Happy New Year

As I sit here on the 4th of January, not really thinking about the New Year at all, I'm reminded constantly that there was in fact a new year. Yes, we host a fabulous gala: many friends attend to ring in the flipping of the calendar. However I view it as nothing more than another day. The day changes from December 31, to January 1. The Earth moves around the Sun, the day and nights are cold. Another day for Madison Avenue to make a couple dollars.

However, I understand that many people hold this day to be of the utmost importance. A chance for change. A chance for a new beginning. A time for resolutions that will be broken in the coming days and weeks. A week during the year that McDonald's doesn't make a lot of money because most people are trying to live healthy. I would assume that next week will be McDonald's biggest selling week, as people forget about their healthy resolutions, and remember that we are a society of slothful, greedy people.

And yet, during this time of year, it is so easy to get caught up in the festivities and ideas that surround the New Year. How can you not make a resolution? How can you not look back upon the old year, and look forward to the new year? And so, to get into the spirit of the holiday season, I present my resolutions. Not so much resolutions, but more the idea of goals for the coming year.

My Resolutions

1. Finish my cross stitch - This is not only for me, but for my mother, who passed away in June of this last year. I started a project a few years back, and she always asked me about it. Now is the time to complete the pattern. For her.
   
2. Play guitar once a week, learn a new song once a month - I always want to pick up the guitar and fool around, but always have an excuse. So far, I'm on course
   
3. Rank nationally in track and field (top 3 in high jump, top 7 in long jump) - Considering how I finished the year, this shouldn't be hard. However, I need to put in the work on the track.
   
4. Edit a previous story, and submit to a magazine or contest - It's been two years since I have submitted a piece of work somewhere. I've been out of the writing world too long, it's time to jump back in.
   
5. Start writing a new story - My writing box has a section where I place scraps of paper with half written ideas. It's time to look at those, and start crafting a new story.
   
6. Write every week, anything - It has been too long since I have written anything. Whether it be in a journal, blog, or story, I have found it troubling to write anything. I simply need to sit down and write something.
   
7. Take time off work - Come February of this year, I will have accrued the maximum amount of vacation time possible, and therefore will not accrue any additional hours. I have not taken a vacation in the 5 years I have worked at KU. The most time I've taken off was the week before my mother died, and the 6 days around her funeral. That doesn't count. I need a mental vacation. Badly.
   
8. Spend more time with Olivia - There are the special moments you spend with your child as they grow up that you will reflect upon at some point in your life. Every day she learns a new thing. Every day I grow up through her eyes. The wonderment of learning how to live... yes that sounds strange. There are some times that I look at her and think that I am not spending enough time with her. The possibility... having a child of your own, and walking in their footsteps is the most amazing thing I have ever done.
   

So there are my resolutions. I will post at random times during the year, and we'll see how things turn out.