Happy 2011.. the year i resolve for MORE

It is 2011... finally. Whew!

2010 was a roller coaster filled with every imaginable emotion, hurdle and unforeseeable event. Thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster it is over! As John Prine would sing, "What a rough, rough ride!"

Instead of making the usual resolutions that seem to be forgotten by mid-January, i have decided to make a list of things i want more (and less) of in my life. In 201o i worked more. In fact that is pretty much all i did was work, think about work, stress about work, blog, facebook and email about work, dream and scheme about work and talk about work. I worried more about everything, i cried more and i stressed more. It is no surprise that i was sick more often. And this may be shocking.. but yes i was crankier more. Was it worth it? NO! Financially, emotionally and physically i think i would have been better off making balloon animals while playing the banjo.

To be very clear... i do not want more stuff. We only have one closet here. I do not have the need for 20 pairs of shoes, designer clothing and knick knacks. The trunk of my car is filled with stuff going to our local homeless shelter. More will be going as soon as i can make my way up into our ghost-ridden attic to clean. (Our attic ghosts being a topic for another blog.)

As one of my professors, Alex Tiberi once said "Clutter creates chaotic qi." So true. Last night instead of attending a New Years Eve party, my husband and i rearranged the living room. It is now clutter free. There is now room to do yoga without worrying about whacking my leg on the coffee table. We even carved out a meditation nook. We tried to incorporate as much feng shui as possible into the room. However the dog ate most of the paper feng shui chart as we ignored her while moving furniture around. She was not happy we made her get off the couch so we could carry it across the room. The wisdom and family portion of the chart were eaten. I am sure there is a hidden message in that for us. .. which i probably picked up today on her walk in a biodegradable poop bag.

So drum roll please. Here is the 2011 List of More:

The first thing on my list is more LAUGHTER. I want to laugh more. Giggle more. Play more. More fun. Shriek more. Laugh until i cry more. Not that shen disturbed laughter that makes people want to flee the room. But that from the heart laughing with friends or even alone. It's OK to laugh alone. ... no matter what the Pope claims - you won't go blind. There is even a Laughing Buddha so i am sure it is a divine activity.

Buddha say Laugh More.

The second thing i want more of is ART. I want to create more art, see more art, breathe more art and be an artist once again. I am not sure when i allowed my inner artist to shrivel up and hide. (I blame the working more.) So the doctor orders more art museums. More art books. Start doing The Artist's Way exercises. More playing with colored pencils, paper mache, baubles, yarn, clay, feathers, glass and what ever the muse is craving. Walk around with paint brushes tucked behind my ear. Paint stained hands and jeans. Going with that flow. Staying in the art zone. Turning off the phone, computer and unplugging. More ART.



The third thing i want more of is PEACE of MIND. I think perhaps that should have been first on the list but i do not have the will power to cut and paste the above html to make it #1! It is time to trust the Universe again. Stop the worrying. Know that it will all be OK. Believe in magic again. Go with the flow. Chill out. Because if you have that sense of ahhhhhh or shall i say Ommmm... well it is all OK. .. no matter what. It is OK. So more meditation. More yoga. More walks. More breathing. More ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. More play. More laughing. More gratitude. More of nothingness.



The fourth wish is not something i think my neighbors, cats or dog wants more of. It is selfish i suppose. I want to play more Bluegrass Banjo. Toe tapping banjo. Steve Martin laughing banjo. Just want to play banjo music that makes people want to clog like this clogging to bluegrass youtube.

And i want to play Foggy Mountain Breakdown all the way through.. with confidence without scaring the neighbors. (I think the cats will always be terrified of my banjo. Let's hope my dog does not eat it.)

Happy 2011. May this year bring MORE of whatever your heart desires.