Sunday, January 1, 2012

New Year, New Possibilities, Real Expectations

At the turn of every year a new realm of possibilities opens to every one of us. At this time of year my mind races endlessly as I contemplate all of the things I'd like to accomplish in the coming 12 months. I'm not really sure why the "new" year is such a significant time to us; it really is just another day, with a new number assigned to it. But there is something cleansing and hopeful at the thought of being able to put the past aside and focus on the good things to come.

Every year I set myself some personal goals. I don't always share all of them with my friends, or my family, or even my husband. Maybe that's because I don't want to have to admit that I failed? But I'm not sure that's particularly the reason because, like I always tout, I'm a realist. I don't have any false expectation that I will achieve all of my goals. I'm a perfectionist so I'm used to failure. But I think it's important to have some things in mind. And honestly, if I even complete one of them, I will be satisfied.

I can't really verbalize them all at this point (there are still a bunch I haven't quite fleshed out). But here are some of them:

We promised Lilly we would revamp her room for her birthday. She wanted a bigger, better desk and some updating done. She really needs a lot of storage and some great organization. Because although I hate to admit it, she's pretty messy. So I'm working on some organizing solutions and we're teaching each other the value of letting things go - that holding on to "things" cannot take the place of the best file folder we have: our mind. Luckily, we've already started this project so I'm already well on my way.

Today while we were driving home from MurMur's house Lilly made a statement that both made me giggle and made me think. She said, "I never want to grow up. Then I will just have to pay bills and worry about the economy." Now, I don't think we regularly complain about our finances in front of the kids - other than the usual parents' lament to their children about how they can't afford that one big thing for Christmas in the hopes when it's there on Christmas morning their belief in Santa Claus will be renewed - but both Brandon and I are NPR nerds and regularly discuss the goings-on of the world. I don't want to shelter my kids from the reality of the real world, but I also don't want them to worry about grown-up things. Like many of us these days we are watching what we spend, but this year I'd like to make our finances even healthier. Making smart decisions with our money is important in today's economy, but let's get real: making smart decisions with our money is important in ANY economy.

And for the stuff I still need flesh out: finishing projects that have already been started, getting (and STAYING) more organized, exercising in the morning, trying more new foods, growing and canning a lot of our own food.....the list goes on and on.

Any of you make resolutions? Care to share? I'd love to hear them....just comment on this post!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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