This year, I did not make any resolutions. Usually, I like to recycle variations from past years. You know, eat healthy, lose weight, be nice to people and kind to animals. It reminds me a bit of the same sins I used to recite every week in confession when I was in Grade 2. Except that a few Hail Marys after a large pizza never lost 10 pounds for me. [caption id="attachment_8081" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="No resolutions this year. Only inspiration. Like this path of light. I'm going to follow it and see where it takes me. Photo: Jane Van Bilsen"] [/caption] So this year, I replaced the word resolution with inspiration. It's a small shift in tion, but already, a week into the new year, I'm still inspired, which is a bit of a revolution for me; and something a resolution never gave me. And so, I’d like to make a suggestion. Why don't you drop all those things you resolved to do, too, and think up some inspiration instead? Here are mine. I like to keep it simple, so three works for me. If you don’t have any, take these. For  free. I hope you like free stuff as much as I do. Change them if you like. Just be sure to live them. 1. Follow a path This is the one I’m following this year (see photo), I’m not sure even where it leads, but I bet it's a good place. How can it not be? It's in nature. Every day, I'm going to feel the earth under my feet, pat a tree and thank the universe for the light and darkness, too, because I can only sleep when it’s dark. 2. Listen to a song For me, it’s always about the words and the voices but for some, it’s about the music and the melody. It doesn’t matter. Music is a universal language that inspires us at our core. Imagine a world without music. What on earth would we dance to? Sometimes a song says something to our soul. And what other thing can you listen to over and over until it plays in your head all by itself? This year, I'm listening to fresh takes like this song that my friend Patricia Di Gasbarro posted on her Facebook page. It’s Kate and Janelle, two students recording on the stairs of their high school. I like to call it the Stairwell Sessions. [HTML1] 3. The Nurture Project Here’s how it goes. You pick a person for the year that needs nurturing and you nurture them. There is only one rule. You can’t tell them. It’s a secret. If they knew they were officially being nurtured, they might feel like a charity case. Nobody wants that. How to nurture? Connect with them however you like. Send good vibes their way, send an email or a real letter, go out for a coffee with them. I wish I could take credit for this one, but no. It’s from my clever friend, Janice MacLeod. How about you? Any inspiration for the beginning of the year?