It's 10:51 on New Year's Day. My husband and our cat, Baxter, are already snoozing on the couch next to me, and I'm wide awake due to a few large handfuls of gummy bears, the two naps I took earlier today, and the inundation of thoughts surrounding the pristine new year ahead of me. 365 shiney and sparkly new days are a gift, yes, but with them seems to come the pressure of change.
Last week, during one of my 13 trips to Target, I stood waiting in line behind scores of other rushed, aggravated holiday shoppers and gazed, glossy eyed, over the January issues of several popular magazines. Each slick cover yelled a different command to its observer:
From Cosmo: "Look Better Naked!"
From Real Simple: "Be More Organized This Year!"
From Better Homes & Gardens: "Makeover Your Bedroom Now!"
From Shape: "Healthy Meals You Should Be Eating!"
Whew. No wonder the holidays are stressful. Immediately following a two-week period filled with finding perfect gifts, preparing perfect meals, and hosting perfect parties, we're supposed to stop when the ball drops on Dec. 31 and consider what we did wrong in the previous year and how we can change ourselves for the better. Predictably, magazines and the media tend to capitalize on that feeling of obligation as they prompt us to lose weight, drop bad habits, create a household system of organization, clean up our clutter, start and finish renovations, etc... it seems as though we're to suddenly drop everything and become A Super Person.
I've realized that just isn't possible, and the older I get, the more I've decided making typical "resolutions" is flat out unrealistic. If we are to effect life modifications on this particular day, they should be those that won't just change our lives for 2011 or any other year, but rather those that take us just beyond today, tomorrow, this month, this year, this decade.
With that being said, I've come up with the one word that most effectively sums up what I want my own 2011 and beyond to look like: COMMIT.
Most importantly, I want to commit to myself and my own sanity. I want to let go of my Type A-ness - delegate more, worry less about the outcomes.
I want to commit to continue being a good wife, sister, daughter, cousin, niece, granddaughter, friend, teacher. Not that I wasn't a good any of the above(I hope, haha!), but I want to continue to build relationships and strengthen those that already exist.
I want to commit to my health and my running. 2010 was a great year for my feet and my PRs, but this year will kick off what I hope will be a new level in fitness, running, and health. I'll be in the kitchen more and out to eat less. K and I might even actually eat dinner at the table this year, who knows!
And lastly, I want to commit to being A-OK when everything or nothing goes right this year or the year after that or the year after that. You really can't control it all, and that's just fine.
Today's Point Two: As 2011 gets rolling, I leave you with these TWO Point Two's today:
1) A song - Regina Spektor's "My Dear Acquaintance", a delightful tune about the New Year.
2) Wishes for a happy, healthy, prosperous 2011 and beyond. Thanks for hanging out On the Road with me!