Happy New Year

I thought long and hard about the 2014 blog I wanted to write.  I've written many times through the years how I feel about the tradition of New Year's Resolutions.  Not a fan, in case you missed any of those.  It's not that I'm against making choices and proactively working toward improving yourself and your life.  I think when you stop working toward moving forward you stop...period.  However, I don't see the point in waiting for a magical turn of the calendar to start working at making those changes.  Birthday resolutions, Valentine's resolutions, Easter resolutions, Halloween resolutions could all carry just as much importance.  The most important thing is to set your goals for something and then make a plan to achieve them.  I feel like the majority of people don't fulfill their resolutions.  I believe the main reason they don't fulfill them is because they are vowed because of the calendar and not because of actual forethought and planning.  (That is the condensed version :S)

But as I thought all this through this year and the fact that I do love New Year's Day.  I really do!  The calendar kept coming back to me.  For years I have kept a planner.  An actual paper planner.  And I write everything down.  Mostly work stuff but the other important things too.  Today we get to open a new book.  A new planner.  Twelve months worth of events and memories to record.  And what we record on those calendars are our stories.  Our memories.  Things that help to shape the person we will become through the year.  The person we will be a year fom now as we begin another journey through the days.  I love calendars.  I love planners.  And today is a blank slate.  Well, ok I've already starting filling mine in with meetings and birthdays and appointments.  But it's a blank page.  Another set of stories to be written in the journey.  For her entire adult life my Grandma kept a diary.  She wrote every day even it was just the weather or who visited or what they did with the animals.  I tried the whole diary thing and kinda epic fail.  I couldn't find a way to be consistent.  I'd do ok for a while and then slack off for months.  And who wants to take the time to 'back track' life just in case someone reads it down the road.  A planner though, a calendar, easy to fill in the important things.

Today, really appreciate that blank slate.  Twelve months of empty days waiting to be filled with life, with living.  There are events to record, memories to be made, and stories to be written over that time.  Today is the day to reflect on who you became in 2013 and anticipate the potential of 2014.  Make it the best collection yet!