Well I survived Christmas, in case you were wondering… Earlier this week I made that comment to an acquaintance and got this response “If you feel relieved when it’s over, you’re doing it wrong”. (We’re still talking about Christmas, right?) While that sounds like it should be true, I don’t agree. I just spent the last six weeks trying to figure out what would make my loved ones happiest. I made lists (checked them more than twice), asked sneaky questions, bought gifts, hid gifts, wrapped gifts, wrote cards, etc all in an effort to show the people who are special to me just how much I care about them. It’s fun, rewarding and exhausting. When the last gifts were unwrapped on Christmas morning, I secretly let out a huge exhale of “ohthankgoodnessit’sover”. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way and I think it’s totally okay because it shows I’ve put a lot of thought and emotion into the efforts I made for my loved ones and isn’t that a big part of what this whole thing is about?
And so with Christmas behind me and only three days remaining in 2011, I am now focusing my energy on determining what my New Year’s resolutions will be. When I was in my early 20’s, I made long lists of resolutions each year, vowing to perform all sorts of miraculous change but I usually got frustrated and gave up by February. Now I always make at least one and I’ve found that the fewer there are, the more likely I am to remember and follow through. It's important to me to make resolutions because it helps me set a tone for the new year and have something to strive for and look forward to. It also helps to remind me that all things do pass and I always have the ability to change. My only resolution for 2011 was to be less reactive and I’ve made a lot of progress but I think it will be an ongoing journey for me.
I still haven’t decided exactly what my 2012 resolutions will be but I know that I’m unhappy with how much clutter there is in my house and with the way I talk/feel about people who I find frustrating. I need to take the next few days to reflect on these issues and decide what kind of change I want to make and how to go about doing it. I’m excited to have this blog as a tool for stating my goals and holding myself accountable. I’m also hoping to hear from my friends/readers about any resolutions and progress.
So here’s to a few days of reflection on an eventful year that’s coming to a close and an exciting new one that’s about to begin!
My biggest resolution is to be better organized, specifically about my time so that I can find more time to do the things I like and also to practice better self-care. This is the first time in a long time that I can remember not feeling stressed to the max, so now I want to keep that going by taking better care of myself in general.
ReplyDeleteI'm very interested to hear your 2012 resolution.