I don’t blog as much as some of you, or myself, would like, but given the retrospective nature this week I wanted to say something about the year before it passes me by completely. This isn’t one of my sarcastic, haha moments. It’s more like a giant, mushy, personally written Hallmark Card.
First let me say that I don’t really like the idea of a New Year’s “resolution”. If you want to go on a diet, go on a diet. If you want to quit cursing, quit cursing. The magical effect that the stroke of midnight has doesn’t effect your willpower. However, as fantastic as 2009 was, there are things I can do to make 2010 (and my life in general) even better for myself. For that reason I like the idea of setting goals for myself in the upcoming year. Nothing has to be obtained overnight and if I slip up a few times, I haven’t failed a resolution. We’re all works in progress.
- Worry less about my text messages, emails, Facebook and cell phone in general when I am in the company of living, breathing people. Nothing tells somebody they’re lower on the totem pole faster than being ignored for an electronic device. Plus (even though I’m guilty of it), I just think it’s rude.
- This includes “me” time that I’ve set aside to do things that I enjoy. I don’t have to spend every second of my day beholden to the mobile phone gods.
- Endeavor to manage my time more wisely. It’s not as much fun to have fun when you’re constantly worried about everything you aren’t getting done.
- Take up for myself more often.
- Be a little more careful with my heart and a little more giving with my affection.
- Take more silly pictures and take myself less seriously. It’s ok to be silly and get really excited about completely stupid things in front of friends. They should love me for my neurosis, not in spite of them.
- Spend more time with friends playing games, laughing and talking and less time struggling to hear them in noisy bars.
- Relax.
- Hang out with my family more.
“Love one another and you will be happy. It’s as simple and as difficult as that” – Michael Leunig
This year has been nothing, if not full of the unexpected. So many seemingly innocuous moments led to such bigger events that I can’t even begin to recount them all in my head. I guess I could call it the year of the Butterfly Effect. I already know the year has brought more happy than hurt, more laughter than tears and I hope in time I will see that it brought more beginnings than endings.
I’ve been able to make a lot of really fantastic memories this year and even though the endings to some of the stories aren’t what I had hoped, the stories themselves brought me some of my happiest moments from the year and without some of the sad, I wouldn’t have had some of the really, really, ridiculously happy. In time I’ll see where even the darkest moments were leading. I’ve been blessed to spend time and reconnect with old friends whom I love more than they will ever realize. Most of these people don’t realize the impact they made on me more than a decade ago, but I hope in another ten years I’ll be able to explain it to them more articulately. I’ve made new friends out of old friends and in some cases, even made their friends my own. Whether you know it or not, every once of you has had a part in making this an amazingly great year for me. To quote Mr. Sinatra, “It’s been a very good year for city girls who lived up the stair with the perfumed hair.” Here’s to hoping it doesn’t all come undone when I’m thirty-one.
I love you all.
Happy New Year!
My Record Cake Collection 