{"id":815,"date":"2014-07-15T02:25:19","date_gmt":"2014-07-15T02:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.talkinggrid.com\/dev\/?p=815"},"modified":"2014-07-15T02:25:37","modified_gmt":"2014-07-15T02:25:37","slug":"27-ways-welcome-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/27-ways-welcome-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"27 Ways to Welcome the New Year!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dearest and most cherished\u00a0<\/span>Talkinggrid \u00a0<\/em><\/span>Readers, Commentators, Contributors, Donors, and Critics,<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you, again for allowing\u00a0<\/span>Talkinggrid \u00a0<\/em>into your life in 2012 or 13\u2026 whenever you started to visit this lowly yet unique web-site\u2026 the voice of a quirky, cute, fuzzy thinking, artist \u2013\u2013Frau Kolb\u2014on the loose, \u00a0a wild (art) Party (performance) Person from New York\u2026 or is she from the Caribbean, IF so\u2026 what is with this Frau\u2026 Business? \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(Writing is therapeutic. \u00a0Reading this I hope you feel healed of your own insignificance and connected to the larger whole of human experience.)<\/p>\n

Seven DAYS into the NEW year\u2026 Frau Invites you reconsider your resolutions and arrive at a better approach.<\/p>\n

So\u2026 here we go:<\/p>\n

27 Ways to Welcome \u00a0The NEW YEAR!!!\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1.)\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Don\u2019t stop. \u00a0Think about the holiday season as a period for\u00a0celebrating the magic, the light, and the eternal unending love. \u00a0These are good reasons to take better care of yourself: cook, clean-the-house, groom the self, and socialize. \u00a0If you did a solid rendition of Thanksgiving, way back in\u00a0November\u00a0you: ate well, home cooked organic and healthy food, fresh made with lots of carrots and celery and perhaps\u2026 turkey\/tofu turkey. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, in January, we launch the NEW year with French bubbly and friends. \u00a0Do: have people over to your still decorated holiday home. \u00a0Don\u2019t go out on New Year\u2019s Eve: it is always\u00a0disappointing. \u00a0Expensive and loud, the holiday boils down to freezing outdoor\u00a0mayhem: don\u2019t bother. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2.) Let GO! \u00a0Review the last year. \u00a0What worked? \u00a0What habits\/people\/places demand to be released\u00a0\u201cthe their highest good,\u201d in the NEW Year? \u00a0Let these people, positions, and mistakes be a part of the past and make a clean rip into the NEW YOU!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3.) \u00a0Make a list of everything you LOVE about yourself and want to enhance. \u00a0What are your best qualities and how are you going to improve your game\/performance\/results\/numbers\/stats in 2014. \u00a0Focus on what you do well, love to do, and want to do more\u2026 IF it works for you, brings you good, then do more. \u00a0(Seems obvious, I know yet, it is New Year and every New Year, is an opportunity to review and make changes.)<\/span><\/p>\n

4.) \u00a0Invest in creating a New Year that reflects what and who you are or desire to become. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5.) Don\u2019t forget your\u00a0monthly spa treatment.<\/span><\/p>\n

6.) Carefully put away the holiday decorations. \u00a0Collecting ornaments over the decades and generations, telling stories of family members long gone is one of the most holiday enhancing activities I reserve time for. \u00a0Yet, packing away our little treasures to be used again, next year, extends the holiday glow, just a little longer. \u00a0(Atheists can skip this step.)<\/span><\/p>\n

7.) \u00a0Decide what 2014 is going to be about for YOU! \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Give the year a title. \u00a0For example;\u00a0\u201cThis is the Have-Toned-ABS or Eat-Only-Organic-Meats,\u201d Year. This brings focus to your efforts and makes it easy to look back next year on your achievements. \u00a0 Develop a one year plan for personal success. \u00a0What does,\u00a0\u201csuccess,\u201d\u00a0mean to you? \u00a0Shave it down to five words. \u00a0Keep these words close, make them your mantra, become the butterfly you are.<\/p>\n

8.) Plan to have a great year. \u00a0What do you have to look forward to? \u00a0If the answer is\u00a0\u201cNo Thing.\u201d Well\u2026 why?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What did you do to make it so\u2026 awful? \u00a0What can you do this month, TODAY, Now\u2026 to make it better?<\/span><\/p>\n

9.) Remember to express gratitude to all the beautiful people who toss you a smile, a\u00a0quarter, a tip, a bit of love; here-and-there are people that give you just enough love to keep you going. \u00a0Thank them, again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

10.) \u00a0Be nice. \u00a0Be generous. \u00a0The more you give the more YOU get. \u00a0Don\u2019t be afraid to LOVE passionately. \u00a0Dive in in 2014 to the power of kindness. \u00a0YOU can do it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

12.) Give everyone space to be themselves, including yourself. \u00a0Accept that you have issues and that you are not likely to change, yet you might try\u2026\u00a0occasionally\u2026 in the name of tradition, to reform yourself with clock-like regularity around this time of year, to no avail because you are basically always going to be the boring old goat that has to piddle and poo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

12.) \u00a0Read more books. \u00a0Make more time by cutting back on the freakin\u2019 entertainment that consumes much of everybody\u2019s time. \u00a0We all watch shows. \u00a0Even I, the great lunatic sage, FRAU KOLB, succumb to the allure, of a beautiful human (think: Don Draper in Mad Men) uttering brilliantly written lines as though they had just ***thought*** to say THAT outrageously well crafted LINE! \u00a0Wow, films and television shows thrill us and impress upon us the idea that somewhere else there are humans so slick and sexy that they never have to brush their teeth or eat right. \u00a0Films, videos, digital media\u2026. all consume our attention and give back very little. Yet, books are friends that tell stories slowly, giving you time to think and flesh out ideas. \u00a0Read a good novel or two or ten this year. \u00a0I recommend it for your health. \u00a0I also say:\u00a0\u201cNo, thank you!\u201d to digital books. \u00a0They just don\u2019t work for me. \u00a0But the more I read paper books, the more I love how slow they go. \u00a0I adore the space between the words. \u00a0 I sip the stream of words and let each ideas percolate on my\u00a0tongue\u00a0 \u00a0I savor the moments, meanings, and characters found in books. \u00a0When humans fail me, when life sucks, when I get confused and feel homeless: I retreat to books for comfort and warmth and to help repair my spirit. \u00a0Try it. \u00a0It might work for you, too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

13.)\u00a0<\/span>Focus on finance, with February right around the corner, it is time to think about your fiscal health. \u00a0Did you budget properly for the holiday expenditures or did the holiday hype take you by surprise, again, this year?<\/span><\/p>\n

14.) Are you brushing up on your French\/<\/span>Mandarin<\/span>\/<\/span>Portuguese<\/span>? \u00a0GOOD!<\/span><\/p>\n

15.) Plan a vacation for yourself. \u00a0You can and will go somewhere fun this year. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

16.) Spend time with your favorite poet. \u00a0This year on New Year\u2019s Day I dove into\u00a0\u201cLeaves of Grass,\u201d by no-one-less than Walt Whitman. \u00a0Now\u2026 IF you haven\u2019t read Whitman since\u00a0grade school\u00a0GET TO IT. \u00a0Whitman rocks.<\/span><\/p>\n

17.) Get ready for the LA Contemporary Art Fair, which is the highlight of the social\u00a0calendar\u00a0for Muses and the Amused on the West Coast. \u00a0Get ready for whatever event floats your boat and can be this month\u2019s highlight, plan one for each month, and thus, map out your year, sketching a picture of an ideally stimulating and uplifting mental landscape, sculpting an environment, rich with possibility for enriching your soul.<\/span><\/p>\n

18.) Cultivate your lighthearted nature by spending time outside, inside, and everywhere-in-between enjoying the fact that YOU exist. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

19.) IF you are not aware of why you are alive, this might be a good time to figure that out. \u00a0Apply the steps above. \u00a0IF you are aware of your purpose (everyone has a least one if not thousands of good reasons to be good, kind, loving, and take care of others, better).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

20.) Try a NEW approach. \u00a0Reconsider your past moves and plan to dance\u00a0to\u00a0a new drum beat. \u00a0YOU, after all, are the only person that can make you happy.<\/span><\/p>\n

21.) Wish everyone peace and prosperity. \u00a0There are more than enough resources for everyone on the planet to live well. \u00a0Yet, it is up to each individual to define who they are and what they want, while respecting the rights and wishes of others. \u00a0There is no need to compete with anyone other than your former self,\u00a0this\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0any<\/em>\u00a0other year. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

22.) Stressed? \u00a0Take it as a sign. \u00a0You require rest. \u00a0Don\u2019t let the demands of life wreck\u00a0havoc\u00a0on your self-care schedule. \u00a0Relax. \u00a0Do it as a duty. \u00a0Take a deep breath and exhale blessings onto this NEW year which stands naked before you. \u00a0Kiss it.<\/span><\/p>\n

23.) \u00a0Kiss yourself. \u00a0Do it. \u00a0Kiss your elbows, hands, knees. \u00a0YOU deserve LOVE. \u00a0Give it to yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n

24.) Pick clothes that address the\u00a0whether\u00a0best. \u00a0YOU don\u2019t need a lot of gear. Trust me. \u00a0You only need one outfit or two that work without a hitch to get you from one season to the next in style. \u00a0Warmth is an issue for most of North America in January. \u00a0Keep warm. \u00a0Enjoy discovering new clothes that are on sale now and in\u00a0February\u00a0which will make your winter a pleasure. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

25.) Embrace the weather. \u00a0Enjoy the storms. \u00a0Plan ahead so you ALWAYS HAVE organic FOOD in the house, in the pantry, on the shelf\u2026 somewhere have a treat or two stocked\u2026 so that when it is really cold out you can snuggle up with a good book, a brandy, or a camomile tea\u2026 and when you do curl up like a baby in\u00a0uterus\u00a0think: thank goodness, I have a home. \u00a0IF however, you are homeless and happen to be reading Frau Kolb’s blog for kicks at the public library, I\u2019d like to ask you\u2026 WHY? \u00a0I mean,\u00a0\u201cWhy, are you homeless and reading Talkinggrid at the public library?\u201d \u00a0I think that is weird. \u00a0I don\u2019t mean being homeless is\u00a0weird. \u00a0Many people, millions\u2026 maybe are homeless, right? \u00a0I don\u2019t know. \u00a0I\u2019ve not been homeless in a couple decades and when I was I was young and it was a choice because I wanted to LIVE and adventures beckoned. Any way\u2026 embrace the weather.<\/span><\/p>\n

26.) Pat yourself on the back: you made it this far. \u00a0Not only did you survive 2013, which truth be told was a really challenging year, but you read all 26 of Frau Kolb\u2019s 27 recommendations or suggestions for cliche busting paradigm shifting ways to launch the NEW YEAR in style,\u00a0bonbons\u00a0of sweet truth meant to\u00a0enlighten\u00a0and excite you and encourage your personal growth, which is what Talkinggrid is becoming\u2026. a place you can come and read about how and what Frau Kolb might do to get through\u00a0\u201cThe Valley of Death,\u201d which is so familiar to many people, that suffer quietly and feel lost in the crevice of creation which is NOW and HERE.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m no Virgil. \u00a0Yet, I\u2019m one woman, making my life work, well enough\u2026 that I keep writing, reading, dancing, playing music, loving painting, and dreaming creating, producing, and discovering ART projects in 2014. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0I\u2019m not going to deny that 2013 was a rough bitch in\u00a0high heels and a leather corset. \u00a0It was\u2026 Yet, we made it past her cruel embrace and now we can run head long into the NEW!<\/p>\n

27.) \u00a0This is not the last nor the final word on ways to celebrate and\u00a0<\/span>get your year off to a good start. \u00a0You have to invent your own rituals, create traditions which work for you and your family. \u00a0Don\u2019t just do what everybody else does and then feel bad that your life doesn\u2019t work for you. \u00a0YOU must tailor your life to meet your needs and cease judging other for not having the same exact values as you. \u00a0If we all wanted or were the same person, there really wouldn\u2019t be enough resources for us all to thrive. \u00a0There are, yet\u2026 it is up to us to learn to use what we have in a way that best works for ourselves and others.<\/p>\n

Now, I wish you a solid, worthwhile year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I wish you the strength and understanding to\u00a0know\u00a0that your year will be whatever you decide to make it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Go LUCK! \u00a0(For\u00a0Fortuna\u00a0is a raging whore ready to eat you alive, much like\u00a0Kronos\u00a0did his children\u2026)<\/span><\/p>\n

Big hug,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Frau Kolb<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dearest and most cherished\u00a0Talkinggrid \u00a0Readers, Commentators, Contributors, Donors, and Critics, Thank you, again for allowing\u00a0Talkinggrid \u00a0into your life in 2012 or 13\u2026 whenever you started to visit this lowly yet unique web-site\u2026 the voice of a quirky, cute, fuzzy thinking, artist \u2013\u2013Frau Kolb\u2014on the loose, \u00a0a wild (art) Party (performance) Person from New York\u2026 or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":816,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultural-commentary","category-health-spiritual-fitness"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/MP900400433.jpg?fit=810%2C1024&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=815"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":817,"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/815\/revisions\/817"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}