Welcome to the first Hello Monday of 2025. I am linking up with Sarah and Holly to share my word for 2025 and later in the post ways that we are trying to help with the devastation in the Los Angeles area. Hopefully, this will prompt others to find their own ways to help.
I have not been making resolutions the past few years (although I am a first-timer at Dry January this year), I have been focusing on a word instead. My word for 2024 and Less and I did focus on this word during the year, especially when I felt overwhelmed. I definitely did Less during the holidays, with the exception of decorating, and it freed me up to do more simple things that I actually enjoyed like baking easy Christmas cookies, a family trip and just embracing the Christmas season in general.
My word for 2025 is Thrive. It is a common theme this year, "Thrive in 2025." When I am spinning, spiraling or scrolling this year, I am going to try to pivot and ask myself if what I am doing is helping to thrive as a person. I think this will be a Good word to help with productivity, anxiety and downright time wasting. If you have a word for 2025, please share your word in the comments below.
I will also take your Best tips for dry January. I can open a bottle of wine on Thursday night and then not finish it until Saturday or Sunday night and often I have help with that. As you can tell, I am not a huge drinker but I did want to challenge myself this month.
This year is definitely off to a tough start with the violence in New Orleans and the wildfires in California. It's a little tough to talk about thriving in my own life when so many people are suffering. This weekend I donated to World Central Kitchen because that is always my charity of choice in a crisis. Jose Andres and his team are always on the ground right away feeding people. They help the helpers and there is never a scandal with what he does. I also put in for a matching donation with my employer.
If you can give a little money to the effort, please do and ensure that you are giving to a legitimate charity. Also please find out if your employer will match the donation. Sometimes I forget about this step and it can really help further the effort.
A local boutique and wine store in our neighborhood was is also collecting necessary items to send out to California. Someone has a contact and they are getting the items to those in need. I went and bought two dozen toothbrushes and two dozen tubes of toothpaste. It is a small donation, but hopefully, this can help a few families.
I am sharing this not to show that I am a saint, I am not, I just felt the need to do something to counter the anxiety the images on TV were causing for me. I see so many people, not from California, just posting photos and fighting on social media about who is at fault. I really think all of this energy could be Better used promoting relief efforts or in prayer. There will be plenty of time to handle this at the ballot box on the next election day. For now, people need real help.
Please share any additional relief efforts you know of in the comments below.
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Well thank you for sharing this friend- I just donated- what a wonderful cause. I will be sure to share the link to their page as well :) LOVE your word- as you know it is mine for this year too- let's do this together- we got this!
ReplyDeleteThank you for helping Holly. Jose Andres is doing amazing work around the world.
ReplyDeleteI donate to Churches of Christ Disaster Relief. Their website is https://www.disasterreliefeffort.org They’ve been working to send help to LA and Pasadena. They do very good work based out of my hometown of Nashville.
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