2013 Resolutions

Well, the world didn't end in 2012 so I had to rack my brain and come up with some new year's resolutions!

2013 will be the year of IDENTITY for me. This is the year I turn 40, and I'm bound and determined not to take all my silly emotional baggage with me into my forties!

Something I noticed this holiday season when I was catching up with a few friends via email is that when I send out those updates on my life, there is always a pattern to how I do it. First, I talk about the Captain--his job, his garden, and what he'll be doing in the coming year (Afghanistan...again...ugh...). Then I move onto Firstborn--his town fair accomplishments, his love of lego and video games and my plans to get him swimming every week to improve his skills and get him off the couch. Next, I move onto RB--his therapy, how he's doing in school, and the things he does that make us laugh. If I feel I have enough time and space left after all that, I will finish up by mentioning the pets, and then wish all my friends a happy and healthy new year before signing off.

Did you notice anything missing in all that?

As it turns out, since I stopped working (and 2013 will mark the TEN YEAR anniversary of that. Yeesh!), I have had little, if anything at all, to tell people about ME. I've effectively rendered myself invisible. How sad is that?!

I really don't want to go back to work right now. There's still a little too much going on for me to consider that a sane idea. And anyway, I agree with the European notion that we are far more than just what we do for a living. So keeping that in mind, I need to focus on something beyond housework (which I mostly don't do anyway...) and my family before I disappear completely!

I'd like to tell you I have a 10-point plan with bullet lists and an accompanying slide show made up in order to accomplish this goal. That's just the kind of thing that would have me all thrilled and excited about the new year. But I'm not quite there yet. I do, however, have a question ready to ask myself in order to turn this resolution into a reality, and not just some hazy pipe dream I concocted while delirious from two weeks' worth of overindulgence.

Could I put anything I did this week into a Christmas letter?

While I promise not to treat all my friends and family next Christmas to a 30-page letter detailing every nutty thing I set my mind to throughout the year, my goal is to get to the end of each week with something noteworthy to say for myself. This is going to mean trying new things. Or maybe taking the things I do now to a new level. Something that might require a little risk on my part. And everyone who knows me knows that I hate risk.

But if I want to hit 40 with a sense that my life is about more than just packing lunches and hemming other people's pants, I need to get to work. So bring it on, 2013!

Thanks for sticking with me for yet another crazy year, despite my long absences. You guys keep me honest! A happy and healthy New Year to all of you!