Against the Resolution Grain

I've been up for a while, sipping coffee amidst Batman and baby toys, watching the Today Show, where Al Roker is sitting at the table with the other anchors in New York, and yet, he's in Pasedena at the Rose Parade as we speak.

The miracle of pre-recorded segments was lost in my fog of sleepiness.

I'm digressing.

Anyway, all the segments in the 15 minutes I was able to catch uninterrupted were about New Year's resolutions, keeping them, trying new things, and basically giving all aspects of your life a makeover. While I'm a proponent of a goal, this year, I'm going against the grain in my resolution.

I have room for MUCH improvement, don't get me wrong, but I tend to be a person in fast forward. My life has been a series of getting somewhere, and fast. While I consider myself a happy person, I'm not necessarily content with everything. Start running? Run a marathon...or several. Buy a new outfit? Want a new pair of shoes. Get a new job? Look for a way to expand on it. Have a baby...HAVE TWINS.

Just kidding on the last one.

I'm the type of person who would have benefited from a Genie in a magic lamp. My timelines for projects are generally unrealistic. I apologize to guests for our lack of a nice entryway. No one expects our entryway to be completed in a finger snap...I do, however. That's a problem.

So, my resolution this year is to be content with where I am, what I have, what I'm doing.

Sounds pretty simple, right? Might sound like a cop-out, but for me, this is as real as losing weight, meditating more, and getting out of debt (all the top resolutions, according to Natalie Morales). I have to figure out a way to just enjoy the moment, not be hard on myself or my family if the house is a mess, my job is on hold, my pants aren't fitting as well as I want. I need to be happy with the fact that we are expanding our house, and not freak out about dust and carpenters and the in-the-process projects that will be finished. Remind me my kids are little for just a bit, and that diapers and toys that impale feet are just a part of a phase. My boy won't wear a cape forever, so I should embrace his creativity. My girls will not always wake up early on January 1st to see who the new American Girl doll of the year is, so I should rejoice that they are excited about these little things (and by little I mean expensive, Ha!). My oldest won't whisper in my ear plans of surprises and dreams she has for long because in 9 more years (as long as we've had her in our life), she'll be gone.

Anyone else weepy?

Maybe contentment isn't the greatest for my fragile, rather hormonal emotional state, but isn't that the point of a resolution? A change? It's hard. It's tricky. It's challenging. Get uncomfortable, and it will be worth it.

Keep me accountable. Should I start to make plans and just invite you to the party instead of looking around and enjoying what is in front of me, let me know. Should I start to wallow, smack me in the side of the head. Should I start to worry more about baseboard dust, and less about who's in the room with the disgusting baseboards, drop me a note.

I'll need it. I assure you.

Happy New Year!