. You are love. Pay it Forward this Year.

The Hippie Gypsy.