Optimistically Resolute

Christmas is…



…ugh…



Christmas is not my thing.






In fact, I’m generally not crazy about the holiday season in its entirety. Expectations of cheerfulness run high, consumerism runs rampant, and seasonal affective disorder runs my friends into the ground. So I’m pretty glad we’ve left that all behind us to start a new year.

Now, more than a week into 2010, I’m actually beginning to wonder what I want to accomplish during the next 12 months. I don’t want to go back to school yet, but I think I’ll take a few classes here and there. You know, keep my brain from atrophying beyond the point of no return. Along those lines, I’d also like to read more than I did last year (and read more varied material). I want to do more travelling while I’m not locked into school or a career, and I know for certain I’ll be couchsurfing my way up and down the east coast in the spring or summer. Then there’s a whole bunch of little things I want to do just for the stories and enjoyment--visit the coast more often, go to more concerts, go camping (never been!), etc., etc.

And there are those things that I want which I can’t really make happen in a year. Falling in love? Yeah, that could fit within the timeframe, but I can’t really treat it like something to be checked off my list (“Oh shit, it’s October? I need to fall in love fast! Hey, you! Love me!”)

But I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I hate New Year’s Eve because I feel like everyone is excited over nothing. Why is January a good time to change yourself, when if it was really important you’d have started before? And yet I can’t help but think about all the things I can accomplish in this fresh, new decade.

I may not be looking to reinvent myself, but the start of a new year still marks another chance to grow, learn, and move forward. Let’s get cracking.