Lighten Up, Buttercup.

Buttercup is going to my alter-ego this year. What’s an alter-ego? 

Superman is Clark Kent’s alter ego. 

Dr. Jekyl is Mr. Hyde’s. 

Buttercup is how I think of my soft, devil-may-care self: She’s easygoing, untroubled, and mostly unflappable. 

Kath is my disciplined, focused, list-loving self who has goals and dreams, is kinda Stoic, loves her hair shirt, and is a bit of a grind. 

Buttercup is who I am when I’m sick, depressed, or sidelined with an injury. 

Buttercup takes care of herself, eats good food, doesn’t drink or do drugs, goes to bed early.

Kath is always working on self-improvement projects; she has an agenda and a calendar that gives every hour a job based on her quarterly goals. Kath gets rewarded by the culture.

Buttercup is seen as a flake, self-indulgent, even spacey.

Buttercup eats when she’s hungry, sleeps when she’s tired, and doesn’t know what day it is most of the time. The culture doesn’t even know Buttercup exists, or if it does, it doesn’t take her seriously or make any demands of her. Buttercup is a child, according to the culture. Buttercup better grow the hell up.

When I picked Lighten Up as my motto this year, I was very serious about it. And still am. It will be an Everest of a climb for me because although I sometimes experience moments of lightness and joy, it’s not my default. 

So becoming more light-hearted is going to take vigilance and mindfulness and reminders from my friends and G and Em. 

Even my yoga people will have to remind me to be more playful and less serious in the practice room. 

Not that I am a serious yoga teacher—far from it! But I do have some masochistic tendencies that sometimes rear their heads in Power Yoga. (Heh.) 

It’s then that I would like to be addressed as “Buttercup.” Coded language to remind me of this aim to Lighten Up. 

The coming year is foreshadowing anvil energy. Anvils are heavy and used for shaping metal through forceful blows.

2025 could very well be a year filled with challenges, difficulties, and immense pressure. It could be a year of hard work, struggle, and overcoming obstacles. Striving to be more like a buttercup might seem to be inviting annihilation.

But I don’t think so. 

In Taoism, which emphasizes harmony with nature, acceptance of change, and the importance of finding balance and flow in all things, it’s crucial to embrace lightness and flexibility.

So, if I try to let my alter ego, Buttercup, be my default response to the heavy anvil energy in the larger culture, I might very well be able to navigate 2025 with greater ease and find more lasting peace and fulfillment than if I let control-freak Kath try to forge a path through.

So, Happy New Year. I hope everything works out for you this year! Thanks for reading. I appreciate your presence here. I really do.