New Year Vision Board

The past two years, I have replaced writing resolutions with making a vision board. I didn’t know I was doing it at the time, but as the year ends, I look at my colorful board and see that these images were wishes for the new year. My vision board is essentially a collage of images torn from magazines and collected ephemera that speak to me about who I really want to be and what I really want my life to contain. The collage was displayed in my office all year, serving as a reminder and motivator. I can point to many of the pictured “wishes” that have come true. I thought I’d share my year in pictures with you.

1. I planted a pot of assorted succulents beside my back door. It has grown so much! Now, flower-shaped succulents in shades of green and yellow greet me every morning.

2. I am a former competitive swimmer who has lost her way. I often dream that I am swimming laps or racing, but have been out of the water for years. I wished to start swimming again. A friend who wanted help training for a triathlon enlisted my help, and I found myself in the pool with her once or twice a week while she conditioned for the event.

3. I have developed a meditation practice, something that has been an incomplete New Year’s resolution for almost a decade.

4. The Japanese calligraphy and the swirly pink writing are reiki symbols. This year has seen my reiki practice grow tremendously, years of study have blossomed into a professional healing practice. Read more about reiki at my website, lightheartedsoul.com.

5. There is a picture above of a box of vegetables. One of the best surprises of the year was a CSA with South Central Farms that my neighbor ran. Every other Wednesday, she brought me a box of organic vegetables, which usually included a few greens that I had never before seen or cooked.

6. My mother-in-law watched our house while we were away this summer and began putting bird seed in two bird houses that were gifts this year. All of a sudden, I had a flock of birds living in the hedges of my yard. My cats and I enjoyed watching them eat and play in my garden, and my reiki clients heard them chirping during healing sessions.

7. I was hired to cook for a family, something I do from time to time, and their favorite dish was lasagna from scratch. I rolled out pasta once a week this autumn, just like the image above of beet ravioli. I also purchased this indispensable ravioli stamp from Sur la Table.

8. There is a Dyson vacuum pictured above. I wish for one. But this year my hate-hate relationship with my vacuum improved, and I am willing to keep it for another few years.

9. I spent a lot of time at the Fairfax Farmers Market, pictured here. On Sundays with my husband, buying produce, visiting the butcher and eating lunch. I also was invited for several Friday night gatherings with good friends. I heart the Farmers Market.

10. I wished for more sushi in my life, and it happened! I found a great neighborhood sushi restaurant run by a husband and wife, Haru, and had a handful of casual date nights.

11. The biggest surprise of the year is the washer and dryer. My parents moved out of their house into a furnished home in Mexico, and offered me their front-loading washer and dryer, just like the ones pictured! Amazing!

Be careful what you wish for! I am still waiting for the copper pots, Italian range, and surfing lessons.