My theme for the last couple of weeks of 2024 was celebration plus relaxation. Our youngest child graduated from college - definitely an occasion to celebrate. And we spent Christmas in Mexico - definitely a way to relax. We enjoyed getting away to a beautiful (and warm!) place as a family at a time when all five of our schedules allowed us to be together. Sometimes it’s good to change the routine. It’s definitely what we needed this year. (I fully recognize it’s a choice that many don’t have the capacity or privilege to make.)
In the last weeks of December, I wrote an equation in my journal: celebration + relaxation = disruption. It’s not entirely accurate. In this case, the disruption - going away for the holiday - facilitated the relaxation. Regardless, I kept returning to the word disruption.
From Merriam Webster, a disruption is “a break or interruption in the normal course or continuation of some activity, process, etc.” In business jargon, disruption has come to mean an innovation or an upheaval of an industry. I like that connotation. I like combining the dictionary definition of a break in the normal course of some activity and adding the nuance of an innovation. Of challenging existing ways of being or doing things.
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This fall, I followed a restrictive diet to deal with significant digestive issues. It was definitely a disruption. I paid close attention to grocery shopping, meal planning, lunch-packing, and food served at restaurants or social events. I maintained the diet for several weeks, and it really helped alleviate my issues. Recently, on vacation, I deviated from the diet a bit and seemed to tolerate the introduction of some restricted foods. I’m still figuring it out. Bottom line, the restrictive diet is a good disruption. Habit change isn’t easy, and the planning involved was a lot of work. It also improved my life a lot since the issues were interfering with my day-to-day activities.
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We can be conditioned or taught by various sources - the dominant culture, authority figures or “experts” (some legitimate, others not), corporations, families, friends, the media, schools, social media, and other influences - that things are to be done a certain way. These influences flood our highly-connected and information-saturated world. It’s overwhelming. The key is awareness. The key is returning to ourselves and the values we hold dear, again and again. The key is remembering the agency we have in living life on our own terms.
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A common practice is to pick a word for the new year. Although I don’t typically pick a word, I like to reflect on goals, habits, and values. Some years I’ve written an intention, a phrase or sentence that distills my hopes for the new year. This year, I think I’ll continue to reflect on disruption and innovation. I’ll particularly reflect on those ideas as I think about how I spend my time and whether or not it’s in alignment with my values.
With that in mind, I’ll share a few things. First, my oldest child and I signed up to do a half marathon in April. I know I can do it, and I’ll need to be very intentional with my time and training to prepare. Second, as I wrote here last week, in “Newsletter year in review,” I’m reconsidering the time I spend writing on this platform. I’ve decided, for now, to write newsletters only twice a month. Third, I aim to apply many of the ideas I wrote about in “Less is more” to various areas of my life.
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I hope you’ve had space for both abundant joy and quiet reflection this holiday season. Please feel free to share your own thoughts or intentions in the comments, if you’d like.
Happy New Year!
With care and gratitude,
Mary
Yay to relaxation, celebration and disruption! Also, so proud of you for committing to the half marathon - so cool! I saw a quote today that came to mind when reading this, "whatever you are not changing, you are choosing" Time to be disruptive! I know there are things we can't change overnight (like a job change) but it is good reminder about choosing how I spend my time towards making those changes and as you say, aligning my choices with my values.