Dreaming Up Plans for A Big Year

Together we turned the corner into January and a new year, setting goals and prioritizing, dreaming of what could be. But what would make it a really big year? The 2011 comedy film ‘The Big Year’ tells the story of three men setting out to have their ‘Big Year.” This is an intriguing idea - taking a year out of life, hitting pause and following one’s passion with all one’s heart. Why aren’t we all expecting to do this at some point in life? But some are. Birders. Indeed ‘a big year’ is quite real in the world of bird watching and is the exact premise of this comedy with Owen Wilson, Steve Martin and Jack Black. Right now, birders world wide have launched their Big Year, taking to remote corners to glimpse rare species having re-arranged their lives to follow their passion and see the most species ever seen in a year.

Taking this idea from the birders, I’m framing my turn of the year in terms of having a Big Year. What could that look like? What passions are not enough of a priority? What lifts my heart? What is my legacy? What would it take for this to be my Big Year?

Simplicity could be the ingredient in our lives enabling us to have our Big Year. Simplicity is not defined by doing without, scaling back or minimalism, it’s about creating space. Creating space has many benefits, but one is to use that space to create something else, something lasting, something satisfying like a Big Year.

A great place to practice the art - and discipline - of simplicity is in the kitchen. As I have been writing about since 2003, through simplifying our cooking we can simplify our lives, creating space for varied interests, education, growth, learning, commitments, service and a multitude of rich experiences, maybe even a Big Year.

Dreaming up a Big Year is one things. But let’s do it. Wishing all a Big Year and hoping to be a guide and inspiration for finding simplicity to help you on that path.