The Moon acts as a mirror. A Full Moon holds space for you to reflect, not just for your day but for the past month or few months.

For the first time in my fitness life, I decided to pursue what felt natural and somewhat easy. This took a moment of intention — getting real about my schedule and my desired outcomes. As a woman in her late-40s, my goals are much more about creating sustained energy, deep sleep, and a holistic vital foundation for health. I want exercise to support me and my pursuits. To add rather than drain.

Cue up New Year’s in your mind. The stereotype will do… dreaming up new drool-worthy images of things you want. The cut body, styled house, supportive fans, loving relationships, engaging jobs. These images motivate for, what?, a week? A month if lucky. These goals are based on end results, blindly ignoring that it takes work and commitment to not only achieve those results but also maintain them. So often we get caught up with the end goal, and so frustrated that we aren't there — when actually there is no “there.”

Need a pep talk or an inspiring conversation? Want to feel part of a larger community of people like you? Podcasts get you out of the funk of everyday life and reconnect you to the world of making an impact. Realign with your values and show up as who you are. Your future self will thank you.

Anxiety. What a strange beast with muscled haunches, layers of dark feathers and slithering parts. Anxiety, the master of movement. Tough to pin down — rarely matched against an opponent that can do so.

As I enter the phase with the third last name of my life, I wonder… Who will this person be? Who will I be? Each last name has accomplishments and challenges associated with it. They’ve had clear ties to men, as does my new last name, but I reached back through time to pluck it from my ancestors who came through Ellis Island. I want to recapture those feelings of hope, possibility and dreams of a new way of living with freedom and independence.

Have you ever written a testimonial for someone? I’ve written a few lately, and I recommend doing it even if you don’t need to. It’s like an amazing journaling exercise where you take a moment to look back over the journey you’ve been on with a person or product. The process supports you in looking at Before/After scenarios in your own life rather than constantly raising the bar or seeing only through the lenses of now without any context.

Take a moment to bring your Word of the Year to mind. Let it roll around a bit in your psyche. Having a Word of the Year always brings surprises. How has it played out so far? What new lessons might it bring?

In addition larger seasonal cycles, there’s the monthly rhythm. The moon is only dark one day a month. This darkness, or inward time, ripples out to a few days before and after. But even the moon changes day to day and moves towards shining bright and then cycles back out again. She does not hold steady in one set phase. Ugh. Neither should I. Thank you, Moon, for the lesson.

In the heart of my hearth is strength. A rhythmic beat. The rhythm. The very soul. The core. That is me. My very being.

What song does your blood sing? You may think your blood is your blood, but drops of blood were passed to you by your mother and she received some from her mother. You can trace your blood back to the very beginning. What memories live in that lineage of blood? What does the blood remember, this blood that isn’t your own but inhabits you and gives you life?

Things that are good to know: I volunteered to try colon hydrotherapy (used interchangeably with the word "colonic" in this article). I’ve had some digestive issues that I’ve been addressing at the intake valve — dietary adjustments, probiotics, etc. — but no one had suggested going in through the out door.