Intentions for the New Year

[Ann Courcy]

New Year's Day, a new beginning, a fresh start, a time of evaluation and resolutions. I recently wrote about New Year's pledges of conservation, awareness, protection and stewardship. Now, I am thinking about intentions—how and who I want to be as I walk upon this planet. Intentions are thoughts focused on images of how we want to be in each moment of our lives, today, right now. Intentions generate and guide actions.

I want to be:

• ready to discover new wonders
• open to new ideas
• a teacher who instills confidence
• connected with the natural cycle of the seasons
• respectful of animals
• part of solutions
• a resource for activities that give children direct contact with nature
• learning, learning, learning
• positive and encouraging
• a localvore (a person who eats, grows and buys local food)
• a gardener, a steward, and a warrior for the planet
• outside—connecting, observing, and appreciating
• a reader and book suggester
• ready to meet new challenges

What are your intentions? Who do you want to be in the world? On the first day of 2012, you may want to mull these questions and create your own personal vision to guide your approach to each day, each encounter, and each decision you make throughout the coming year.

Happy New Year!