Skip to main content

I want to know (1)

Do you stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve? Do you make New Year's resolutions? Do you stick to them? What are your resolutions this year?

I used to stay up until midnight every New Year's Eve. DH worked at a fancy restaurant that held a big dinner with several courses and balloons falling from the ceiling when the ball dropped. I'd drag my tired self to the restaurant for the Midnight Kiss, then go home and go to bed. He'd come home a lot later.

Now that DH works in real estate and not restaurants, we spend New Year's Eve together but usually we're asleep. This New Year's Eve we got home from our Christmas Vacation at 6:45 pm, by 7:00 we were at our neighbor's enjoying some wine and bruschetta, then an incredible grilled NY strip and shrimp sauteed with lots of garlic butter, risotto, and fresh corn with asparagus, finished off with Special Dark s'mores and a glass of bubbly. I was in bed by 10:30 and sound asleep when the New Year crept in.

I rarely make New Year's resolutions because I believe you can improve the way you live any of the 365 days of the year. But something about January 1st feels fresh and relaxed, introspective and forward-facing. So I usually do resolve, something quiet and small, all to myself. But this year I'll share. This year I won't let the moments slip away... not only do I hope to be mindful of where I am, who I'm with, and how I'm feeling, I hope to remember those moments. I have a notoriously bad memory, so I hope to spend time recording and documenting. And keeping in touch with those, family and friends, who can bring my memories to life. I'll do my best to keep this one, reach out for the help I need, overcome my fear of creativity, and fill all those blank books I've collected over the years.

Comments

Joe said…
Beautiful post.

I made a bunch of filthy new year's resolution, which caused a lot of laughter.

I intend to live up to them.

Keep it real, Shy Smiley. I like reading your blog
shy_smiley said…
Thanks, Joe. I like comparing the way I look on a skateboard to the way you look on skis.

Happy New Year!
Ana said…
So, I'd share my New Year's Resolutions with you, except it's January 2nd and I've already broken all of them!
So, this year I resolve to have some resolve, for Pete's sake!

Love this blog, Beck.
Best of luck makin' yours come true. You can do it.
~A

Popular posts from this blog

wedding gift

On Saturday Dave's cousin Traci is getting married. At the last minute we decided to fly to Ames for the wedding and to see everyone who will be in attendance there. At the last minute, I decided to crochet a throw as a wedding gift. I just finished. The colors in this first picture are true; the other two pictures were taken with flash so the colors look brighter than they really are. I started last Monday night with 7 skeins of Lion Brand Chenille Thick and Quick in Periwinkle. It's 72 single crochet in the back loop only for as many rows as you want. Then single crochet around in a contrasting color. I chose Wine. I bought the yarn at Big Lots for half the retail price. It's long and skinny but very texturally appealing. Though all skeins were of the same dye lot, you can see that the top and bottom skein are definitely different, not so much in color as in texture. It's pure dumb luck that they ended up at the top and bottom. It's not perfect, but neither is mar...

in which I get knocked down

Sickness saps my energy, both physical and mental. It's surprising, really, how seldom I get sick, since I work in a petri dish. When I do get sick it lays me low and happenings that I might normally take in stride just completely knock me down. Last week I was diagnosed with an embarrassing viral infection, the symptoms of which on their own couldn't possibly have dragged me this deep down: sores in my mouth and throat that blistered and peeled and made every mouthful feel and taste like shredded pennies; an itchy rash around my mouth and nose and on my chest. Compounding that: knees that felt packed in hot wax, the backs of my eyeballs aflame. No fever, so no H1N1. Negative strep. Malaise. But I soldiered (martyred?) through most of the week at work, because I could, and some of the other teachers had to stay at home with their diverticulitis and kidney stones. On Thursday night my laptop died. On Friday night I felt I could deal with my weekend obligations. DH went out of t...

memory