dreamuary

Once upon a time, March was the first month of the year and January was, well, not. The tale of the calendar as we know it is a tale as old as time (get it?) and a convoluted one at that, but suffice it to say that leaders of the times (get it, again?) got involved, all wanting months named after themselves (looking at you, July for Julius and August for Augustus) and pretty soon we had a mess, with the months Sept-Dec (which LITERALLY mean 7-8-9-10) getting shuffled to the end of the year as months 9-10-11-12).

Of course, on top of this mayhem, we add all the pressure put upon us to come up with New Year's Resolutions, in a time when we should be focusing more on rest and less on resolving anything! Yo! RESTolution! I'm declaring that a thing!

March, DUH!, would be a better month to start all this resolutioning, but it is what it is, and I guess we're kinda stuck with the calendar we have now. Sigh.

Each year, about this time, I find myself wanting to buck the system. I don't FEEL much like making a list and checking it off come January 1st. I feel more like I still want to rest. And reflect on the past year's stuff. And daydream.

So I'm suggesting we rename January to DREAMuary. A whole month of daydreaming about the goals we want to set and the stuff we might want to improve and the adventures we'd like to plan. A whole month of naps. And reading books for some inspo. And pinning to Pinterest our possible new interests.

This is a calendar I can get behind.

Dreamuary is, crazily, halfway to half over! So let's get daydreaming! I'm thinking, since I like to write, and doodle, that this is how I should express those daydreams, but you do you. Dream however you want...journal, draw, make a collage, paint it, whatever floats your boat. Right now, I'm gonna blog about it.

I've chosen my word of the year already, and that word is ADVENTURE. And the biggest adventure I can think of, that honestly I daydream about all day, every day, is being on Survivor. I've decided that this is my year. They're gonna call. I just need to be ready when they do.

In Dreamuary fashion, I guess I might want to ask myself what does that look like? Feel like? Can I ACTUALLY see myself on that beach? And...what are all the things I want to do to get ready?

Survivor has been my dream since, well, forever, so these daydreams come to me easily. I'll be funny and wow Jeff and the other producers over with my southern charm. I'll say "y'all" a lot. I'll be sure of myself but come across as humble. When I close my eyes, I see me ace-ing (is that a word?) those casting interviews and actually asking Jeff himself a few questions. "Yeah, we'll get to your questions, Jeff, but here's a question for you." That is how it'll go. I'm sure they'll love it!

I daydreamed so much about getting ready that I've actually started a notebook of just how to do my job at the office so I can be ready to train someone to handle my work while I'm gone.

For Christmas last year, I got two machetes, some flint and a lot of puzzles, so I can practice. My husband got me a GoPro so I can, once I learn how to work it, make better videos. (I think I've talked about this dream so much that my family is now gifting me Survivor tools!) In 2024, I learned how to crack open a coconut with said machetes, I totally made fire with my flint and again, my machete, and I camped out in the backyard (in my tent, yes, but a girl's gotta start somewhere!) And no, I still don't know how to work that GoPro.

I've imagined myself out on the island, navigating the social game, finding hidden immunity idols, winning that hanging on that tall pole challenge.

I can see it. All of it. Clearly. I actually, back in August, sent in my audition video. Have I hear anything?

Nope.

Crickets.

So no, I didn't rush right out the gate, January 1st, setting goals, rocking those resolutions, fielding phone calls from casting. I'm still here, daydreaming. Yeah, I'm running, although I'm also walking a lot, and trying to make cross and strength training a habit. (Slow going on that habit, but I'm working on it!) I've got a little race on the calendar for the end of this month, just for fun and to see where I'm at, and I think I'll keep it that way, give myself more time to focus on the adventures I REALLY want. That BIG race in October. (More on that later!) And...Jeff Probst actually calling me. Hint, Jeff, hint.

There's just SO much to daydream about, SO much fun adventurey stuff to imagine, that yeah, I'm taking this whole "first" month of the year to do just that. Cause I don't want to rush it. I need more naps, more books on my to-be-read list to finally get to, more pinterest pins to pin. I want to be present this January, not rush through it with my usual where-is-Spring-already whine. I got my word of the year figured out, I just want to chill more with my daydreams before I run after them. March, to me, seems a better month for that.

How about you? I'd love to hear about the things you're dreaming up!

Do you choose a word of the year? Wanna share?

And happy January, I mean

DREAMuary!

(Now, what should we call February?)

PS Here's a doodle from my journal (me, daydreaming of Fiji, of course!)

Love,

Sunny