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2007
by Elizabeth
Bussey Sowdal |
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Happy
New Year! I hope that this year is longer than the last one, because
2006 just zoomed by for me! If we were going by my internal calender
it would only be about mid-April right now. And I would still be on
vacation. Sigh.
But it is not April. It is January and it is a new year. It is time
to figure out the various ways that we will make things better for
ourselves. I do this every year and it gives me such a sense of hope
and optimism! And I have become more creative. In the old days I would
set impossible goals for myself. I would sit down at the table on
the last day of December and write down a list of goals which were
ridiculously grandiose. Things like "will be nice to everybody, always,"
"will eat more vegetables," "will work out every single da – week,"
"will keep my checkbook balanced at all times." Then, when I inevitably
failed at these unattainable goals, usually by about Jan. 7, I would
sink into a gloomy bout of self-loathing.
Not anymore. Now I know better. I refuse to set myself up for failure.
Instead of writing "will do my part in achieving world peace," I might
instead write, "will wear clean socks every single day, even if I
have to borrow a pair of Mike’s." Instead of vowing that I "will lose
20 lbs. by June," I promise to "never wear anything without an elastic
waistband." I do not promise to "volunteer for some community service
20 hours a month without fail." Instead I might promise "never to
litter. In public." I will not set myself up for a fall by writing,
"I will keep my house clean enough for company at all times, without
fail." No. I won’t do it. I know what it feels like to wake up on
some chilly Jan. 7th morning to find that there is no world peace,
Mike is out of clean socks too, I have gained another three pounds
(even though the holidays are officially over) and that there is a
strong possibility that the foundation of our house is going to collapse
under the sheer weight of all the clutter and dust and closets full
of clothes with non-elastic waistbands.
If I don’t care enough about myself to protect myself from this kind
of agony, who does? Nobody. Nobody, that’s who, and so I have got
to be willing to take the responsibility myself. I just have to understand
what my limitations are and be willing to work within them. I am not
saying that we should not try to better ourselves, to improve ourselves
and the world around us. No. I am just saying that I, personally,
am not capable of doing very much better than I have always done.
This is it. This is me. It might be a new year, despite my internal
calender, but I am the same old me and I just have to accept that
and move on.
Here are my resolutions for the new year. I plan to give and get 150%
more hugs and kisses than last year. I plan to laugh much, much more.
I plan to say "I love you" every time it occurs to me. I plan to be
happy inside and out. I plan to be moderate in most things – I will
work moderately, play moderately, eat moderately, worry moderately,
cry moderately. I will spend time in the sunshine not thinking about
what chores I ought to be doing. I will smell flowers and listen to
my family and meet new friends. And that is as good as it is going
to get.
So! Happy New Year, friends! I hope that 2007 brings each of you,
all of us, happiness, health, and peace. I hope that you have, that
we all have, just enough cloudy days to make us appreciate the sunny
ones, enough work to let us know we are contributing without wearing
ourselves out, enough busy days to make the quiet days a pleasure,
plenty of fun, plenty of laughter, plenty of time with our families
and more time with our friends than last year. I hope that 2007 is
the best year ever. In fact, I am counting on it! |
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