Surprise Yourself

I am not the biggest fan of New Year's resolutions. Like most of America, I usually make lists and then promptly overwhelm myself with too many unrealistic goals, abandoning all annual aspirations by February. Resolutions are no good for me.

However, I am no Scrooge when it comes to the New Year. I will never get over the hopeful promise of a new year. I often feel like I am scrambling for a clean slate in life and I really appreciate that there is one time a year when the vast majority of the world hits the reset button on life. We all stop, take stock of where we are, and think about how we can do more, be more - become something better. One of my favorite phrases in the scriptures refers to "becoming a new creature in Christ." I love to think about the possibility of becoming a new creature.

It is a slow process, to become entirely new. It suggests effort and care. As Adlai E. Stevenson once said, It takes..."the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." This is why the whole New Year's resolutions thing just doesn't work for me.I can't just make goals once a year and watch my life magically transform before my eyes. I'm just gonna have to make do as I go along, tweak the problem spots and iron out the wrinkles as I find them. Throw in an adventure or two, and you have a pretty good year ahead of you.

So, farewell to lists and hello to life! My New Year's plan? Keep doing what works. To be quite honest I have been fighting and striving to improve everyday of the last 4 months - (It's amazing what jumping feet first into grad school can do to kick up your motivation to improve)and I have seen some fairly amazing results over the last few weeks. So, I will just keep pressing forward, unwilling to mess with the delicate balance of the universe that has me in such an amazing place right now. I am grateful for good friends, high adventure, higher education, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I'm just going to roll with that for now.

2011 is going to be a good year.

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself."
-Neil Gaiman