My Intentions for 2022: Starting to Brainstorm Ideas
I’ve been chipping away at my holiday to-do list for the past month, ever since Katherine and I chatted about what kind of Fall we want to have on the podcast. As the world feels more and more out of control, I seek solace in focusing on what I can control.
Completed Items
Here are some of the things I’ve been able to check off:
- Sending out the Halloween party invite
- Building my grocery list for our Halloween party
- Finishing our costumes
- Sending out the Friendsgiving invite
- Renting a bouncy house, folding tables, and chairs for Friendsgiving
- Hanging cafe lights in our backyard for Friendsgiving
- Painting rocks for name place cards
- Ordering disposable dish ware and deciding on an inexpensive tablecloth
- Building our grocery list for Friendsgiving
- Buying and wrapping Matt’s birthday present
- Deciding that Matt and I will work together to buy a collective gift instead of buying something for each other
- Buying and wrapping almost all of the Christmas gifts for my immediate family
- Buying and wrapping small gifts for my work colleagues
- Getting the games ready for our Fondue Fun Party
- Building our grocery list for the Fondue Fun Party
- Buying and wrapping gifts for our Fondue Fun Party
- Writing the letter for my holiday card
- Addressing all of the envelopes
- Selecting 16 pictures for our holiday card
Getting More Space by Working Ahead: Intentions for 2022
Working so far ahead is giving me a lot of space to savor the process and be more present in the moment. I’m also more open to stopping and being more available to my children when they need me since I’m not feeling stressed or rushed.
And we’ve added additional things to this list as they’ve come up, like hand making some Halloween decorations.
I find that I’ve had a lot of space for thinking as I spend long stretches of time doing mindless activities like painting rocks or addressing envelopes. I’ve started to think about what I want to make true for myself in 2022.
I know it’s a bit odd to start thinking about my intentions for next year when there is a solid 1/6th of the year left. But that’s how I roll. I just have to embrace who I am.
My brain likes the very non-committal process of spending a couple of months coming up with ideas for next year. A random thought will come to me and I will simply write it in my journal on a page dedicated to thinking about 2022.
It feels very relaxed and low stress!