Beany Brain: loving our jumping-bean brains!

Welcome to this issue of the Beany Brain! I hope today’s newsletter will bounce us up as we contemplate the upsides and challenges of being neurodivergent, a little beauty, some creativity, and just general yeehawesomeness.

Table of Contents

• Beany Brain: loving our jumping-bean brains!

  • Welcome to this issue of the Beany Brain! I hope t …

• Irresolute

Irresolute

Mama don’t do resolutions.

I know it’s a new year a comin’ super-soon.

But I do not resolve to be resolute. Have you heard of PDA (pathological demand avoidance)? Yeah, I guess that’s another topic for another day.

Instead, the past four or five years I’ve gone the way of Gretchen Rubin from the Happier podcast. I do three things (with my own twist) for the start of the new year:

1. I choose a one-word theme for the year (OK, this year I chose TWO words). (Let’s not even get started on my 2020 word: spicy.)

2. I participate in the Happier challenge for the year. This coming year is #read25in25 (read at least 25 minutes a day each day in 2025). This year was #write24in24, which involved either writing 2-4 minutes each day or 24 minutes each day. I had so much fun with this, including adding in my own photos as well.

3. I write a “25 for ‘25” list (not resolutions, but just things I want to do that are fun or that I need to get done—these are concrete items, not something like “get in shape,” which is too amorphous). So, this year is 25 items for the year 2025.

4. I know I said three things, but my own twist is to go back and think about the year I’m leaving behind, and then I write a gratitude list. For this year I wrote “24 Things I’m Grateful for In 2024.” (I emailed Gretchen Rubin about this and she read my idea on one of her podcast episodes. Pat my own back.)

   What’s your M.O. for saying goodbye to one year and hello to another?

   I’m leaving you with some memes that may or may not be related to the New Year holiday time. I’m not going to tell you to have a “happy” new year, but I am leaving you with prayers for joyful popping moments and as much anxiety-decreasing rest as possible.

    

   Deep breaths for 2025! And hey, happy 6th day of Christmas.

Thank you for reading this installment of Beany Brain! You’re very welcome to hop on by any old time.

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