Resolving To Have Fun Every Month In 2023
Photo by Victoria Strelka_ph
Six months into our marriage, my husband and I sat down on our first New Year’s Eve together and planned our year. Not yet parents, and still in that exciting honeymoon phase full of possibilities, we had no inclination of making practical resolutions.
Discovering new delight in one another with each passing day, and feeling the love and acceptance overflowing from one another in our newlywed bliss, we had no thought of laborious self-improvement schemes that might be typical of a new year planning session.
No, our objective was to infuse the New Year with fun and adventure of every kind. So, we made a list. I don’t know now where the inspiration came from, but I suggested a general format of setting goals for each month reflected by a name given to each month.
And oh, how I wish that I had the document produced that day, with our creative efforts proudly displayed on a single page. Would I find it silly now? Or inspirational? Or perhaps somehow both? Simple and straightforward, we had written our aims for each month; sadly, I now only remember a few. I share them now as examples only. You could (yourself or with your love) develop your own version.
On our little list of New Year’s aspirations, we had named the warm, time of daylight abundance, sixth month of the year: Jump-in June. This month, we’d decided, would be all about learning something new; going all in on a new skill or adventure. What skill or adventure we chose, I no longer remember. But I distinctly remember feeling clever about the name and excited about the possibilities.
Musical May (or was it March?) was to be all about giving our evenings together to making music and singing, trying to come up with new songs. My husband is a naturally-talented musician and songwriter. I am not. But what new bride doesn’t want to sit and listen to her now-husband singing soulful songs to guitar music under a starry sky? So it didn’t matter to me that my participation was limited to being the audience).
Now my memory begins to fail, so I don't know which we chose, but month number four was to have been either Artistic April or Active April. If the former, our free time would have been dedicated to collaborative art projects. Strictly for our own enjoyment, as neither of us have ever taken our sketches or paintings too seriously. If the latter, then we’d be filling our time with, well, activity. Going for runs, doing pilates, hiking some of the beautiful country here in the blessed land of the Pacific Northwest.
Now, blessed to be the stay-at-home mother of two littles, my mind automatically goes to lesson plans and tightening up routines when the thought of the new year comes up. I already have a New Year’s Eve morning coffee date planned with my hubby to go over all of my lists (he’s a good sport).
But when the distant memory of relatively carefree new year planning of nearly eight years ago came to mind, I did stop to wonder if we might be able to do both. A list of needed schedule modifications and parenting goals, and a list of fun resolutions for the year. Make-a-Memory March, perhaps? Or Nice Words November? Maybe Dance-off December? You get the picture; you can work anything in that you want!
Even if we don’t make 2023 our epic fun year, I know at some point when the kids are old enough to dream and plan along with us we will have to make another fun list. And I hope this little article will inspire some readers want to resolve to have fun! Your new habits or list of things to avoid can take second place to, or be ditched altogether for, your list of fun!
Happy planning and Happy New Year!
