Party hats & Notepads
Hi friend! Are you a resolution-maker or intention-setter? No? How about a dreamer with a pen tucked behind your ear, a love for notebooks, and an ambition to make 2021 the best year yet?
I am all the above.
Quick backstory – Ten years ago, I was resolutely anti-resolutions. You see, I mistakenly thought new year resolutions were about losing weight and body shaming, i.e. buying into oppressive social constructs around beauty. If I did anything differently at the start of a new year, it was to rebelliously and triumphantly crunch on Cheetos and cucumbers (hey I like them all) with extra zest.
I’ve since redefined my relationship with resolutions, because I realized: Why, they are nothing about intentions, marked with a bit of collective ceremony due to a social construct I am down with (time)! I now have great fun with resolution setting experiments every year. One year my resolution was to “not hold back kind thoughts and compliments about others” (as a former cripplingly shy person, this was hard, but immensely rewarding.) Last year, I set 30ish-day intentions at the beginning of every month (I have a few friends who can stick with something for a whole year, but I’ve always suspected these people were touched by a bit of magic).
This year – 2021 – I’m excited for a wildly new kind of resolution:
Become the best cat parent and animal advocate I can be yet!
Before you ROTFL and point out that my furbaby, Junipurr, literally just used me as a stepping stone to get to her Fav Parent and habitually attempts to murder me (those inner wrist swipes!), let me explain the philosophy:
What we direct our awareness to, grows. So even if we are mad seasoned pet parents or animal rescue workers, if we have the intention to become even better, we will.
There is an infinite number of fun, creative, doable ways to level up our pet parenting or animal welfare advocacy game!
Daily decisions and habits make tremendous impact on overall wellness, and what we do at home impacts the whole world in a tangible but meaningful way.
I already have a few ideas catnapping in my head (e.g. write a song for Junipurr, figure out zero waste living with cat, trim Juni’s nails on a regular basis, and volunteer with a local wildlife rehab or TNVR program), BUT HOW MUCH MORE FUN WOULD IT BE IF WE DID THIS TOGETHER?!
Voila: The First Ever Pet Parent Resolutions (Virtual) Party
Bring your party hat and notepad!
