i am not raring to go

and that is okay.

Hello friends. It's been a minute, hasn't it?

I hadn't planned for radio silence since my last post back in the middle of December, but very soon after hitting publish on that post, my entire family got sick. One by one, it just took us downnnnnnnnnnnn. We all ended up in Urgent Care at some point and Christmas is a bit of a blur to be honest. My children are doing much better (thank goodness) and my husband is getting better and better with each passing day. Count it all as joy.

But me? I am still sick. This congestion is getting the best of me, and I have not felt well in almost a month. I am also dealing with a separate and unrelated health issue on top of all this which is unfortunate. This isn't meant to be a complaint in any way, just an explanation as to why there haven't been any new writings here on The Lovely Road.

Time heals all wounds as they say, and I know I just have to be patient and know that I will feel better at some point. Tomorrow is a new day, right? :)

Speaking of tomorrows...

** January enters the chat **

Yes, it is January and a happy belated new year to you all! I hope you had a nice and calming day to welcome in 2024 ✨

I am taking it slow and easing into this new year and just taking things day by day right now. What I am not doing is making any sort of resolutions. I haven't made resolutions in quite a few years and instead have chosen a word of the year. Well, last year I chose my word only to have it blow up in my face as I faced some difficulties several months later. I also realized, with hindsight of course, that even last year notwithstanding, I tend to either forget what my word of the year is, or as the months go on, I no longer feel that word applies but feel stuck with it, since I chose it. I realize now, of course I can change my word of the year mid-year if it's not working, but at the time, it seemed like there was an unspoken word-of-the-year-rule that your word must be your word for all 365 days of the year. Period. No exceptions.

Silly, yes I know.

So here we are, a fresh new calendar page in a fresh new year and right now... I am not raring to go. I am not ready to do all the things and set all the goals and figure out all the ways to achieve them. I am not feeling it. And this is no shade to anyone who already is a week into their goals or who already is accomplishing what they are setting out to do. Go you! Seriously! I love that for you ❤

But I am not in that frame of mind and also, I am not sure what I really want for 2024. Striving is all well and good, but what is all that striving for? Are goals a means to an end? What if I am already fine as I am but it is society that is saying that I need to be better and do better? What if the middle of winter is not the best time to figure everything out? What happens if I take a few weeks and settle into this new year and see what comes up, see what transpires?

What happens if I... just do nothing right now?

Again, if you hit the ground running when the calendar page said January 1, I think that is awesome, truly. But for me, these are the questions I am asking myself right now while I am sat on the sofa wondering if I'll ever be able to breathe out of both nostrils again. I am not ready to rush into this month. I want to take things slow and let things percolate in the back of my mind and just see what my subconscious brings to the surface.

There is no right or wrong way to usher in the new year, right?

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With that being said, I am taking the rest of January off from this space. While my previous hiatus was unplanned, this break for the rest of the month is definitely planned. I really need to focus on my health and getting better. Being sick means a lot of brain fog and I just can't focus on my writing that way I would like.

My plan is to be back here walking The Lovely Road with all of you come February.

Sending you all my love,

xx Mackenzie