New Year's Reflections

(The first half of this post is rather melancholy. The second half picks up a bit. Feel free to skip ahead if soul searching isn't your thing.)

I've never really been big on New Year's Resolutions. It's a lot of pressure, is the main thing I don't like about it. Some people make one or two BIG resolutions, and then it's an equally big let down if you feel at the end of the year that you didn't measure up. Some people make LONG lists of resolutions -- some big, some small -- and in some ways I like this better because these goals tend to be more achievable overall, but at the same time it's a lot to keep track of, and unless you're constantly referring to your list of goals, you might get to the end of the year and realize you've completely ignored your list just because you forgot all the minute details.

Still, I can't help but being reflective around New Year's. No matter how much I tell myself that positive changes should be made whenever you feel like it, that January 1st is an arbitrary date to wipe the slate clean and start over, that we're all constantly evolving . . . it's still hard. It just seems natural to think about where I was last year at this time, or two years ago, or three, and then feel the push to create some goals, to make this year meaningful, so it doesn't just slip by like all the rest.

I'm still sort of wrestling with this, trying to figure out how to use the motivation to my advantage while not completely ignoring my own feelings on the whole "resolution" thing. You could say that I've already missed the boat, since the new year is already a few days old and I haven't been making the most of it. But, that's just the way it goes.

Anyway, enough of that. Here are some random tidbits:

~ My first full day home in Dubuque, I celebrated 2013 by watching The Limo episode of HIMYM. Still the first thing I think of when I hear "SHOT THROUGH THE HEART--" and I'm a little disappointed that song didn't make an appearance at my actual NYE party. But still. Watching a great episode, with a fun six seconds of music played over and over again, while striding away on the elliptical was a great way to start off the (second day of the) new year.

~ One of the biggest disappointments of my holiday break was discovering that my reindeer socks had developed a massive hole. They were the only pair of "fun" socks that I owned, and now they are no more. I was disproportionately upset about this, to the point where I still haven't been able to convince myself to throw them in the trash. Although, last night I went shopping and got a semi-fun pair of socks, so maybe now I can finally say goodbye.

(On a side note -- and I couldn't find a YouTube clip so if you haven't seen Avatar: The Last Airbender (the cartoon, not the terrible live-action movie) you can just skip this part -- when I put my socks on and noticed the giant hole, I literally cried out, "My reindeer socks!" And then the only thing I could think of was in the finale when Sokka loses the sword he made out of a meteorite: "My space sword!" Okay, back to your regularly scheduled rambling.)

~ Speaking of shopping last night, the semi-fun socks I got aren't for everyday use; they're extra warm, and one of the supplies I bought for my first skiing extravaganza, which is possibly taking place tomorrow. If not, it's certainly taking place soon. I also bought insulating layers (aka, long underwear, though apparently that's not what they call it nowadays), and some not-made-of-cloth-that-the-snow-will-just-soak-through gloves. I am now all set to fall down a snow-covered hill.

~ This weekend is also the beginning of the NFL Playoffs. No, the Bears aren't in it, which is disappointing, but it will still be fun to watch how the games play out, if there are any big upsets, and who ultimately comes out on top.

~ I'm having a tough time getting into my first book of the year, which makes me sad. Partly I know it's that I'm also trying to catch up and get back into the swing of things around here, and I haven't actually let myself have much time to read. But if it were a book that really knocked my socks off, I'd be making the time to read, and that hasn't happened yet. Foiled again by my too-high expectations.