I hope everyone has had a healthy holiday break full of making memories and fun with family. (No our new 2009 theme is not alliteration; although that was interesting, wasn’t it!?) Our family (mostly me and B) was sick for much of December, yet we were more well than last December. Therefore, I have great hopes for Dec 2009!
Our decorating will not be undone until after Jan 6. There is something comforting about Three Kings Day, that liberates me on the un-decorating front. It is like it allows me to hold on to Christmas memories just a few days longer -- at which point I am ready to have things back in order and am not as sad to pack up all the snowmen and angels because I will think of all the fun I will have seeing them again next December.
In our part of the world, this week begins a return to school schedules. What does all this mean?
First, my husband acquired a new mode of transportation to use a few days a week; is the man-powered variety. Sure it is going to take some tweaking of the schedule to make this work out, yet this is a three-fold positive move:
- Good for health (exercise)
- Good for the environment (less emissions)
- Good for (hopefully) making his car last a bit longer (since he will, in theory, be driving less)
Second, after attending only three days of preschool in December, I am not sure whether our child will have a positive or negative reaction in returning to his class. I know he has missed his teachers and friends terribly! I hope he has missed them enough for the readjustment to be smooth. If not, we will take lots of deep breaths and keep moving forward.
Third, for me this new schedule gives me a change to reflect on the past year and make goals for the new year. What? You did that on Dec 31? That’s ok. I need more time to think about things. I find it makes the ideas STICK better if I’ve had a chance to mull them over. I have more time to formulate a plan of action this way. Many people get an idea in their head of a great resolution. For instance, I could say “This year I’m going to lose weight!” This is a great idea, but without a plan of how or a goal of how much, it really is not much of a resolution. If I make the proclamation to lose weight and by Dec 31 2009 have lost 2 pounds, would that be considered keeping my resolution and achieving my goal? This is the week I will make specific plans for goals regarding my personal life, our family life, and this little thing I call “business life”. There are great things in store- great ideas to come in 2009!
Lastly, this is a good time of year to reflect over what went well with 2008. What went right about the kiddos’ Birthday parties and what would be a better way to do it this year? What plans for summer vacation actually went like we planned? What about summer vacation didn’t go according to plan, but is something we may want to repeat? How can we make the start of next school year even better? How can I find ways to let those around me DAILY know that they are loved? What worked well this (Thanksgiving through New Year’s) Holiday Season? How would I like to add to Simplifying my Season for 2009?
If you do not have happy memories from 2008, do not fret. You can still think about these things and ask “What will I actively change to make it better for 2009?” For me, 2009 is definitely going to be more about SIMPLIFYING and less about trying to keep up with someone else… well, that and travel!!! There are seriously great things in store for 2009!!!
(Oh and Elli? Thanks for being my editor/proofer/thesaurus. Your input means more to me, and to the clarity of this blog, than you could ever know.)
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