New Years Rulin's

I wasn’t going to make a list of New Years Resolutions until I saw these, written by Woody Guthrie for the year 1943. It made me realise that new years resolutions aren’t just promises we make, they’re also a time capsule. It shows what we felt was important to us in our lives at the time. What our dreams were. What the world was like. So I felt like I should write mine down.

But first I wondered, what resolutions would I make if I knew that 2021 was going to be a normal year?

What resolutions would I make if I acknowledged the “real” 2021?

So I first grabbed my notebook and wrote a list:

DREAM 2021 RESOLUTIONS

  • go to Paris

  • go to Brighton

  • wear more colours

  • notebook daily

  • blog daily

  • get research project grant

  • get project grant

  • create Wasted Time project

  • become a cafe-dweller

  • take more trips to my boyfriend’s hometown

  • and take my boyfriend to my hometown

  • make stranger friendships IRL & URL

  • play weirder, better gigs

  • get signed to an indie label

  • record more tape, write more diary

  • more plants & candles

  • write songs that make me feel good

  • make a power pop album

  • spend more time in Scotland

  • spend less time in places I don’t like

  • move towards the good feelings

After having written that list, I thought I’d then go ahead and write the “realistic” new years resolutions. But I’m realising that I can actually do a lot of this stuff. Apart from the ones which involve travel, I think all of this is possible.

So instead of some “real” 2021 resolutions, I think I’ll just add some gentle reminders:

GENTLE 2021 REMINDERS

  • accept where you are

  • remind yourself that we’re staying home to stay safe

  • embrace the seasons and slow moments

  • everyone is only a phone call away