January Made Promises; February Brings Reality

Sustaining intention once the fireworks fade: an ode to imperfect consistency and the pleasure of pressing on.

By Lidia Roselló

HoyLunes – January is like that intense friend who texts you at 8:00 AM on the 1st: “This is the year we change everything”.

And you, half-asleep, say yes. Because in January, one says yes to many things: to quinoa, to waking up early, to the best version of oneself and—if you aren’t careful—even to squats with a smile.

Then February arrives… and sends a more honest message: “Are we actually doing this, or was it all just for show?”

And here I am: surprisingly, we are still going.

First of all: I already had a workout routine. So, in February, I simply continue. No drama, no “30-day challenges,” and no need for spiritual motivation. I do strength training because it feels good, because it relieves my back pain, and because there are days when the world feels overwhelming, yet after those 45 minutes of training, I return renewed.

January did, however, bring something new: I started a diet.
Yes, with a nutritionist and everything. A serious, responsible, functional-adult kind of thing.

And pay attention, because this is the big news: a miracle… I’m actually following it.

Well, I’m following it more or less in my own way (don’t let the nutritionist find out). If anyone asks her, tell her I’m exemplary—that I weigh my food and all that.

The reality is more human: I comply for the most part, but I also have this knack for interpreting the plan as if it were a poem. Where it says “a little bit”, I understand “a generous… little bit”. Where it says “if you feel like it”, I understand “you definitely feel like it”. And where it says “avoid”, I understand “avoid… as much as humanly possible.”

Even so, I keep going. And that, for me, is already a February triumph. Because February doesn’t reward perfection; it rewards endurance. February is the month when there are no longer fireworks or applause, yet there you are in your leggings, with your contradictions and your tupperware, upholding what you said you were going to uphold.

And, just to go against the grain of the world, I’ve decided that in February, I’m going on a trip.

It’s a beautiful plan because, moreover, it’s not meant to fix anything. It’s not “I’m leaving to escape”. It’s “I’m leaving because I want to”. And that phrase, in itself, is therapeutic.

So, this is what February looks like:

* Exercise: continues, because it was already part of me.
* Diet: continues… with small liberties that don’t count as long as they aren’t mentioned.
* Travel: continues my favorite tradition—reminding myself that life isn’t just routine.

And so, between reality and laughter, I’ll stick with February: an imperfect but livable month, where the important thing isn’t doing everything perfectly, but simply continuing. And if anyone else is going through this—holding on as best they can, without grand epics but with intention—”The Orange Room” (La Habitación Naranja) is here: open, with the light on and an empty chair, for everyone who needs it.