A New Year and the First Snow

Happy New Year! Just a few days into January we got the first snow of the season, and of the year. It was just a few inches, but it was enough to close schools for 2.5 days. Then, it snowed again just a few days later. Yep, another snow day! "Snow days" are no longer a real thing now that I work from home. It doesn't matter if the schools are closed and the kids are home, we don't have to commute so we can just proceed as usual! Right?? Luckily many of my coworkers are in the same situation and understanding, but it's been one thing after another for two years and we all really just need a break.

The girls really enjoyed the snow, as kids do, and rolled all around the yard, fell down, and came back with frozen faces. A couple days later when the sun came out, our neighbors invited us over to enjoy their epic sledding hill, and it turned out to be a really normal and relieving visit without worry of work, school, or viruses.

This one was outside by 7:30am.

Like most of you, I've been thinking about the new year. I haven't set specific resolutions or goals for awhile now (e.g., exercise 4 times per week, or finish a certain number of projects) because doing that is a setup for failure. Plus, who knows what type of person you'll be in 11 months? I prefer to do a mental reset, reflect on what is working and not working, and evaluate what I what I want my life to look like. This isn't always within our control, of course, but there's no reason not to do what you can.

In 2022 I want to:

• Pay attention to the stores I am purchasing from: Particularly in the last two years, it's been so easy to order things from Amazon and have them show up quickly. In general I am pretty thoughtful about what I buy, but I want to be more so. When I do need to buy something, I want to give my money to companies with morals, or small businesses when possible.
• Support artists: I have followed artists on social media for while now, but I recently deleted my art Instagram account. I tracked down the websites and newsletters of artists I love, and I want to support them financially this year instead of just clicking "like." As an aspiring minimalist, this doesn't always mean buying things, but subscribing through Patreon or signing up for paid newsletters or courses.
• Waste less food: We usually have a lot of leftovers which linger and eventually get thrown away. We also have produce that goes bad before we can use it. I want to reduce the amount of food that is getting thrown away, which for me means planning more and keeping an eye on the fridge. I am not the primary food shopper or cook in the family (yay!) but this has led to me not really paying attention to what food needs to get eaten before it goes bad. 
• Read what I like: Rather than going after a certain number, I want to concentrate on reading what I like. I want to stop reading a book I'm not enjoying without guilt. This also means that I am going to seek out books I know I'll enjoy rather than just pulling whatever looks interesting off the library shelf. 

All right; let's see how this goes!