Year of ?

It is that time of year again. Now, saying that at the end of December means different things to different people. For some, it may mean: it’s time to return gifts,  it’s time to blow off another holiday party, it’s time to drag out the winter coat, it’s time to root for good ole – fill in the alma matter, it’s time to let out another belt buckle. However, what I mean when I say that – at least for the purpose of this blog entry – is it’s time to ruminate. Yes, the end of December is perfect for us over thinkers. We get to consider what changes we can strive for in the coming year. We get to look inside ourselves and focus on our inefficiencies. Ahh, the joy.  Hey – I have Rosh HaShana, so I get to do this twice a year. Joy to the world baby!

So, what should it be this year? What part of myself should I strive to improve?  I don’t smoke, I’m not overweight, and am perfectly comfortable with the amount I do drink, so that takes care of the three most common resolutions. In the past, I’ve focused on communication. It was two years ago actually, and I called it the Y.O.C.  I alerted my friends to this resolution. I had resolved to insist on better communication as by gosh I was fed up with poor communication and I was not going to take it anymore. It seemed that a number of my friends felt that returning phone calls and emails was optional and if they took 10 days to do so, well so be it.  I had had enough. If they were not going to get back to me, well, I was not going to reach out again.  Some friendships were disturbed and some were permanently changed, but I felt good about my line in the sand.  So, again, what should this year be? Well I know what it won’t be:

1. The year of caught up sleep – No late mornings seem to be in store in my household. Love those kids.

2. The year of extra money – I can’t complain – I can pay the bills and eat. Although it would be nice to not be perpetually budgeting.

3. The year of hair growth – Can you blame a guy for wishing?

4. The year of no soap – My wife enjoys soap operas, and I end up watching with her. It is not the way to bond.

5. The year of travel – Yeah, like I have time for that. Well, there’s always the memories of the duffle bag and Eurorail pass and my 20’s.

 So, now what? There’s only a few days left till the new year. I have plenty to work on so how should I strive to grow. I just don’t know. Maybe you can send me a suggestion. Yes, that would be helpful – I will save time and ruminate on something else.

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