January One

This morning, the world woke up to a brand new year. I always like the idea of a whole new number to be used whilst recording dates. How exciting, right, to be able to use "11" at the end of a six digit date at the corners of papers. That hasn't been done in, what, 100 years? And writing out 2011, well that's just something else entirely.

Oh yes, I love a new year just as much as anybody else.

However, I have never been one for resolutions... And I will tell you why: the idea is terrifying. The thought of taking little ideas and goals and aspirations and putting them into one year ultimatums! VOMIT! Run for the door! Only leaves room for failure. At the end of the year you will undoubtedly look back on the year and dwell upon that which you have not accomplished. Resolutions leave behind trails of hopeless stupid cranberry diets, one-size-too-small-jeans that will never see the light of day, visits to loved ones that were never made, blank-number-salaries that were not accomplished, and hair improvements that were not ever plausible in the first place. Lofty goals set too high spin and spiral out of control, leading to the certain and unmistakable signs of failed resolutions upon the following December 31. Fake smiles, occasional sobbing, questionable company, and poor outfit decisions display the residue of hopeless resolution failure on any given New Years Eve.

No sir-re. Resolutions are not my thing. Chalk it up to my fear of change, knack for satire and pessimism, or even my hatred for poorly constructed Sarah Dessen novels that more often than not begin with doomed failure and glimmer into hopefulness through self-improvement (which, do not be deceived, I gobbled up with teenage adoration at the time.)

As an alternative, I generally choose to look back on the things I actually did accomplish and smile about them. I like to make mental lists of "atta-girl"s and marvel at the life changes that came at me at neck breaking speed with a general lack of warning. When looking back on a year, I can easily recognize that it is impossible to realistically look forward to the coming year and have any grasp whatsoever on what life may hold. I believe that life, via God, has a grand sense of humor that will never cease to surprise, frustrate, and amaze me. Therefore life plans are often destroyed and changed without grandeur or mourning. My view of the empty space that 2011 holds changes considerably when thinking about things this way.

Okay, enough babbling, here's the point; I will not be resolution-ing for 2011. Instead, I plan to take it in with wonder. I am going to enjoy each instance of mess, all my mistakes, and every moment of love. After reaching this conclusion, my brain then led down the path that I will need some way to document such marveling.... and so this blog began. Ta-da!

So, if anyone ends up reading these ramblings, get excited for some excellent run on sentences, occasional made-up words, intense sarcasm, and scattered concrete thoughts. Cheers,  and hello 2011!