#2874 three things: no spend January, dance party, my word

 

I decided to use some of my art for heading! How do you like it? I used the Snapseed app to put a frame around it, and I added some text. The drawing is in a book that I gave Mamacita for her birthday. In true little kid fashion, I drew pictures in a perfectly good book. I bought the used book in a cool little bookstore in Barcelona, and I always intended to draw in it. The decision to give it to my mama for her birthday came when I was trying to figure out what to give my mama for her birthday. LOL It was a terrifically fun project for me. 

Also...happy new year! 

Now let's get on with my three things.

1. No spend January. The past few months, I have spent quite a lot of money on eating out. I've been traveling, and of course you'll eat out when you are not at home, but even at home, I was uninspired and often too wiped out to cook anything, or sometimes even tp go to the grocery store. My budget has suffered because of this particular aspect of my spending, so I decided to challenge myself to not spend any money eating out in January. Now, you may know that I have a bit of a coffee habit - I really like Starbucks and Dutch Bros. I have money and gift cards loaded on those apps, and I can use the money in the apps, but I can't reload them out of my checking account this month. Fortunately, I got a couple of Starbucks gift cards for Christmas, so I will be okay there. I know this challenge will, in fact, be challenging, but I really want to see if I have the will-power to do it. So far, I'm 3 for 3! I'll update the status throughout the month. 

2. The dance party. When I was talking to Mom and Lizzie on Monday night, they told me that while waiting for the ball to drop on New Year's Eve, they had an impromptu dance party, just the two of them. I'm sure Lulu the Dog was bemused by the situation. I can't stop thinking about it, though! I can picture my sweet little mamacita and my beloved sister swaying and twirling, waving their arms in the air like they just don't care, and smiling with glee the whole time. The mental images make me so happy! Keep dancing!! (Maybe my choice of art for the header of this post was inspired subconsciously by the dance party, and I inserted myself in the dance, too?)

3. My Word. For the past several years, I have chosen a Word to be a talisman, I guess, for the year. Last year, I chose the word  Allow at the beginning of the year only to change it to Slow a few months later because I didn't feel like it fit anymore. Turns out that nothing about last year was Slow, but the word was a good reminder to pump the brakes and take it easy every now and again, so I guess the Word did what it was supposed to do. 

I was tempted to keep Slow again this year, or find a similar word to instill that feeling of quiet and peace. Then, suddenly, I didn't want that vibe. I didn't want something super energetic, and I didn't want anything too passive, either. Suddenly, as I was sort of going back and forth about it all, a word came to me and it was so vivid and loud in my head, that it could not be denied. My Word for 2024 is CONFIDENT.  

Doubt, self-consciousness, and anxiety frequently dominate my thoughts. When I think of my word, I get a boost. Maybe I fake it until I make it, but hopefully I will be the only one who knows I'm faking it. (heehee) 

There are a couple of supporting words, too: Authentic and Grace. These words will remind me to be true to myself and to give myself the benefit of the doubt as well as putting me in a good mindset.

Usually, I will create a mandala with the Word in the center. This year, I thought of a photo that Lizzie took of me when we were in Barcelona. I don't often like to see photos of myself - I can always find something that I don't like (don't we all?) This pic is an exception; I actually like everything about it. I like my hair, my glasses are cool, I like what I'm wearing, and I like my genuine and authentic smile. Not only that, I vividly remember sitting at this cafe in the Plaza Real. It was Mother's Day. We'd just finished touring Palau Guell, and we were having a drink before going to lunch at one of our favorite restaurants in the city, Can Culleretes. Mom, Lizzie, and I were relaxed and happy, and it was just so fucking awesome to be sitting there with them on that beautiful Sunday afternoon. It seemed like the perfect photo to embody everything I want from my Word this year. 

Peace!

xo