Wo-Manifesto: a public declaration of principles, policies, or intentions

The hope of a new year...the renewed search of finding the key to life, the key to yourself, the key to your family...your heritage, the key that fits, the key that unlocks it all.  I love the fresh clean scent of a new year...like a crisp blank page in a sketch book just waiting to be filled.  It's a time to throw open the curtains and let the light in and chase out the dust bunnies and skeletons of the past. Clear out whatever is holding you back. A time to leap and have faith the net will appear. It's a chance to start again...to improve, reflect, move on, move past, move forward, to change your trajectory, to grow and bloom.  A time to ditch whatever isn't working and devise a new plan...your plan. As an adoptee, this idea is a very poignant one to me, as there was a time in my life when the "plan" wasn't my own...there have been times I was just running on "auto-pilot" and stuck in "adopted me" mode wherein I responded and acted the way I thought I "should" or how I thought everyone would "want" me to and in all honesty, there are still tiny moments when it seems like it's still not my own plan, but those moments are getting fewer and far between.  I'm shifting, changing, getting louder, getting bolder and taking the wheel.

I've been working like crazy clearing out physical clutter, emptying closets, cabinets, drawers and putting nothing back in that I don't absolutely love or isn't useful.  I've rearranged room functions to suit my needs....Hello tiny unused bedroom transformed into the most decadent, girly "walk-in closet" ever.  I only had one rule in decorating this new space and that was anything goes! (well, two rules actually...nothing new...I either had to already own it or it was thrifted).  Anything that made me smile went in there...it's turned out to be such a great space, I could live in that room alone...silly I know, but for me, it was a declaration to myself that I am worth it.  It's been a long road to Say.That.Out.Loud.  That I am worth it, worth the pampering, worth loving myself, worth surrounding myself with nothing but beautiful, authentic and purposeful things, people and thoughts. I have always had a knee-jerk reaction to putting everyone else first, even my demons & skeletons (who me, adopted?), so good riddance to all of that.  It's time..long overdue actually.  I've been living with piles (in so many ways) for the past few weeks...and it feels so good to sort, donate, toss, organize and make beautiful.

I've also been working on my Wo-manifesto for 2012...it's a work in progress of where I am, where I am going and where I want it to be..here's my list so far:

• 2012 Mantra: Cheap and cheerful...frugal and fabulous...happy and healthy

• Thrifted home, life and style - Buying nothing new; it has to be "new to me" (been doing this for a few months and it has really gotten me out of a creative thinking/fashion rut and has really opened my eyes to needs vs. wants)
• If I have to buy anything new, I will buy local.
• Planning ahead with food and eating "in" (which in turn makes me focus on healthier, cleaner eating)
• Movie nights! (I ditched cable awhile ago and loving it.  I don't miss it nor do I miss that crazy bill!)
• Read more (I  had forgotten how much I love falling into a book and not wanting it to end)
• Taking advantage of my public library (My public library is online, so all I have to do is click on what books & dvd's I would like to reserve and then receive an email when they're ready - the original Amazon and it's free!)
• Going shopping inside my home and getting crafty with what I already have (and with the recent purge, I have lots of long-lost-now-new-to-me "inventory" to play with)
• Create, create, create! And then create a little more...
• Ditch negative thinking...it's gotten me nowhere so far.  Time to switch gears and crank up the positivity.
• Resolving my past into my present, making peace, being hopeful and moving forward.
• Adoption reform - work on getting my original birth certificate...it's mine and I want it. Period.
• A little less snarky-ness (I admit, this one is going to be a struggle...sarcasm is my friend! ;)
• Love more, hate less (absolutely free and totally worth it!)

How about you? Do you have any new ideas/plans/resolutions/goals/Wo-Man-ifestos that you have conjured up for yourself, your life and your famil(ies) for 2012?

I would love to hear what you've got brewing...what keys are you searching/striving for this year?
xo,
Two

Dandelion key necklace by the amazingly talented Anika Smulovitz