Resolutions

2008. Check.

A (well, almost) Happy New Year to you all!

I feel like New Year's is an odd holiday. If it's a holiday at all. There is the crush and rush that is Christmas and just as you're catching your breath, it is time to celebrate again. Time to say goodbye and turn up the calendar and hopefully get a few more things right this time. Time to take stock.

Moments after you finish Christmas dinner, you flip on the TV to see ad after ad for gym memberships, weight loss programs, countdown parties and big sales. We're barely through one moment before we're rushed to the next. At any rate, 2009 is nearly here, and with it comes the laundry lists of resolutions. Some will be forgotten as soon as they are made, a couple will be given the good college try and none (probably) will be kept. But I believe the resolution intent is good. Of course goals are good. My blog appropriate intentions for '09 include:

• Save more $$! Diversify! Sell! Sell! Sell!
• Not feel guilted into joining a gym. Not feel guilted into quitting coffee.
• Be more intentionally kind. And aware of my words.
• Begin planning, if not travel to, next international travel destination.
• Consider, investigate ongoing education. In one form or another. Whether this means pottery class or master's degree.

So, best wishes for a bright new year. Whether you're headed downtown or couchbound this evening, may you feel hope and joy for brand new start.

Oh, and the picture above. One day I will be in Vegas for New Years. Not Times Square. Who cares about a dropping ball?? I'll bet the strip does New Years up RIGHT.

Repeat the Sounding Joy

It is Christmas Eve. Really? It seems yesterday I was out at the beach working on my tan and just earlier today I was picking out a pumpkin. Tomorrow is Christmas. It's true what they say. The older you get, the faster time goes...

I love Christmas. Most people do. What are my reasons? Well,


1. Peanut butter balls. Merilee Hill's recipe. I have tried to duplicate on my own, which should NOT be hard, there are only four ingredients (she swears, but I have my suspicions). I try and try, but they are never as good. Moms just have the touch.

2. Finding the perfect gift. Shopping ALL day (or for about 20 minutes) for that tricky person on your list. You wander. You worry. You consider popcorn in a can. And THEN. You see a display and FLASH you have an idea and it all comes together and you have found... the perfect gift. The gift people will talk about for years to come, the gift you just KNOW this person will not stash away in the "what is this, save it for a white elephant gift exchange" box.

3. Well, obviously there is the baby J. No, not me. Jesus. Laying in a manger. No story is more lovely. I still get tiny butterflies when I unpack our little family nativity.



4. The Family Stone. Quickly becoming one of my favorite holiday(?) movies. Talk about putting the "fun" in dysfunction. Who doesn't love the pothead brother from Berkeley (Luke Wilson, perfect casting), the high-strung and fiercely protective/overbearing mother (with cancer!) and the girlfriend no one likes (Sarah Jessica, sigh), all stewed together for some meaty holiday chaos. Just LOVE. Our family watches it Christmas Eve while sipping Bailey's cocoa and nibbling homemade treats. Perfect.



5. Holiday Music. Well to a point. "Warm 106.9 plays nonstop holiday favorites" makes me want to roll down my car window, poke my head out and throw up a little bit. Oh, no. Great holiday music belongs to the Carpenters, James Taylor, Nat King Cole (how can you not?), Bing Crosby and an elite few more. Who needs the Jonas Brothers do God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen? I do NOT.



6. Alki Christmas. So I have some friends who keep me company on Alki. We're like a silly little family. This year we decided to have our own little Christmas with pizza, presents and even a bowl of cash for a needy family. Just wonderful.

7. Looking Back. Christmas is a great time to evaluate the year behind you. 2008 was a great year. Highlights include the GRAND CANYON (so grand), skydiving, Barack Obama (and all that entails), Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It), and of course people and the memorable moments/joy they bring you.



8. Snow. We have a white Christmas this year! Pretty special. This does not happen often in Western WA. So when we do have a trace of white or a few little flakes fall on the right day, it really means something. So magical, so quiet.

Well. Speaking of white Christmases, I'm off to curl up and pop in that Bing Crosby holiday classic. Not much else to do on a night like this! And for the record. I have always been so very jealous of Rosemary Clooney's hair/makeup/wardrobe in this movie. Just, let it be said.

Peace and joy to you.

Good Words

Our deepest fear is not that we're inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the Glory of God that's within us. It is not just in some of us. It's in everyone. And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Nelson Mandela