New Year!

It is almost the New Year! There is something about celebrating the new year that I love and I don't just mean the midnight champagne toasts! The idea of newness, fresh starts, change and beginnings. Out with the old and in with the new- it really is sort of a "do-over" opportunity for adults. Birthdays have the same sort of magical power, marking a new year of life. I am lucky in that we will celebrate the new year twice in my house - the traditional date this week-end and Chinese New Year during the first week of February.

It is the time for those resolutions that so many of us make and break within the month of January - eat healthier, exercise more, get in better shape, get organized, write more, get published, get more sleep, deepen my spiritual growth... I have made them all over the years. Lily said to me once after I rattled off some resolutions when I turned 47- "Isn't that what you were going to do last year." I did not stangle her...just chucked at her wisdom (OK - I admit part of me wanted to...)

This year is going to be different and I am NOT going to make a long list of resolutions. I will simply have one - finding and creating more joy in my life, in all areas of my life. 2010 has been a stressful time for me on a lot of fronts and and I am honestly just out of energy/juice/interest in operating at the same level of angst and pressure (self induced and externally created) in the new year. Being drained is just not healthy and when that means the joy has seeped out of your life- you are in trouble. I want to replace level of high anxiety with joy....with more laughter, with more lightness of spirit. This joy diet will result in some changes (big and small in my life) and will also mean having a new, lighter attitude and approach and a reminder of the humor and absurdity of what I consider challenges. Joy begets joy, optimism begets positive circumstances and gratitude begets growth.

I believe that the influx of joy will impact all the other parts of my life that I wish to improve....if not, at least I will have a good laugh along the way.