Year of the man

I was out to dinner last Saturday with two girlfriends, one of whom said that she had recently been turned on to the idea that in lieu of making numerous resolutions for the year, the year should instead focus on one thing -- have a theme, as it were.

Well, yes, I agree; I've tried that the last two years to fairly great results. In my life, 2013 was year of the house/home. My focus was to find an appropriate house for me and the girls, to buy said house, move us into said house, and then make it a home. I'm still really, really happy with my decision on this one. I love our house, it fits us perfectly, it's in a great location (if you can ignore the airplanes constantly overhead), and I don't plan to move for a very, very long time.

2014 was all about yoga. I felt compelled to get my 200-hour teacher certification (although there is a very high likelihood that I'll never teach), and although I do not have it in hand yet, the 200 (+ 70 additional) hours are behind me, the books have been read, papers written, and all that remains are some additional class observations and putting together a couple of class sequences. I really should have wrapped it up in 2014, but I'm calling it a success nonetheless. My certification requirements should be met in the next few weeks, and I learned so much along the way. Much less about how to teach a yoga class than I imagined, but significantly more about myself than I ever anticipated.

2015? Well 2015 is the year of the man. I know, right? It sounds absurd, but I'm doing it anyway. When I voiced this 2015 focus to my two friends, one of the two said warningly, "that's a lot of pressure." But that's not how I look at it. My goal is not to find a new significant other by December 31, although if that happens, ok, fine. But I highly doubt it. My goal is to figure out what I want, and to try to get over myself. Meaning, I need to somehow (a) forgive myself for past big mistakes in this arena, and (b) learn to trust myself moving forward. I'm looking at this year as time a time of trial and error, of experimentation, of learning what I want and need and what I am willing to give.

I know, I know, I'm not very good at this (talk about stating the obvious), but that's the challenge, right? Do something scary, move beyond my comfort zone, get out there and be vulnerable and willing to try? I figure I'll meet some interesting people along the way, have a few laughs, and learn a lot more about myself, and the opposite sex.

And, I'm attacking this on all angles, so yes, I've joined a dating site. (Omg, the stories I could already tell 1.5 weeks in, but I'll save those for later.) I'm also going to start crafting a very honest and specific list for the cosmic waitress, because as we all know, she can't bring you what you want if you haven't put in your order. Additionally, I'm also open to any and all(?) recommendations/set ups/blind dates that family and friends may come up with. Yes, you read that right.

It's going to be one hell of an ego-smacking year, my friends. Let the games begin!