2016 Happy New Year, everyone. I spent my morning sitting on my couch, watching the Rose Parade and trolling Facebook for healthy eating ideas (should I do the 100 Days of Real Food challenge, or just go with some detox?) and alternatives for the gym (Yogi’s Anonymous is leading my choices). The Sports Dude slept in before heading off to cover the Rose Bowl Game, and the kids slept at friends’ houses. Basically, this year began like every other year. In other words, it was quiet around here. Just me, a good cup of coffee and my laptop. I usually take the time between Christmas and New Year’s off from work as it gives me the opportunity to process, reflect, and think about the year that was, and what is to come. I’ve written before that I do not make New Year’s Resolutions; I make daily resolutions. However, if you ask my kids, I’m a control freak and I have to have a plan. I like to have a theme for the year in order to answer the inevitable, “What’s your New Year’s Resolution?” It’s much easier to live a theme on a daily basis then try and live up to the outlandish and unachievable resolutions people make. In my struggle to find my theme for the year, I found it staring at me from across the room in HD:

Find your adventureFind Your Adventure. Photo: @RoseParade

Thank you to the 127th Tournament of Rose’s Parade for a great theme and mantra for 2016: Find Your Adventure. Watching the parade, you can’t help but appreciate how the theme takes on different meaning for each float coming down Colorado Boulevard, just as it will mean something different for each and everyone of us. Finding your adventure can mean the end of an era and the possibilities of the future …

downton abbey“Downton Abbey: The Final Adventure,” Paradise Parade Floats. Photo | @themepark

… it’s about nurturing what mother nature provides .

Kaiser
Kaiser Permanente: “Helping Mother Nature Thrive,” Fiesta Parade Floats | Photo: Tournament of Roses Rose Parade via Facebook
It’s about hope, and letting your imagination run wild …
Western Asset
Western Asset Management Co.: “Let Your Imagination Run Wild!” Phoenix Decorating Co.
… it’s about innovation and the miracle of science.
science
City of Hope: “The Miracle of Science With Soul,” Phoenix Decorating Co. | Photo: Tournament of Roses Rose Parade via Facebook
It’s about blooming where we are planted …
life starts here
Miracle-Gro: “Life Starts Here,” Fiesta Parade Floats | Photo: @miraclegro
… and the simple adventures in our own backyards.
Los angeles
City of Los Angeles: “Discover Los Angeles,” Phoenix Decorating Co. | Photo: Tournament of Roses Rose Parade via Facebook
It’s about remembering to have fun in the moment …
sweet shenanigans
Cal Poly Universities: “Sweet Shenanigans” | Photo: Tournament of Roses Rose Parade via Facebook
… and the inevitable passing of the baton from one generation to the next. Bob Stephanie Leeza MarkFarewell Bob & Stephanie. Hello Mark & Leeza – (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times) And while many of us focus on the destination, isn’t the bliss really about the adventure of getting there?
getting there
City of Glendale: “Getting There Is Half the Fun,” Phoenix Decorating Co. | Photo: UPI http://bit.ly/1P8BFOO

For me, finding my adventure will be subtle. There’s an introspection I am exploring. It’s about fearlessly following my path and journey, wherever it takes me. It’s about treasuring life’s journey, today. It’s about growing through adversity, not overcoming it or pushing past it. It’s about treasuring life’s journey and not the destination.

So I wish you all an adventurous year, whatever that means to you.