Blog post for 12-27
Christmas already seems so very far in the past.
And that’s not a morose statement of post-holiday melancholy; it’s just a casual observation. It seems like a long time since Christmas, and it’s only the twenty-seventh.
Of course, we’ll probably listen to a couple Christmas CDs on the way home tomorrow, and we’ll still have to take down our decorations at some point in the next couple of weeks, AND we even had a bit of gift-exchanging with some more distant family this afternoon, and yet, the whole season seems like a fairly distant memory.
I think this is a good thing, however. I think, as this year draws to its close, I have a very clear picture of what I need to be doing as the new year dawns. Which is unusual, because I’m also looking into 2010 and finding more uncertainties than I’ve seen at the start of any new year in the past half decade. (More on that later? Probably not. Bwuahahahaaa!!!) But, despite wondering somewhat where the short-term future is going to lead, I have a pretty clear idea of what specific actions I’ll be taking over the next few months: habits to break, disciplines to get in to, how to actually do those things rather than think about them, projects to write, things to research, contests to enter, copyrights to pursue. I’m putting together sort of a “life to-do” list, and I feel like the fruits of these labors are going to play into the unknowns to come. (Does any of this make sense? It’s been a long week)
Two things this past year have me very cognizant of the degree to which life is constantly changing. The first is obvious: having a family. Watching a child grow, learn, and change over the course of a year really opens your eyes to how much can actually happen in three-hundred sixty-five days. The second has actually been keeping this blog: I always want to do a year-in-review type thing for my own benefit, but I always find it difficult to recall what exactly happened when and in what order. This year, I’ve shared a lot of my triumphs and some of my stresses, a lot of important events and even more unimportant ones. When I’m a little closer to wrapping up, I’ll do a more thorough retrospective, but if you keep track of each day and then look back on them, you’ll find yourself astounded at how much really does occur in one year of your life.
So with those things in mind, my goal for 2010 is to make more things happen rather than wait for them to happen. I’ve never been as pro-active in most anything as I think I can and probably should be; I want to see things happen. I want to encounter things that will force my life to change. That’s happened this year all on its own. Next year, I want it to happen on purpose.
(Does this mean another 365 blog? Ugh. My initial thought was heck no. Suddenly, I’m undecided. I’m sure I’ll let you know one way or another)
Anyway, that’s why Christmas seems so far in the rearview, even though realistically it’s still sitting in the passenger seat. All that’s left of that celebration is the packing away of the specifics and the cataloging of the memories. The next great celebration lies in things yet to come.
