The New Year brings thoughts of New Year’s resolutions. Statistically, resolutions have been proven not to work. I will be frank: I forgot last years. So, this year I decided I am going to continue to work on the lessons I worked on in 2017. These lessons large and small have brought me large and small joys and some have taken away some angst. So, darlings, I do have a New Year’s resolution for 2018. It is to continue to work on permanent lifestyle changes I began in 2017. After all, how boring would life be if we stopped being a work in progress even though we are women over 50?

Darlings, my advice: Continue to focus and work on the positive changes you already began in 2017; Remembering change is hard.

It is interesting how resolutions come about. Some quite by accident while some come from listening, reading and observing. Some resolutions come from self- awareness due to a positive happening or an: “I have had it” moment. The “I have had it” moments can run the gambit from too much stuff in one’s closet to emotional distress. Am I reaching you, darlings? Does this sound familiar?

So my darlings, you do not have to look for new resolutions. You’ve got old ones you have already been working on. So keep plugging away at those and implementing them into your 2018 lifestyle, making them a permanent fixture this year.

Some personal actions I took in 2017

In fashion

•  I edited my closet in 2017. I do not like chaos.
• No more categories: I redid my closet by the designer. My goal in 2018: Look with fresh eyes at my wardrobe. It will be interesting shopping in my own closet.
• Dispose of: A salesman friend who knows my style is going to help me dispose of items I have been saving.
• My goal: In 2018 I will donate what I am not using.

In beauty

• I learned the hard way not to ‘fall in love’ with a beauty product.
• I cannot depend on one brand of any favorite beauty product: My Hanae Mori Hanae perfume, my scent, was discontinued.
• My goal: Two new scents in 2018.

In friendships

•  I devoted more time to meaningful women.
• I am going to continue to deepen my relationships with meaningful women in 2018.
• My goal: I am going to back away from women who do not mirror me.

In survival

• Be faithful to me.
• I listened to the inner me.
• I worked at drawing a fine line between taking the high road and speaking my piece.

Darlings, we continue to blossom all the days of our lives when we nurture our feelings; our needs. I say this as I gaze out the window admiring my flowers, plants, olive trees, and palms. When we built our home the land was barren. Now it is a magnificent garden. When we were born we had a clean slate.

Over the years we have evolved into the women we are today. There is tomorrow and the next day and the next. Continue to blossom beautifully by filling yourself up with what makes you happy, like my flowers, and trees do with rainfall and sunshine.