On the Cusp of a New Year

 Self indulgent thinking self portraits

It's funny how we imbue new years with so many hopes and dreams isn't it?  We burden our new years with so so many thoughts and "resolutions"  Some of it seems fantastic.  Nothing like a clean slate to set you free right?  but some of it seems mournful as we say goodbye to wonderful memories and put so.many.little.dreams into this coming year -  are we setting ourselves up for failure?  Are we asking too much of our new year?

I'm sad to see 2012 go because it's really been an epic year for me (a full recap to come ...of course!) but I think that it's ok to dump my dreams into 2013.  To start out with a million resolutions and hope that I can distill them down to the ones that matter, to the ones that will make my life a little more perfect.  I have a lot of expectations for 2013.  2013 has some really big shoes to fill.  But how do I not set up 2013 to disappoint me?  Do I just make little goals and have little hopes and then my expectations will be exceeded by the nature of sand bagging? 

NAHHHH! ;)

I can't help myself.  I'm joining the droves of people making a million resolutions (amongst which include losing weight along with every 2nd person on the planet) and pouring myself and my dreams and my family into the new year.  I knew 2012 was going to be great and I think part of the reason it was so fantastic (and it really was) is because I made it that way.  So I'm setting myself up - some may say for failure but I say -  for a self fulfilling prophesy of happiness.  I'm not going to break down every resolution I have for this coming year or every hope and dream because 1) it would take pages and you would be bored out of your mind and 2) because you can't say EVERYTHING on the interwebs...but lets just say there are some awesome things in the Dranderson's future.  But I will give you a couple.  5 in fact.  Because that's a nice round, yet odd number - just like me!

So here are a few things I'm resolving to try to do for 2013 in hopes that the new year will also do well for me:
1) Treat my body better.  Put better things into it and just move it around more.  Stop denying my antsy legs and my lungs that are gasping for fresh air.
2) No more meat.  Yes I know my meat eating friends and my bacon lovers are groaning out there.  Don't get me wrong meat tastes good - I don't deny that.  But I just can't ignore the facts any more.  The environmental impact our meat "growers" have on our struggling planet, the torturous practices of meat producers, the major health benefits of not eating meat.  Its time.  We toyed with the vegan thing but have decided to start with attainable goals...we'll see...There's a lot of thoughts about the meat and the not eating it, I'm sure there are more thoughts to come...
3) Save MONEY.  SP and I have been really pretty good savers but life is forcing us to really revamp the budget.  Or actually use one.  Planning ahead instead of just going with the flow.  Its good.  Its something I've always wanted to be better at.  But don't be surprised if we say no to a few things, it's all part of this whole revamping the money nonsense
4) Learn something new.  There are a million things but if I just learn one I think I'll be a happy camper.  Like how to use my camera on the manual setting.  Or brushing up on my Spanish which has now gone to sh*te.  Learn to crochet (and secure my grandma hippie status)
5) Find some way to give back that is meaningful to me and make some small difference for someone else.  Something I can do or contribute on a regular basis to make somebody's life just a little bit better.

So they may not be big dreams (but remember there are about 50 others I haven't listed here) but I know it's going to be a challenge to try to keep to all of my resolutions and/or dreams.  But I think I'm up to the challenge.  I've always been a good dreamer after all...