Anew

So, here we are: a new year upon us and the festive merrymaking packed away (well, in this house anyway - I've never been one to hang about once it's all over). The tree's outside, no doubt gratefully breathing in lungfuls of chilly air and soaking up the moisture. The ornaments are neatly boxed up and stashed away in the attic. The fridge is once again home to green leafy things.

For many, tomorrow marks 'back to work' proper. Jay's going in and it'll be just me and Joe again through the day. But hopefully I won't find that quite so exhausting. I had some blood tests done over Christmas and it seems I'm iron deficient. Which certainly explains some pretty grim symptoms: palpitations, daily headaches, brain fog, dizzy spells and a constant feeling of grinding fatigue. I was so used to it that I thought it was 'just me' - my body's default setting.

Not so. Our local lovely health food shop had one bottle of this left in stock and after the best part of a week I'm feeling so much sharper and, well, awake. I know red meat's the best form of iron (as well as other things I do eat often) but I'm not a big fan. So, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for 2015.

I know lots of bloggers like to start a new year with a single word which encapsulates their hopes and plans. I prefer that to an exhaustive list of resolutions, although there's nothing wrong with writing down your goals. I've given this word thing some thought and - of course - struggled to narrow it down to just the one. But I think I've got it: Brave. As in, Be Brave.

Life for us at the moment is in a state of transition and we have many decisions to make, particularly regarding buying a house (where?) and what we want to do long-term. We know where we'd really like to be, both literally and figuratively, and I think we both know, particularly after last year, that life is indeed short. I'd hate it to fly by and to look back with regret. You see, I'm not one for taking risks, I live in constant fear of failure and I crave security. But without doing anything too irresponsible I think we should just go with our gut instincts and try. If we fail, so be it. Better to have given things a go than forever look back wondering what might have been.

So as this year goes on I'll share a little here and there of our plans and (fingers tightly crossed) progress.

Being brave also applies to my creativity: to blogging (writing in an honest way, without worrying too much about whether I'm keeping up with trends or about how I come across). To other writing: memoirs and notes (which I'll expand on in a later post); to my photography and artistic endeavours. I'd love to give the blog a bit of a facelift. I'm a true aesthetist. I love to make things look beautiful. Whether that happens (what with my limited technological knowledge) remains to be seen.

I think I could maybe push myself a little more in terms of getting 'out there' with my photography. Instagram is fun but I far prefer my camera to a phone. My social media activity needs a bit of re-evaluation too. Twitter's OK for reading here and there and keeping informed, but I rarely put anything out on it myself. I mean to keep my Tumblr account up-to-date with photos and am considering a Facebook page too (I don't like Facebook very much, truth be told, but it is useful for local contacts).

And Pinterest. Ah, Pinterest: how I love thee. And how much time I waste while away gazing at beautiful pictures. It's research, OK? It inspires me. But maybe I should set a little timer so that those sessions can be kept to a reasonable length.

So, a new calendar. A new sense of purpose. A new year. I'll keep drinking my green tea (surely I'll actually start to enjoy the taste at some point) and trying to use my time effectively: making time for creativity, pushing myself forward and peeping out from the little corner I hide in. Being brave.

If you have a word you've chosen, an affirmation or a goal for this year: feel free to share it here. If you're keeping it quiet, I get that too. Here at Mitenska I like to do a bit of both...