2017 so far

They say you'll probably spend your whole year mostly doing what you do on New Year's Day. If so, I'm going to spend 2017 snuggled with my family, napping, cooking experimental dishes, drinking tasty-yet-cheap wine, and ignoring the internet for the most part.

That is just fine by me.

As I write this, Boy has come home from work, rested, and is now going for a jog at dusk because he is a space alien. (Actually, because he had to miss the Resolution Run this morning in order to work at McDonald's, and I think he regrets it.) Man is running to the store for a few ingredients I somehow forgot, which boggles the mind considering how full the fridge is. We just finished watching Spotlight, which Jim had not seen despite the two (2) formal events I've hosted featuring it. More movies pending as the lasagna bakes!

And I am contemplating my year. I do an extensive list of New Year's Resolutions, because I don't see them as flighty wishes for the new year; I like goals. I like lists, preferably color-coded and categorized. And I'm a word-based human: it isn't real until it's written down. Making a list of goals for my new year is how I set my brain to accomplish those goals.

I may decide to share them. I may not. For the moment, I'm not. Suffice to say I have goals for work, for the other work, for the other other work, for my home, for my health. That latter is often a problem beyond my ability to solve, but I'm working on the parts that I can. This will be the year I cook almost all of our meals, so as to save money and health, but especially money, as Boy is turning 18 and going to college - i.e. big rise in expenses with a big loss of income. Working on that math. (Buy books.) This will hopefully be the year I figure out how to rein in my schedule and get more writing done, both of the fictional and nonfictional variety. I would like to say this will be the year that I finally figure out how to stop overworking and relax, but I don't think that's in the cards for anyone in my profession, even if they aren't me.

These are vague goals; resolutions are specific, planned, with desired outcomes and schedules. Of course, to quote the inimitable Jayne: "What you plan and what takes place ain't ever exactly been similar."

Which is why today has been so lovely, and I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. Couch. Movies. Snuggles. Noshes. Games. More snuggles. These work-free days have been exceedingly rare of late, and I need to fix that. No one ever said at the end of life that they wished they'd spent more time at work, right?

Happy new year, denizens. May yours be as pleasant as mine (so far).

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