I woke up tired today... the shortened hours of daylight do not help much. But at least it was slightly above zero this morning. Slightly.
It's the post Christmas slump, it's the ache of missing family and conversation I reveled in for 3 days. It's the Christmas tree starting to slump to the side.
But then I read the NYTimes Article
And I am hopeful again.
I have some education to do here, especially when the otherwise open folks here don't "want a president whose name I'm can't pronounce" (they are Finnish, have you ever tried to pronounce Finnish? Obama is nothing compared to that)
But today... this new year... I am hopeful
Friday, January 04, 2008
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
We here highly resolve...
A wise person once told me never to start new year resolutions on the first day of the new year.
Sound advice, since this holiday is usually spent finishing up those Christmas cookies, bars and creamy things that survived the previous week and will only head to the trash and that's wasting food...
The guilt is removed if we start on January 2nd. We are ready to begin after the hangover has left.
It is important to begin a year free from guilt. Guilt has never been a good motivator for people, it is simply a fear tactic. The church has been using guilt for years and now it seems to be deteriorating from it. (it only took1600 years, but still)
But I'm starting to see lovely trends where people are no longer starting new year resolutions out of guilt or a desire to refine oneself, but rather as an opportunity to celebrate and enliven the self. However, if you want a cheap treadmill, look for it at the used places in April. Seriously.
These are the resolutions that make it. These are the ones that take root and grow. Successful resolutions from my friends:
Starting a blog, attending a show each month, learning to knit, taking belly dance lessons, cooking a new cuisine every month... the list goes on.
So my resolutions for the new year?
Read more fiction,
Fix my bicycle,
Learn (not master) the art of French cooking, and... lose 15 lbs :)
Sound advice, since this holiday is usually spent finishing up those Christmas cookies, bars and creamy things that survived the previous week and will only head to the trash and that's wasting food...
The guilt is removed if we start on January 2nd. We are ready to begin after the hangover has left.
It is important to begin a year free from guilt. Guilt has never been a good motivator for people, it is simply a fear tactic. The church has been using guilt for years and now it seems to be deteriorating from it. (it only took1600 years, but still)
But I'm starting to see lovely trends where people are no longer starting new year resolutions out of guilt or a desire to refine oneself, but rather as an opportunity to celebrate and enliven the self. However, if you want a cheap treadmill, look for it at the used places in April. Seriously.
These are the resolutions that make it. These are the ones that take root and grow. Successful resolutions from my friends:
Starting a blog, attending a show each month, learning to knit, taking belly dance lessons, cooking a new cuisine every month... the list goes on.
So my resolutions for the new year?
Read more fiction,
Fix my bicycle,
Learn (not master) the art of French cooking, and... lose 15 lbs :)
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