Have you noticed that the tradition of wishing people "Happy New Year" is fading? Oh, I'm not talking about those people who go to parties, scream the countdown in the dark, then flash the lights, kiss their dates, yell "Happy New Year" toast and pound one another on the back, but rather just as a greeting to other people for the first ten days or so of the year. However, this is just a passing thought.
What I really want to talk about is resolutions - another fading tradition. I'm curious. How many people have made resolutions this year? Anybody done more than make a mental list of things they would like to change about themselves or their situations in the coming year? I've been wondering what would be the most popular resolutions? Let's see: I figure lose weight and stop smoking would be the top two and overall the hardest to achieve.
Drake and I have just had one of the most exciting years of our lives. The only other two that came close are 1972 (graduated from college, moved to Houston - biggest town either of us had EVER experienced, and started our careers - boy that was a doozy of a year). The other one was 1985/86 (the excitement of which can be expressed in two words: Sarah Lynn). 2010 was whirlwind year reminiscent of '72. We sold our home of 20 years, shed lots of our possessions, kissed our Hurst friends goodbye, moved to Austin, moved to Bastop, vacationed in Mississippi at the IBC (International Ballet Competition) drove across country to Washington state, (500 miles of corn AARGH!), set ourselves up in an apartment for 5 months, explored someplace new four or five days a week, made some new friends, packed up again, did another drive down the Oregon coast (maybe a summer destination?), crossed the Mojave Desert (a close second to being as boring as 500 miles of corn), played blackjack for a few days in Laughlin, NV, arrived in Phoenix in time to rent a house, kiss the family hello, and do Christmas welcoming Sarah and Jay for the holidays - a pretty darn exciting year.
This all came about as the result of resolutions. It may have taken us two years to fulfill them, but I'm so glad we persevered. I have to confess that we don't usually sit down on January 1st, lick our pencil, and make a list - but we DO try to think about the future. Of course, you can't control the future - but, at the same time it's just as insane to go along and just let life happen to you. I think you can chose proactive or reactive.
I guess my resolution for 2011 boils down to being open and positive about the new experiences that we are planning for this coming year beginning with not being intimidated by New York City. For those of you who haven't heard: Our next stop is a month in New York City. We are currently looking at sublets for the month of June. I'm going to have less anxiety about Vermont (summer and fall), but I'm wondering how we're going to like the East Coast and the people? -You know those stereotypes: brash, cold, unfriendly, impatient. That's my point - lose my preconceptions so I can truly enjoy a unique experience. If I wanted my life to be the same each day, I could have stayed in Hurst or at the very least, Texas.
Hello, 2011 - I'm ready. Yee Haw! Incidentally, we had a great Christmas - I hope you did too. I discovered I didn't need eight tubs of Christmas decorations, just a little ingenuity and help from my mother-in-law. Arizona - look out, here we come. Here's some pix of Christmas and our kick-off to Arizona. http://picasaweb.google.com/jalyss1/Xmas2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCOGuw8arheXayAE# Oh, and Happy New Year.
