The "New Years" holiday has never meant much to me. I always see people food shopping galore, hosting elaborate parties, having themed said parties, dressing up and going out, but all the while it is nothing more to me than another night for me. A night I usually spend in jeans and/or sweats with my daughter after watching movies and/or playing a board game or two. Last night we did crossword puzzles together.
I get the "resolve," but it is always so trite and unrealistic. You really think the best thing for your future is to buy a gym membership you will most likely use for 2 months and never again? You really think that the key to success is to "be kind to others" only to be cut off in traffic and scream like a sailor and forget about it the next time you have a misfortune? I don't set these kinds of expectations for myself. I don't presume to let one day dictate that I need to have resolve. That I need to be better for the year because I was so crappy the year before.
I try for these "resolutions" every day. Every day when I wake up I make my day's goals and decisions. When someone says something snotty, I resolve to bite my tongue. When someone forgets to flush, I cringe and flush for them. When I get bossed around, I stand up for myself as I always should have. When someone cuts me off in traffic, I remind myself that I have no idea who they are or what is happening in their life. Maybe they don't have an emergency to get to, but that's not for me to determine behind the wheel of my car. You're in a rush? Whatever. You are one space ahead of me now - revel in it.
Life is really hard. Like, really hard. And no one can fully understand hardship and heartbreak and all the other two-words-in-one experiences without having gone through them, but I firmly believe setting unrealistic goals for yourself one time a year is worthless. Why one day a year? Why not every single day? We celebrate all kinds of holidays throughout the year; If every day is too much pick each of those calendar holidays and set a reminder. One day a year is not enough.
So celebrate the coming of a new year. A clean slate. I have given up on thinking "This is my year" because it is, also, unrealistic.
This is my day. I am going to make the best of ONE SINGLE DAY rather than 364 days way too far ahead of me to actually control anything.
Today is my day. My day to be all the things I want to. Or at least start to be.
