Fitting In

Jessie: In Northern New England where the lawn is still disconcertingly green.

I love the holidays. I love the nostalgia, the traditions, the fun of secrets and surprises. But what I love most is the end of it all. It’s not because I’m tired of hearing carols in every store or that the Christmas lights have caused my electric bill to skyrocket.

It’s because I’m an enthusiastic goal setter. All year round I keep track of goals and create new ones. In January, so does almost everyone else. At the turn of the new year, no one thinks it odd if you wander for an hour up and down the calendars/planners aisles of the local office suppy store, considering your options. No one bats an eye if, in the course of a day, you join a gym, buy a book on decluttering and create a vision board. At any other time of year your family might stage an intervention. Or, at the very least,  whisper anxious speculations about a mid-life crisis.

But in January, both the internet and the physical world are awash in support for resolutions and fresh, new starts. How-to advisors, life coaches and self-help gurus cheer on the masses from every direction. Optimism is everywhere.

Come February the fervor tends to die down. The camaraderie I enjoyed throughout the last few weeks fades and I find myself alone with the helpful staff at the local office supply store. But even though I feel out of step with the majority once more, there is an upside all die-hard New Englanders will understand; all the planners are on sale.

Readers, do you create New Year’s Resolutions? Do you create goals all year long? Or do you ignore all the hype?