This Year in Review

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young
*Happy Christmas (War is Over) John and Yoko

I don't actually know all the words to this song. For whatever reason, my ear and my brain conspired to hear it as "another year older". At that point, I stop listening because I feel like John Lennon is personally pointing out that I have let another year go by and accomplished precious little in my life. And it doesn't matter if it's the John Lennon version, Melissa Ethridge, etc. I hear it the same way every time.

My ear perks back up in time to catch "I hope you have fun" and hears it as "I hope you HAD fun". Again, more accusation from Johnny. "I hope you had FUN, Sarah, this past year while you accomplished NOT. MUCH. AT. ALL."

My old response was to resolve to make the next year different. To accomplish everything that John reminded me I hadn't done. Well, as you can imagine, that just made it all worse. This year I am going to change my attitude and say, "one of these years I am going to...." So here goes:

One of these years I am going to...

... get rid of my pants and wear only skirts and dresses. I have dabbled in this from time to time and always gained a very peaceful spirit because of it, but I haven't ever really committed. I am going to do this one of these years. It's not religious in intent. It's more like wanting to connect with a deeper level of feminity.

... reduce my HFCS intake. I'm not going to go all "Hollywood" and stop eating anything white. I believe in everything in moderation. It's just that I need to moderate my High Fructose Corn Syrup intake a bit.

... learn to hand-write things again. I would love some pretty stationary, perhaps with an "S" on the top, so I can correspond. I'm not sure exactly who I will correspond with, but I feel it's a lost skill already for the next generation. Maybe I can preserve it for at least a little longer. I am starting this year by taking a moment to send Christmas cards to some dear girlfriends with hand-written notes inside. It's hard! Harder than I thought! I need to re-employ this skill before I lose it entirely.

... go a little more vegetarian. Not a major overhaul. After all, I come from a huntin' family and I firmly believe in hunting as the bedrock of a conservationist's lifestyle. And I like nothing more than a bloody burger. But I think I could be a tad healthier if I were a little friendlier with veggies. I enjoy cooking so this would also let me learn a new skill.

... read more scripture. I have been reading the Psalms entirely once a month lately. If you read the Psalm that corresponds with the day of the month it is, and then read the 30th Psalm after that until you run out, you'll get through all 150 in a month. Someone suggested I read the life of Sarai/Sarah in more depth and I think maybe I'll do that.

I think maybe that's enough for one year. Probably enough for ten, based on my current rate of accomplishing resolutions.

So here's to 2010. What will you have done?