Happy New Year... and the dawning of that year

"Look how pretty!" I squealed last night, between bites of homemade granola. I did my little happy dance from my cushion on the couch. I was so excited. It had been days since the couch had been cleared. Each day a new load of laundry was piled on top of some already folded. And last night it was pretty! All the clothes folded and put away.

Really I shouldn't be so excited about something so... so... so "should always be like that".

Or maybe I should be that excited... but daily. :) Yes, that's more like it.

That can be my "resolution" for 2011! Excellent. It's been years since I've had one of those.


Really, we're not usually big on "new year's resolutions". Some call them goals. That makes it a little better. But why wait for the new year to set a goal that is worth setting. Why not start right where you are? That, and the fact that I can't usually think of anything worth while (aside from the standard "lose baby-weight" that could top each years non existent list) are why I settle for letting each new year just happen.

This year something is different. Perhaps it's because I'm surrounded in this ol' blog community by others who are making special plans and goals for the new year, or perhaps I see the need of a fresh start, lots of change and a nice measurable space of time. Back this past summer I found and read a bunch of Ann's blog and really like how she assigns a word to each year. A name. I really like that. It has clung to me.

The problem is... what one word would I use? How do I pick a name. It's hard enough to name a child... and that's so preference based. We talk and we talk, we say them out loud and feel them out with other names. Eventually we just decide we like one and go with it (after several hours talking it through in the hospital... holding that new, precious, nameless life. And then he has a name. Too late to change it. After a few weeks it even feels right. And now, almost 5 months later, I can't imagine calling him something different.

But a year? What name do I choose? When the name has such meaning... when it comes down to my focus. My goals. My needs. Downfalls. Shortcomings.

Maybe I'll come up with one word to name this year. But my desires for change are too vast, and this past week of sickness (all of them and me fighting it with all I have) have left me with little time to spend reflecting on which to start with. Instead I stand, hands wrinkled with dish water, thinking of all the things I wish to see and become in the new year. I sit, folding diaper after diaper, pants, skirt, burp cloth... thinking.

And what have I come up with? I still don't really know exactly... but in the name (no pun intended) of getting something down, here are 11 words for 2011... 11 words I hope my year will be painted in, smothered with, and remembered by.

Eleven words (in no particular order):

1. Clean

2. Relationship

3. Character

4. Home

5. Routine

6. Simple

7. Orderly

8. Word

9. Love

10. Breakfast

11. Longsuffering


There are probably so many more words I could include (grace being one of them!), but we'll stick with eleven to fit with our year.

Happy New Year to all of you... thank you for joining me in 2010. I'm looking forward to seeing you around this year!

Labels: Life Lessons for Mommy, Reflections

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 10:05 AM