New Year

A new year. Wow. A gift of 365 fresh days (if we're lucky).

Even if I no longer write down resolves for the new year, I still think about the whole concept of change and improvement. If you're a senior, or getting close to being one, then you have fewer opportunities for turnarounds, or renewals. And so when the new year comes, I spend not a small amount of time thinking about what needs a prod or a a change. I'm more likely to want  to tweak the current status quo and adjust it a little, rather than do an overhaul and an about face. 

Tweak and adjust what, you ask? Well, I've always liked the idea that we can simply do better, whatever it is that we are doing. Our interactions can be kinder, gentler, less whiny and more intentionally joyous. And eat with care. And move more. Reach out to those who would benefit from your efforts. Be patient with those who, for whatever reason, do not measure up. 

Is any of that even doable? Realistic? 

For me, the determination to aim for such improvements is important. And yes, any day is reason enough to get back on track to where it is that you want to be, but why not do it now, at the start of this fiction we call a new year, when everyone else (or a large number of us) is also doing the same thing? There is strength in numbers. We're all imperfect human beings, but isn't it cool that so many of us want to come out better this year than we did the year before?

Ed is fidgety this morning. Possibly the smoke alarm going off in the middle of the night (for no reason!!) jumpstarted him into some hyper mode of activity because I could vaguely feel and hear him getting in and out of bed like maybe half a dozen times. By sunrise I was done with trying to fein sleepiness.  

Hello animals! 

Oh, I see one of the hens caught herself in the predator trap. Learn to steer clear of it next time, girl! (Do chickens ever learn?) And Peach is really stiffening up with old age. Once again I pick her up from some spot in the barn and carry her to the feeding station.

There is a dusting of snow, but I know it will melt quickly. We'll be bouncing around the freezing point for several days. That means dreams of a snowy January are just that -- dreams. 

Breakfast. It is my usual habit to want to extend a trip so that it lasts a little into the return. I suppose that's why a granola muffin and a croissant from Skip Stone in Sister Bay tasted so good this morning. I shared them with Ed.

Next: well, there's the annual accounting that I always do either on December 31st or January 1st. A person like me, who lives on a state retirement income, has to keep track of all expenditures if she wants to travel as much as I do. Looking over past year's finances and laying out the next year's budget is super important and frankly, I sort of enjoy doing it because it creates an opportunity to do that tweak: adjusting spending habits is I'm sure a worthy goal for most of us, unless you're an Ed who has never in his life been tempted by a commercial or an email advertising fantastic things at beautiful shopping venues. Doing a budget reminds me that I can an must resist the Lure of the Unnecessary Purchase. 

Finally, we go for a walk. Since I do not have the kids here for the next two days, he suggests a hike that takes a little more time. The Brooklyn Wildlife Ice Age trail segment is our favorite option and we go there this afternoon. The upside: it's a forest and a prairie, with a view, it's not too cold, it's peaceful, the sun is out in wisps, and we feel that energy from being outside. The downside: it is muddy! I mean, that's predictable. We're just above freezing. The snow is just about gone. What remains is... mud.  But, we both agree, it's well worth it!

And in the evening, we eat leftovers. This is a positive! Fighting food waste from day one of the New Year! 

Now all I need to accomplish is 364 days of doing even better! Whose idea were these New Year's resolutions anyway?

With hope and love for the new year...