Wonderbringers Newsletter with Monica Parker
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Hello Wonderseekers!
It’s a new year! Thank freaking goodness for that. I mean, seriously, 2024, you seemed to have it out for me and my family. What did I ever do to you?!? As you depart, might I just say: don’t let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya!
But, in fairness, I had a lot of positivity and growth, too. So, on balance, it was another year of heartaches and joys, of setbacks and leaps forward, of losses and gains. It was another year of life — wonderfilled, suckitude-filled life.
Now what shall we do as we face this dauntingly fresh new year? I’ll tell you one thing I won’t be doing — New Year’s resolutions. I am not a big fan of them, and I wrote this post a few years ago to explain why. I find it evergreen, and I hope it resonates as you languidly awake to 2025.
Bird by Baby Bird:
It's time to nurture your New Year and drop the 'New Year, New You' routine.
New Year’s Resolutions suck. By February, 80% of them are out the window, and in the end only 8% will succeed.
Beyond their abysmal failure rate, there are so many other reasons they’re lousy. It doesn’t matter if they are big and audacious or small and humble, New Year’s Resolutions are always onerous and irksome and invariably multitudinous. I mean, it’s never just one, is it? Resolutions come in packs, like other terrible things. Like grey hairs and cigarettes. Like feral dogs and auditors. Sullen teenagers and brussels sprouts.*
And what an ill-advised time to do something hard, January. Do I need to remind you that for a good portion of the world January is cold? Not twinkly, frosty, ho-ho-ho, hot-toddy cold, either. It’s grey, bone-aching, no-bank-holiday-for-months, #dryJanuary cold.
Back in the day, often found on the covers of magazines like The Saturday Evening Post, folks were fond of depicting the new year as an infant baby and the year drawing to a close as an old man. I’ve always liked this apropos Rockwellian visual. January is not dissimilar to the early days of rearing a newborn – invigorating and exhilarating, but also seemingly interminable. It is hardly the time to strike out on a change of things. Where else in the history of beginnings do we say, ‘Yeah! Here’s this fresh wonderful thing – now list everything you want change about it!’ Can you imagine seeing a newborn baby and reporting to its parents, ‘His head’s a little pointy and we really should start doing something about that drooling.’ Trust me, you won’t be invited back for many more christenings.
To read the rest, click here.
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I just want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you in this growing community for your kindness and engagement through 2024! You have shared so much of yourselves with me in your messages and DMs, expressing what these little missives mean to you, that it keeps me motivated to continue to spread the message of wonder. If you know someone whose day might be made better by this newsletter, please share it with them as well. :)
Wishing you and yours the best 2025!!
With wonder,
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