Cherry Blossom Boutique: Just Let Go for a Happy New Year

Happy New Year, Darlings! Ok, I know its already the 12^thof January, but my new year has only just begun. To my mind, i wanted to finish writing my book first, before i was willing to crack the French champagne, begin the search for the ultimate cute, pink and preferably fluffy daily year planner, and of course put up my intended new years resolution post here… and that i did! Ta tadat da da DAAAA! i finished yesterday. WOOP WOOP! So now i can officially join all those other dedicated novelists and say somewhat obnoxious things like ‘My first book…’ at dinner parties. Or when Husband says why didn't i do this or why don't i do that, i'll say, "Excuse me, i wrote a book!" and he really cant argue with that now can he? J i have been smiling like a goofy Disney character ever since writing the words THE END. J J J

So, first drafts aside (and believe me, i know this is only the beginning… Read EDIT) i have a very exciting new year ahead of me. i made the decision to make ONE new years resolution, and then add a whole bunch of little sub-goals under the same basic heading. And the New Years Resolution IS…drum roll please…

To de-issue my life

De-issue, de-clutter, de-stress and de-everything else that will help me 'Return To A Simpler Way Of Life.' (With, er, a little less Bo-hobo and a little more boho-chick.)

i will divulge further into this resolution in separate blog posts, but for today i am only going to talk about step one: Just Let Go.

i am a fighter. A bit of a fighter princess, but a fighter none the less. When i really believe in something, i will fight to the grave to defend it! This was probably instilled in me by my beloved parents who had my siblings and i protesting with banners outside theaters, picketing politicians private homes, boycotting certain chain stores that sold things ‘we’ didn’t agree with and, well, just generally going about our business of getting into other peoples business with an air of righteous indignation. My mother always said if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything, so we took a stand for everything, strongly and frequently. And all this at the tender age of 12! i do understand the importance of the values they were trying to install in us and i don’t think they were wrong at all, but i think it resulted in me believing that if i feel i am in the right, come hell or high water i won’t tolerate anything different and i won’t ever compromise.

Till i found myself unwilling to back down from, compromise with or tolerate the people i loved the most. Which makes for a very lonely supper time.

i have just recently read a book written by a friend of mine, Warriors Inc by Garth Hobbs, that had a rather interesting character in it. She is a warrior fairy who, when angered, grows in size. It’s quite a cool concept, that the angrier she gets the bigger she gets. Which is very helpful for her of course, being a warrior and all. However, i think i might have been doing the same, only to the people closest to me and who i care the most about. The angrier i allow myself to get about anything from simple little domestics to massively destructive and unfair legislation, the bigger i build this wall around myself. Which is why i have now decided to Just Let Go.

Someone sent me an incredibly racist email. Instead of writing back and starting a fight, i decided to ignore, delete, and Just Let Go. Someone lights up a cigarette in front of me and blows smoke in my general direction. Instead of taking my former position as the President of the Anti Smoking Society, i wave the smoke away and Just Let Go.

This doesn’t mean that i am going to turn into a spineless jellyfish. It just means that i am not going to go around, sword drawn, chopping down fellow humans who have a different way of life to me anymore.

And when i put on my clothes in the morning, look in the mirror and realize i am having a fat day, ugly day, washed out day and bad hair day all in one, i’m going to ignore the mirror, reach for a hat and Just Let Go.