2024 - Another Year of No Resolutions

Dear Henry, 

Happy New Year! I hope you had a very Merry Christmas? Santa certainly stopped here! You know that I love miniatures, right? Well, our forever home is a small cottage in the woods, and I have come to realize that I will never have the space to display miniatures. Fish and the boys came up with some great alternatives, though. I received two "tiny treehouse" kits for my house plants and a book nook kit for one of my bookshelves. I'm thrilled with the gifts and can hardly wait to assemble them.  

I also got a "Reading Challenge" that contains little prizes for each book challenge completed. I had a little headstart on the "read a book about a person with a disability" task. I had just picked up Jean-Dominique Bauby's extraordinary memoir "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and earned my first prize - a refrigerator magnet.

Finally, I received this awesome photo collage of Salem, Virginia, created by another local photographer, Phillip Barrette Jr. I missed his recent show. I'm on the lookout for his next event.

I also have a couple of new prints for the shop. We've had quite a bit of rain lately, and our little creek was full and picture-worthy. You can check them out here: (Cascade on Dry Branch Creek and Dry Branch Creek)

In other "life" news, I am completely giving up on the wellness/healing/self-improvement trend that seems to plague my social media feeds, so I've decided not to make any resolutions this year. Formerly, I've always given myself some "improvement" resolutions, mainly about keeping up with the laundry and getting up early to exercise and meditate, as well as the token "lose 20 pounds" that everyone resolves to lose. But I don't care anymore. I will spend my days pudgy, eating chocolate, and sleeping late when I want to. I've entirely given up on being more productive than I already am. 

This is not to say I'm not working on a few goals. I've got my bucket list and have even checked off some items. Fish and I found what we hope is our forever home (although I haven't gotten much done with the garden yet), and I have successfully completed the Master Gardener course. I've decided that my bucket list goals are enough. Instead of coming up with "busy work" resolutions, I will be reading my bucket list books, training/planning for the Camino, and getting my garden together (stay tuned for pictures). 

Giving up on the New Year's self-improvement bandwagon has brought a lot of peace. I was reminded of my decision in 2023 (right after we moved into our new house) to no longer ask for and cling to things from God and the universe but rather to trust and be and believe that everything is going how it should be.

The trick is going to be keeping that "resolution."

Check out the YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/vZJ0ZPvjR7s

xoxo a.d. elliott

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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to the writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

Her online photography gallery can be found at shop.takethebackroads.com

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