Happy New Year!
I stayed away from social media for the first week of the New Year, so I want to send you my New Year’s greetings now.
Wishing you everyone 2025 filled with prosperity, joy, health, vitality, and *Ikigai!!
*Ikigai (生き甲斐）is a Japanese abbreviation for the expression Ikirukaigaaru (生きる甲斐がある) “It’s worth living,” and it means feeling the joy and vitality of living.
My Ikigai for New Year’s Day has been going to see New Year’s Sunrise.
New Year Sunrise in 2024
I started around 1992, so it is a ritual that has been around for about 33 years.
There is a New Year proverb in the Japanese:
一年の計は元旦にあり- Ichinen no kei wa gantan ni ari
Free translation: “New Year’s Day is the year’s key!”
The proverb’s direct meaning is that The year’s plan is made on New Year’s Day.
Unlike in Japan, there is nothing special about New Year’s Day here, so I started going to see the first sunrise of the year, which made me feel refreshed as I approached the New Year.
I once saw the New Year’s Sunrise in Izu, Japan, with my mother. We saw the most amazing New Year’s Sunrise together. I am so glad that I was able to do with my mother before she passed. The trip we did together was unforgettable in my heart.
The 2025 New Year sunrise time in Santa Monica was at 6:59:
It was so foggy and cold when we left home that I had to wear many layers of clothes. When we hiked up the Santa Monica mountain, we were over the fog, and we could see a beautiful horizon line.
We took our dogs, Kai, Lani and Makani. Our friend, Angel, who helps my garden, came with us.
It was much warmer than the last few years, which was so cold and windy.
Once we got to the top, we looked all over – a slite orange color was already on the horizon, so we knew where the New Year Sunrise was coming up.
Other people were there, but I loudly expressed, “Arigatou・Thank you!” from the bottom of my heart. I felt happy to be able to express my gratitude.
I asked Eric and Angle about their New Year “resolution” while waiting for the New Year Sunrise.
Angel said he wanted to do more dancing.
He shared that he started to take a dancing lesson, so I thought it was ballroom dancing, so I said immediately, “What dancing lesson? Is it ballroom dancing?” Angele is a quiet, shy guy and ceramic artist, so I could not imagine that he would dance especially ballroom dancing.
He smiled and said, “Oh, no, no, Hip-hop dance.” I said, “Wow, that’s great!” He said, ” I want to be more active and was thinking of taking a dance lesson, so I took a few last year. I liked it, so I want to continue.” I thought, I want to see him dance one day!
Eric said’ “More free time!” I am sure he meant to spend his free time surfing in the ocean since he helps our animal family and me so much every day. I said, “That’s a great idea, Eric, so let’s think about how you can get more free time and make a plan.”
Angel said, “It is important to have time for yourself since you are very busy.”
I also said, “Mine is go to physical therapy to strengthen my left knee.”
I was glad we could exchange our resolution together in a great place. After talking, I felt refreshed, and simultaneously, the year’s first sunrise rose.
I thought we might not see New Year’s Sunrise when I left home due to the fog, but it was spectacular.
The 2025 New Year Sunrise came up to promise to achieve the resolution we made.
On the way down the mountain, we saw the fog, almost marshmallows laid out all over Santa Monica to the south side to Perlos Verdesand and the east side to downtown Los Angeles.
It was a mysterious feeling to go back down there.
After we came back home, we ate our New Year Mochi Ozouni. I started to write my resolutions and goals.
As I said, my resolution for 2025 is “Go to physical therapy to strengthen my left knee.”
Because I broke my left knee five years ago while I was hiking.
It took two years to heal, and then about one year ago, my neighbor’s dog attacked my dog, Nalu, and me. I injured the same knee and right shoulder. The shoulder got better with therapeutic massage and acupuncture, but the knee is still not fully healed, so I knew I had to do the next step. I believe holistic with a plant-based approach comes to healing, so I do not use any Western medication most of the time, but I do know when to use the Western approach, so I went to see my new primary doctor and discuss my left knee. She was a young doctor, and before I told her my thoughts, she checked my knee and said right away, since your knee is not broken this time, and you need to strengthen the knee, so go to physical therapy.
My goal for 2025 is to fully heal from knee injuries and be physically active. I have started going to Qigong class twice weekly in the morning at a park since last summer, which has also helped me greatly.
I walked two blocks to the park and back, which also helped my heart to be active.
As I was writing this, I also wanted to make my goal for 2025 a more straightforward way to communicate with Eric and remind him at the same time.
One thing I can do is create our monthly calendar and write plans for my needs and also our rendezvous plan there.
I also realized that resolutions and goals are different, so I decided to write about them.
So, here are my New Year’s resolutions and goals for 2025:
My 2025 Resolutions and Goals
Resolution 1: Go to physical therapy to heal my knee in three months.
(The key point is three months)
Goal 1: To be pain-free and get strength.
Resolution 2: Walk 1 ~2 miles daily and continue to Quigong class.
(The key point is 1 ~2 miles daily)
Goal 2: More socialize with people.
Resolution 3: Make a monthly communication calendar with Eric and write a plan on the calendar.
(The key point is monthly)
Goal 3: Simplesize communication with Eric, meditating, and doing other things with him more.
Resolution 4: Teach a workshop/class that allows me to relax mentally without exhausting my physical energy.
(The key point is teaching without exhausting my physical energy)
Goal 4: Teaching, which I enjoy, and connecting with people.
Resolution 5: Write every day, even only for a short time, and will finish writing my recovery book by the end of this year. (The key point is every day, even for a short time and finish this year)
Goal 5: Finish my recovery book.
A resolution is a statement of what you want to change/do (Action).”
within a time frame. See what I wrote above as the key point.
A goal is a statement of what you want to achieve, and resolution is the steps you need to take to achieve it, and when you want to achieve it.
The resolution is a word that refers to the determination or plan that you have in your heart. Rather than simply wanting to do 〇〇 or become 〇〇, think about what you will do concretely to achieve those desires. By setting resolutions, your goals and objectives will become more apparent.
Resolutions are different from goals. A goal is a goal that you strive for, and the process of getting there doesn’t matter. On the other hand, resolution includes both goals and the process to achieve them.
Chinese New Year, Nine Star Ki New Year is not January 1st, so you have time to write your resolution for 2025 and achieve your goal.
You can write first:
・Write down your concerns and issues
・Think specifically about your ideals
・ Set specific numbers and deadlines
I wish you luck for 2025.
Love,
Sanae ❤️