Begin Anew
A study by Statista shows that in the United States, the top ten New Year's resolutions in 2025 included: to exercise more, save more money, eat healthier, spend more time with family and friends, lose weight, do more for the environment, improve performance on the job, reduce stress on the job, spend less time on social media, and quit smoking.¹ Pretty much what you expected, right? They are all good and noble things to do and I’m sure that any of them may have a positive impact on your life. However, another study by DriveResearch, indicates that only eight percent of those who make resolutions will follow through on them and 23% quit by the end of the first week.²
Freshening Up a Bit
These days, I live alone in my little house. I love it! Don’t get me wrong. My adorable little house provides everything I need. However, I had decided that I wasn’t going to put up my tree this year. My thought process went kind of like this: It’s too much of a struggle to get it out of the basement. It takes up too much space in the house. It’s just me. No one else will probably even see it. It will look the same as it does every year. Then it struck me that maybe I just needed to freshen up my decorations. I started with a new tree that is easier for me to handle. Then I found a ribbon on Etsy that is gorgeous and paired some new ornaments with the ribbon. I am so happy with the outcome. Along the way, I was reminded that it’s not about me, or my house, or the tree that I put up. It’s about the King who came into this world as a baby and died on the cross to pay for all of my sins. It’s all about Him and celebrating His joyous birth. I just needed to do a little house cleaning and putting things in the proper place. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10) A little freshening up never hurt anyone.
Starting Simply, Living Fully
As this is my first post on my new blog, I would like to provide an overview of where I see this going and a glimpse into how I try to live my life. But let’s start by defining Unpretentious Abundance. Unpretentious - not pretentious; free from ostentation, pomp, elegance, or affectation; modest. Abundance - a great quantity, overflowing fullness, plentiful supply of means or resources. Unpretentious Abundance sounds very much like an oxymoron…and it is. It is because Unpretentious Abundance is about living a life of balance. Over my lifetime, I have experienced times of financial poverty, as well as times of financial wealth. But what I have learned about myself is that I want the least that I need to be comfortable and happy. The more you have, the more you have to take care of. I don’t like feeling burdened by “stuff.” At times, my posts may reflect a minimalist slant. However, I do feel that I truly live abundantly.