Oy! It's the New Year

Yes, I know, we're a week into January. And yes, I know, it is ten shades of lame to still have Christmas stuff up. But I am only nine shades of lame because I took mine down yesterday.Huzzah!  Losing that extra degree of lameness is super important to me. It's like losing that last  pound you committed to losing for those pesky New Year's resolutions.

Me? I don't make resolutions. We've been through this before–several times actually. I am not resolved. It makes the new year easier. I am all about easier.

2010 was awesome. I learned some things about myself that I was probably happier, but not necessarily better off, not knowing, and my family made it through the year with no harm, no damage. And to be honest, were I to make a resolution, it would be to get through 365 more days safely.

Which is not to say I want to play it safe.

My friend Jeff Savage (who I quote all the time, because he really is just that smart) said that if you succeed at everything you do, you aren't trying hard enough things.

This will be another year of hard things. Of doing hard things and hoping for success. I'm not even going to pretend to put diet and exercise on the list, because that's NOT going to happen. But some of the things that I'd wanted to get done last year are going to carry over to this year. I would like to write more, read more, have a cleaner house, and BE PRESENT.

I wanted to write three books this last year. I only wrote two. I'm sad that three didn't happen, but I'm really, really excited about the two that were completed.

I wanted to read fifty books this last year. I read sixty. LOVED doing that. There were so many talented writers discovered over the year and so many others that I was able to revisit. It just made for a dang good time.

I wanted to keep my blog up once a week. ~smirks and shrugs~ yeah whatever. It became more like once a month. But maybe this year . . . I can do twice a month? I'll try (shut up, Yoda).

I wanted to finish my basement once and for all. So did not happen. I've decided to sell one or two of the books I've written and then to pay someone else to finish my basement. The side benefit of this? I get to help the economy! Woohoo for helping the economy!

I wanted to finish landscaping the backyard. So did not happen, but I did get a sidewalk poured leading from the house to my store. No more muddy shoes! And the best thing about the path? While we were pouring the cement, my dog Copper got out and ran her cute little paws across it. We were a wee bit ticked off at the time, but now . . . well, we're grateful. Copper's gone, but her little paw prints make me smile when I walk home.

I wanted to be a good mom, and a good wife. Mostly this worked out. I am sometimes lame as a parent. It's really neat (meaning not really neat at all) when I throw a tantrum. After hurling the telephone at the wall, where it exploded, and the pieces flew all over the place, I was searching through the Christmas tree trying to locate the few pieces that got lost in the branches. My daughter came out and leaned on the couch and said, "You know, it must really suck to be the adult, and have to clean up after your own tantrums."   

Yeah . . . she's grounded.

Actually she's awesome. Families are fabulous. I endorse them in every way–even if they do laugh at me when I do the hula hoop on the Wii.

So here's to the new year and to trying hard things, and to succeeding at hard things.