December Oddities

Image provided by
Mo @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/april-mo/

It’s been years, decades really, since I have felt that excitement of Christmas and the new year. I think the last time was when my stepdaughter was eight or nine years old. She’s thirty one now so that tells you how long it’s been. This isn’t to say that I’m actually a Scrooge though. I like the decorations and the change in the food. I think what I miss that I used to have in abundance is the good cheer and kindness, both giving it and receiving it.

I live in Tennessee, one of the southern states of the U.S.. The south is supposed to be known for its hospitality and charm. I haven’t seen any of these two things, not even during the holiday season. Furthermore, I live in a small town in the Cumberland Mountains. I would think that in a small town, the good would be more likely to outweigh the bad. It doesn’t seem to be happening that way. To be truthful, it’s probably the same all over anymore. I just have to stop griping as if I haven’t contributed to the attitude, because I know I could do better.

Each year, many people start making lists of how they want to change, what they want to accomplish and what they want to do away with in the new year. Yep, those New Year Resolutions. I have never ever made any New Year Resolutions. If I felt like I needed to change something about myself, I’d start right then and there. I’ve always thought that waiting for the calendar to change to January before doing something good for myself was ridiculous. Why should I wait?

Even so, this year I’m making a list of goal to achieve in this next year. This thought started with the Ugly Baby Challenge that started the first of this month. Holly Lisle, the owner and author of How to Think Sideways Writers’ Boot Camp and the instructor for this challenge, with her down-to-earth approach and the load of her classes for this challenge, got me evaluating how I’ve been running my life in general for the past few years.

Then, just a few days ago, I received the notice of Susan Cooper’s new post at her blog, Finding Our Way Now. The post told about how she has so many iron in the fire. I’m surprised that a fire truck hasn’t pulled up in front of this woman’s house to give her a ticket for the outlandish blaze she has going. She puts me to shame.

I know that I can do better than what I have been doing. True, I’ll never be able to accomplish as much as Holly or Susan, but that’s not the point. I’ve been slacking. There isn’t any other way to put it. I’m capable of doing more, and by not doing as much as I’m able, I’m not getting what I should out of life.

So, this year I have made a list of goals that really aren’t all that difficult to achieve.

• clean the house when it needs to be cleaned — do not put it off
• keep in touch with family and friends — even emails are good
• be diligent about the classes I’m taking from Holly — no excuses except illness
• be diligent about working on my writing projects — schedule work time, push to do more, no excuses
• keep up blogging activities — an actual good distraction as long as it is scheduled
• eat health — stop worrying about weight

Well, that should keep me going this next year. I should even be able to put some ‘free time’ in there. 😛