Tis The Season

I've noticed that there is a lot of twisted energy about.

It's Christmas and people are feeling the pressure.

Not just the pressure of having the right gift for the right people or spending just the right amount of money so as to not appear 'cheap', but the pressure of being together ... together with family ... together with friends ... together with friends of family ... together with family of friends.

The pressure of being with people that you don't really want to be with. The pressure of figuring out what is expected of you. The pressure of preparing just the right food - traditional hot, cold salads, seafood, Christmas puddings, hams, turkeys, nibbles, drinks, ice etc etc.

The pressure of where to have Christmas. Whose turn is it to host Christmas? Somebody's house? On the beach? At the river? In a restaurant or club? Dinner or lunch? All day?

I'm exhausted even thinking about it.

Adoring Husband and I plan on having a ham sandwich (GF of course), listening to Christmas music on the sound bar and maybe having an alcoholic beverage while standing in the shallow end of the pool.

No gifts. No pressure. No obligations. No stress.

We haven't even put up our tree or decorations in the house. All of those beautiful Christmas lights and blow up Santas that we've collected over the years are still packed in their boxes in the storage cupboards.

Christmas for us will be a time to reflect on what we've achieved this year and what we hope to achieve in 2019.

I've already started a list of things I want to do in 2019.

1. Learn to play an entire song on my guitar - I've had the guitar for almost two years now and even though I taught myself some basic 'finger picking' when I first got it, I've done nothing since. I can imagine myself sitting in the Bali Hut in my kaftan, with a margarita beside me playing my guitar. I don't know what song yet - another decision to make.
2. Create a vision board early in the year with all of my visions and goals for 2019.
3. Create an online course. I'm not even certain about the subject matter yet, but I have a couple of ideas swimming around in my brain.
4. Get out more with my camera and take a whole new library of photos to choose from for a 2020 calendar.
5. Create a 2020 calendar better than 2019 calendar.
6. Print some Postcards from my photos to sell in The Happy Abode.
7. With The Motivator, develop The Happy Abode so that it's even more amazing than it is right now! 
8. Start a new gratitude journal for the year.
9. Declutter my house.
10. Return to the healthy lifestyle that we lost track of during 2019.

That's the beginning of my list, and just some of the things that I'm willing to share with you here.

What are your plans for 2019? Do you have any goals, hopes, wishes or dreams?

I hope to enjoy a bumper harvest of pomegranate and avocado ...

These trees seemed to have thrived on all the activity that happened while the pool was being built and they have their best crop of fruit to date.

Avocado is my favourite!

I had an up and down day today. Part of it was very 'up' and part of it was very 'down'.

Tomorrow will be a better day! Every 'down' teaches me a lot about myself and I'm learning to appreciate the lessons.

Time for bed.

Nite all.