My Hopes for 2016

2016 is well underway, but I wanted to solidify these hopes in writing. I had the pleasure of taking a week off from life to relax and really enjoy my holidays. I'm kind of a workaholic and I spend too much time focusing on things that I'm beginning to realize just do not matter. My hope is that this relaxed version of myself will stick around for a bit longer.  
I hope that I continue to express myself creatively, but that I don't pressure myself to be something I'm not. I didn't really miss this blog while I was gone. The blogging rat race of posting x amount of times a week is not for me. I can't keep up anymore and I'm just not going to. I may pop in here a couple of times a month, but the odds aren't good. Instead, I think I want to share snippets of life, books I'm reading, etc on Instagram.
I hope to foster real-life connections. I've allowed myself to get too comfortable in my introverted bubble and I'm not really trying anymore. My world is too small and I need to do a better job of making it bigger. At least once a week I'm forcing myself out of my shell. Really considering taking a French Cooking Class.I hope to find a comfortable place for my unorthodox views. I've been on a Rumspringa for the past couple of years in an attempt to separate the beliefs of everyone else from my own beliefs. I'm feeling solid as to where I stand and what I believe, but am finding it difficult to move forward. I miss the community that religion can provide but am finding I don't completely fit in (or buy into everything) the way that I once did. (This post is something I can really relate to.) I will say that it's quite liberating and brings me so much more peace and joy to listen to myself and my truth than it ever was to try to make things fit that never sat right with my soul.
I hope to finally read 100 books this year!! I'm off to a great start! Turns out that I really enjoy listening to non-fiction audiobooks. Who'd a thunk it? All I have to do is listen to one audiobook a week and read another book on the side and 100 will be here by 12-31-2016.
I hope to live in the moment and not sweat the stuff that just does not matter. I'm a worrier and I have a hard time just sitting still and enjoying life. Taking the time to do just that while on vacation was AMAZING and I need more of that in my everyday life.
What are your hopes for 2016?Follow