Here It Is...My New Year's Resolution

In the last year it feels like I've spent a lot of time at home alone with my boys, and indoors.  Little Brother arrived in August, and I felt like I was starting from scratch in managing our home, working part-time from home, and parenting now TWO boys.  Within the two months that followed each of them underwent one surgery, and after being hurled into three holidays these last three months have been a blur.  Although I miss my husband, who has returned to work, I welcome the return to normalcy and it would feel wonderful to act more towards, and with others this year.  


In my opinion, the key to any New Year's resolution is realizing that your resolution is likely on this year's list because you didn't do it, have it, or succeed at it last year.  If it didn't come easily for you last year, it likely won't come easily for you this year.  This means change.  This means "new," "different," "extra..."  A new routine, a different choice, an extra effort...


If the perfect me lived the perfect life last year, my New Year's resolution would be "do what I did last year."  I'm not perfect---and yet I demand perfection of myself the moment the clock strikes 12:01 A.m. on New Year's day?  It's because the beginning of a new year feels like this,  

{beautiful}

and then a failure reminds me I've brought all of my imperfections into the new year with me, and that feels like this,

{Rural Ramblings}

But of course we're going to fail, in the beginning---which is difficult to accept because when we fail I'll confess that I feel like I'm just not meant to succeed at this, because I don't have what it takes, and I may never have it.  However, failure plays an important role in our perfection, and change takes practice.  

Be kind to yourself, and when you fail imagine a fresh snow and begin again.

Now that I have a new direction in mind for the new year, it's time to chunk it down and gather a few ideas and helps for making it happen.  Which of your New Year's resolutions bubbled to the top of your list for this month?


A.