I don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions.
I used to write them. While my annual pledge to drink more water has now become a daily reminder (/threat/bargaining tool), I have stopped making annual promises of “self-improvement.” This article does a pretty great job of summing up my past relationship with resolutions.
This year was a hard one, however, I discovered that nothing honours a tender heart more than a road trip to the ocean with a dear friend. I was lucky enough to go on two different trips this year with two of my best friends; one spent hiking and camping on Vancouver Island, and the other driving down the coast to Coachella with stops in Oregon, Washington, California, and Nevada.
In the article I previously linked to, fat activist Ragen Chastain says
This year, instead of focusing on being less, let’s focus on being more. Resolve to have more gratitude for everything your body does for you. Take up more space in the world. Speak up more about things that are important to you. Do more joyful movement. Eat more delicious food that nourishes you. This year, instead of trying for to create a ‘new you,’ resolve to take the old you out for a spin. I think you’ll find that she’s pretty spectacular.
So often, fat people are chastised for taking up too much space. I pushed back on that idea a lot this year.
I also began production on a documentary and launched a successful crowd-funding campaign for the film – a campaign in which I had to publicly speak about my experiences as a fat person.
I am so proud of how much noise Fat Hiking Club made not only in my communities, but in so many other ways that I continue to find out about months later. I am so excited for the increasing visibility fat politics and activism continues to receive. I am so grateful for the people who supported the campaign.
What I learned this year, particularly on those road trips, is that your life becomes so much better when you surround yourself with people who love you as you are, who encourage you to chase your goals and to invest in yourself. When you build that kind of environment, it is amazing the kind of positive experiences you will attract, how much softer the impact of hard times are, and how much more energy you have to give back.
I am making a list of what I want more of in 2017: more road trips, more quality time with people I love, seeking out more inspiring and positive people, more work on Fat Hiking Club, more involvement in team sports, more fat activism, more emphasis on fat studies in my education, more volunteer work, and more art and music.
What do you need more of in the next 12 months?
LAYLA CAMERON 