Every New Year is a time to start over. A time to think about the important people (especially important girlfriends) in our lives.

Girlfriend Guru Rachel Awes reminds us that we need to take care of our friends and ourselves. As always, the best things are often free. Free hugs, anyone?

Happy 2012! A new beginning for us all. Fresh snow. Bright sun. Everything is before us and possible. I want to pause and breathe. Take stock of what I need. Be the bear who curls in for a bit to gather energy for all that is ahead. For all I want to be. For all I want to offer my dear friends. I need this rhythm of alternating solitude and community in order to be full. Fit. Free.

This year I will begin with the intention of being a great girlfriend to me! I want to treat myself with all the goodies. Tenderness and humor and understanding and lovelovelove. I want to be relentless in telling myself to dive deeper still into the water of my life. Encourage myself that my lungs have the capacity to do so. To follow where my heart leads and even run there. Open my arms out wide and feel the wind in my face. Know in my marrow that this year needs all of me. So take enough naps. Keep exercising. Keep out the protein powder tub. Play.

Kneel and say Thank You more than once.

Then move back out and love up my girlfriends. Share what I’ve lived with them. Pour out tenderness and humor and understanding and lovelovelove.

Remind them of their capacity. Encourage. Listen to their hearts and run beside them. Open my arms to them. Give all that I can. Hear their stories. Say thank you over and over for their being.

RACHEL AWES is a psychologist, art playgroundist, writer, wife, mother & friend, who loves listening to the beauty in people. You can find her art at http://rachelawes.etsy.com and her blog at http://allididwaslisten.blogspot.com.

How are you taking care of yourself and your girlfriends in this new year? What are your ideas for opening your arms and giving all you can?

THANKS Rachel! We love you and your appreciation of girlfriends – and your fabulous art!

Rachel’s friends inspire her art – How do your girlfriends inspire you? Share your comments below!

And, by the way, we LOVE guest blogs here at Girlfriendology. Have a great girlfriend story to tell? Want to celebrate your fabulous female friends? SHARE! (And, we also have Girlfriend Gurus – check that out to be featured on Girlfriendology!)

And check out Rachel’s other FABULOUS blogs (and her gorgeous art):

• The Art of Girlfriends – how friends inspire us (& we inspire friends, like Rachel does)
• Playdates with Girlfriends – great things to plan in 2012!
• Girlfriend Love Letters – write one to your BFFs!
• Girlfriend Gift Ideas - creative ways to show your friendship

Tags: alternating solitude and community, free hugs, girlfriend guru, Rachel Awes, thankful for girlfriends

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 at 11:22 am and is filed under Be a Better FRIEND, Girlfriend Gurus, thankful for girlfriends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.