No Resolutions

Happy New Year!

A long time ago, I stopped making new year's resolutions, and I encourage you to do the same.  

They always start out with good intention - we think of all our bad habits, all our flaws, all the things we'd like to change about ourselves.  We pledge that in the new year, we'll be better.  We'll improve our health, our financial situation, our appearance.  We'll be better friends, better parents, better children, better people.  We'll quit smoking, we'll lose weight, we'll save money, and we'll help someone in need.

On this date in history ...

On this date in history ... SOMETHING happened.

What is it about a particular date that makes it hold so much meaning for us? Whether it's a birthday, a holiday or an anniversary, there's something about looking at the calendar and knowing that on this day in history, something happened.  Whatever it was - a joyous or solemn occasion - the date will never be the same again.  Year after year, we honor the day with the people, the plans, and the memories that mean so much to us.  Some days are universal; others are so personal that no one else will ever fully understand.  The day before doesn't matter; the day after is back to normal.  But the day is always special.

Yikes! No Comment

I know, it's been waaaaay too long since I've posted.  I'm sorry for that, but as I'm sure I'll be posting about soon, I've been kinda messed up lately.  I already told you about my blogging injury a few weeks ago (only I could do something like that, right?).  It took a while to heal from that, and for the past week or so I've been really sick too.  As much as I really wanted to post something here every day, I just really haven't had the energy to do so lately.  (Then again, I guess I did kinda let you know that from the start, so I'm hoping this let's me off the hook a little and you'll forgive me!)  Wow - I just realized how many times I said "really" in that paragraph.  Hey, at least it wasn't "um"!

Anyway, I'm planning to write more over the next few days - maybe even finish the piece I was working on before I got hurt (it was really going to be a good one!).  In the mean time, I got really excited about something, but it sorta backfired.

Only Me

Are you mixed up & backwards?  Are there things you do that lead people to look at you and respond “only you”?  I know I’m like that!

As I set up my menorah a week after the last night of Hanukkah (while decorating my tree - getting out of the holiday purple), a few other idiosyncrasies of me came to my mind.  So … just for fun, here’s a list of things I do (intentionally or not) that lead people to look at me and say “only you”:

Holiday Purple

About a week ago, I was wearing a red sweater.  It didn’t have snowflakes or Santa on it, or even a fuzzy white trim around the edges.  It was just a red sweater that I’ve had for a while, and decided to wear that day.  Still, the response I got was “wow, you’re really getting into the holiday spirit early!”  Not really, I was just wearing a red sweater.

The other day, I was talking with someone who said he had the holiday blues.  He’s not alone in that; I know quite a few people who tend to get the blues around this time of year.  As television shows celebrate family moments and holiday cheer, many are reminded of what they have lost: jobs, relationships, even family members.  There may be happy memories of holidays past, but many get blue when thinking of the sad present or questionable future.

So … if red is the embodiment of the holiday spirit, and blue is the sadness waiting for the season to be over with, I guess you could say I’ve got the holiday purple. 

Good Reason

I've always believed that things happen for a reason.  We don't always know what that reason is, and it may not present itself for quite some time.  Because of that, we have a tendency to focus on the crummy situation we're currently dealing with rather than the potentially great thing that could come out of it.  As I sit in pain feeling like the spaz that I often am, I was reminded of that potential silver lining ... actually, I was reminded by one of the great things that came out of an earlier excursion into the world of spazticity.

Let's start with the current situation.  I understand how peole get sports injuries, work injuries, or get hurt from trips, falls, or accidents.  Any physical activity, really, has the potential for physical injury.  I'm special, though: I get hurt doing absolutely nothing. 

Embrace the Embarrassing

No matter how great our aspirations, no matter how successful we may become in life, we all come from humble beginnings.  We may wish to forget those days, but our past is a part of who we are today.  And if we try to hide it, sooner or later it will come out.  And when it does, people will laugh.  Now, laughter is a good thing, but only we can determine whether they will be laughing at us or laughing with us.

Maybe those embarrassing moments came from the awful hairstyles and clothes we wore 10 or 20 years ago.  Thanks to facebook, we just know those pictures will be coming out soon (we've probably posted some of those pics ourselves, after reconnecting with old friends).  Perhaps it's the stories about our childhood crushes and the silly things we did to win their hearts.  It could be that clumsy moment when we tripped in front of the whole class, or messed up our lines in the school play.  For me, it was a job I had when I was in high school.