March Promises!

Somewhere (though can't remember where exactly) someone said that February felt like the best time for New Year's Resolutions. Well, March has always felt like the first month of the year for me. Maybe because it's the month of my birth or it's the beginning of spring (although it has been snowing here all day) or maybe because January and February still feel like a Christmas hangover (though fun is usually had by all, the month-long prep and party, as we know, are both sooo much work) and New Year's Resolutions are just too hard to keep in the dead of winter. During these first two months, I just can't quite get up the energy to promise anything, even to myself. There are so many family and friends birthdays in these months, I can barely keep up and remember them all much less send something.

But the hangover is nearly over and now I feel ready for those resolutions. However, I'm going to call them my March Promises. I like the way that sounds much better. Who doesn't want to make promises to themselves like an adoring lover? A promise sounds much more inviting than the equivalent of 'firm determination' which sounds almost like a punishment or a 'Time Out'.

So, in the spirit of growth and rebirth, here they are:
Self, I says to me,

I promise~~~

~To be less judgemental and hard on you,
~To stop treating you like you should be doing more,
~To stop making you feel guilty
(Sounding like a theme here?!)
~To give you all the encouragement you felt you didn't get,
~To treat you like the artist you want to be (and are),
~To give you time for the things you love,
~To care for and worship this body as the Goddess temple it is,
~To gently remind you to see the flip side and be grateful for what is,
~To learn the beauty of Alchemy and turn 'muck' into Gold,
~To invite you to the most peaceful place on Earth (with a little--constant-- training):
Your own Mind.


There, that oughta do it. Who best to pamper ourselves? Let the year (and spring) begin! Anybody else have any March Promises?
(Just remember...for some it's a chance to start over!)

Photographs copyright: Kirsten Steen