January is the month for beginnings and resolutions, so I spent part of the weekend finishing my vision board for 2015. It is a tradition started by my daughter-in-law and carried on in her family for years. She introduced me to it, and it has become a ritual for the New Year. At some point during our Christmas visit to LA, we gather with members of her family for the creation of the vision boards. Everyone contributes old magazines, scissors, poster board, and art supplies, and after a delicious and sustaining lunch (homemade cassoulet was featured this year), we get to work. A vision board is a way to visually articulate desires, dreams, and new directions. The exercise of creating one is meant to be fast and playful, a way to engage the subconscious mind in clarifying and expressing aspirations. And in this experienced and creative crowd, everyone gets down to business! Images that catch the eye, colors that convey a mood, words and phrases that inspire positive emotions and changes—all are snipped and collected and glued in a flash. After a couple of hours, everyone is finished (I confess I wasn't because I was having too much fun with my grandson!). Afterwards, each person shares and discusses their collage, another way to decipher and retain the spontaneous connections made through the exercise. I don't know about laws of attraction or manifesting anything tangible into my life, but I do know that a vision board placed where I can see it daily encourages me. My vision board may not guarantee success, but it always brings a smile to my face.