The Live and Laugh Journey: Happy New Year from Knysna

Hello again!
I hope your 2012 has been as wonderful as ours has so far! Sitting by the pool yesterday Michael and I began to discuss our new years resolutions. I recently started reading a book called The Happiness Project, the story of a woman who has a wonderful life but decides she is going to consciously work at making it even more wonderful - be truly happy. Each month she focuses on a new resolution; not only the process of thinking about which resolution she need to make in her life, but actually implementing it. Michael and I have decided that the remainder of our trip will be devoted to developing our resolutions, and a plan to actually put them into action.

So we challenge you all to do the same! But make this year different to how others may have been - make the resolutions of 2012 really count. After all, when it is time for us to leave this wonderful world, how do we want to the world to remember us???

We have enjoyed a lovely breakfast in the tea garden of our guesthouse in Knysna, and now it's time to go and enjoy the beautiful sunny day. Today we will put into action our first three resolutions:

1. SLOW DOWN - let's not live in 6th gear anymore (Given the past year, I am pretty certain this will be more of a challenge for myself than Michael)
2. Be active! Be REALLy active! Every day appreciate that God gave us strong, functioning bodies and minds, and show our appreciation for that gift by USING them, both of them!
3. Spend more time in nature - get out of the hustle and bustle of the city, and appreciate how beautiful the world is around us.

Yes these may all sound cliche and corny, but that doesn't make them any less important.

So enjoy the process of developing your resolutions. Write them down. Make them real.

Below are some pictures of our trip that emulate the resolutions we have set out thus far.