New Year's Resolutions 2015

I was so busy carousing with my sister over the holidays and then traveling back to David at year end, I never took the time to write down my New Year's Resolutions. I like to review the past year to see how I've done and then figure out some specific goals for the year to come. Sorry to say, the goals don't change much from year to year.

Losing weight is always number one on my list, though I usually phrase it  “eat healthier-cut out junk food”. Perhaps I do shed a few pounds during the course of the year, but I always gain them back (and sometimes more) by year end. I did manage to publish a book this year, Days and Ways to Celebrate 2015, as did David - The Complete Book of Anchors and Anchoring.

David's not into making resolutions. I always have. So without further ado, here they are … 2015 New Year's Resolutions ... in black and white, better late than never.

Lose some weight by eating healthier (and less!) and avoiding junk food Exercise regularly … especially back exercises Finish and publish another book … a cookbook, maybe? Be kinder and better-natured – I have the propensity to be more cranky the older I get

So far I haven't cut back on eating or drinking … it's the end of the holiday season, after all … nor have I exercised a lick. There's plenty of time for the book. Better natured? Hmm...I'm going to have work harder on that one.

Incidentally, January 14th is Ditch Your New Year's Resolutions Day, so I won't have long to wait.

Happy New Year 2015 - Durban, South Africa

Well, I'm finally back in Durban. No drama, no lost luggage. A smiling David was waiting for me at the Arrivals Hall … a wonderful sight for my tired eyes. Hugs, kisses and gathering up of those heavy duffels already seems a blur. We boarded a shuttle for the marina and held hands on the 90-minute ride back. Nine of Cups was waiting to welcome me … yellow ribbons and all!

We've got lots of plans for the New Year including some inland travel in Africa over the next few weeks.

Our New Year's Eve celebration included a bottle of champers, a quiet dinner and the chance to catch up on three weeks apart. We raised a toast at midnight and sang away the old year and welcomed the new.

New Year's Day? We're lounging and relaxing. I'm overcoming jetlag and David, though chomping at the bit to install all those new parts I brought home, is happy to relax a bit, too.

The Nine of Cups' crew wishes you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous 2015.

Christmas Day 2014 - Never Eat the Last Cookie

I wrote this quite awhile ago, but it never seemed appropriate as a blog post. It's a bit mushy for distribution, we thought. But it's Christmas and we're apart and we thought … maybe, just maybe ... you'd indulge us and overlook the mush and share just a wee bit of our Christmas and year long spirit.

Do you ever ponder why your relationship is what it is? Good, bad, great or wretched, life is what we make it and so are our relationships. We've been blessed with a good, strong relationship. It's survived children, grandchildren, work, wallpapering, owning a business together, the death of a child and living on a sailboat for nearly 15 years. We don't question that it's good, but sometimes we wonder how it worked out as well it did. We've come to the conclusion that, for us, it all comes down to this philosophy … “Never Eat the Last Cookie”.

It could just as well have been “Don't eat the last serving of ice cream” or more to the point … think of your partner before thinking about yourself. Don't just go the extra step; go the extra mile. Don't take the relationship or each other for granted. And just as importantly, don't suffer in silence if there's something's wrong. Get it out on the table; confront it and make it right again. Take good care of each other.

We've both survived previous marriages that failed and we've thought long and hard about what worked and didn't work in the past. Since we failed previously, perhaps we're not the best advisers on the subject, but then again … maybe we can offer something. We've certainly tried hard to determine what we, as individuals, did or didn't do that caused previous relationships to fail. “It takes two”, they say.  When the lust and the luster of a new relationship wear off, you're left with just yourselves (and sometimes a few extra little people) to cope with and it's just not easy. We've certainly had to work harder at some times than others. We're glad we did.

So when you see that last, scrumptious, homemade chocolate chip cookie just sitting there and calling your name ... think twice. Don't eat it. If you subscribe to our philosophy, you'll be sharing it later anyway.

Merry Christmas!