New Year

I’ve never been a great fan of New Year’s resolutions. Half-way through January, I wonder how many people have already given up on theirs. Recently I came across these inspiring words by food writer, Thomasina Miers:

“January is not a month for abstinence but for nourishment.”

After the excesses of the holiday season, the temptation for many of us is to find balance in anti-excess: abstinence. But is depriving ourselves in mid-winter really that good for us? I doubt it.

Instead of swinging from one extreme to the other, we could ask ourselves how we might want to live, and what our days would look like, once we’ve achieved our New Year’s goals – whatever they are. And then live accordingly. Right now.

Because, why wait?

If we do what we instinctively know to be right for us, we’ll naturally settle into a balance that will nourish us without resorting to extremes — now, and over the long term. Perhaps the hardest part is knowing what that is. This takes honesty and reflection.

For me, on some days it could mean a hearty meal followed by a double portion of Tiramisu. On other days I might fancy a walk in the woods or a mid-winter swim in the English Channel. Sometimes I simply prefer a sip of whisky in front of the fire. The word whisky comes from ancient Gaelic, meaning ‘water of life’. It wouldn’t pass Dry January but for me it’s pure nourishment… nature distilled in a glass.

Let’s stop being hard on ourselves with unproductive New Year’s resolutions, and start living the way we actually want to live. Cheers!