Wednesday, August 26, 2015

The New Year Starts Today

Making resolutions on the first day of a new calendar year has never felt right to me. Other than how I (fail miserably at trying to correctly) write the date on an occasional check, nothing changes on January 1st. We return home after celebrating Christmas and New Year's Eve with family and pick up exactly where we left off - same grades in school for the kids, same work schedules for Tom and me, same evening activities for all four of us - the previous year.

In September, however, life changes dramatically. The kids begin new grades, work with new teachers, and make new friends. Tom goes back to teaching after spending the summer working outside the classroom. I restructure my days to fit in as much work - of both the paid and volunteer varieties - as possible between the hours of 9:30am and 2:30pm. Our evenings suddenly become a juggling act, with Tom and I acting as the circus performers and trying desperately not to drop our soccer, Tae Kwon Do, basketball, dance, gymnastics, swimming, disc golf, homework, and dinner "balls".

Starting the new year in September, when change comes naturally and causes me considerably less stress, makes sense. And so this year, to see if doing so leads to better results, I plan to kick off my New Year's Resolutions this week.

Here they are, in no particular order:
  1. Step away from work, and therefore close my computer (unless I need it for a dinner recipe), between the hours of 2:45pm and 7:30pm.
  2. With Will, Hallie, and/or Tom, visit at least one new Texas restaurant, park, attraction, performing arts venue, or sports arena every month.
  3. Read one book a month. (Yes, Mockingjay for the fourth time counts.)
  4. Start taking pictures with my DSLR camera again.
  5. Go on one lunch date with Tom each month.
  6. Go on one dinner date with Tom each month.
I have no doubt the upcoming year will throw many a curveball in my/our direction, just like every year before and every year yet to come. That's why I see these resolutions as a reflection, generally speaking and big picture-wise, of what I hope the next 12 months will look like for our family rather than a set of strict, specific "rules" for me to follow.    

I woke up on Monday morning excited to send the kids off to school and jumpstart our new year. I woke up this morning just as excited to begin working on my New Year's Resolutions. And I know that when I wake up on New Year's Day, I'll be thrilled to have already tackled half of my goals for the year.

Happy New Year, friends!

Cheers!

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