January 1st. I really love the day. It doesn’t matter what year.
New year on checks. New calendar page. New day planner pages. Sometimes even a new journal. Something about a landscape covered in clean, white snow (which we have this year) and the clean slate that is a new year, that makes me just a little excited, even if just for the day.
But what I really hate prior to January 1 is the “year in review”. I’m not a big fan of looking back, I seem to spend a lot of time doing that with others as a guidance counselor and unfortunately in my personal life. As much as I do it, I think I would really rather just spend my time looking forward.
The other thing I hate about the end of a year, is the need for people to “make resolutions”. It’s normal when given a new start, to resolve to do something different or better or to not do something that seems to be getting in your way. But it seems to turn that shiny, white, new start a little gray around the edges because the majority of resolutions made on the 1st are broken by the end of the month. Seriously, how depressing is that? To set a goal and have failed with 11/12ths of the time frame still ahead of you?
This year I have opted for a variation of the resolution plan. I have decided that this year I’m going to make lists. Lots and lots of lists. I’m going to make lists of things to get done each day. Lists for long-term plans. Wish lists. Grocery lists. Reading lists. Lists of goals. Lists! I figure that by doing so I will accomplish two things that are important to me and that I don’t feel I do very well. It will put me in control of those “listed” areas of my life AND it will give me the opportunity to acknowledge even the most minor accomplishment by crossing things off the list.
So stay tuned and see what kind of foolishness this gets me into.
I am old enough to realize that like anything, there will be successes and failures but I do not want my lists to be judgmental…just lists.
Hiding from the Kids 