Countdown to the new year.

Doesn't it seem like we were just all talking about Y2K a year or so ago? Where did the time go? Now, here we are, a few days away from the beginning of twenty-ten. Unbelievable.

Do you make new years resolutions? I do, most years. I like goal setting and list making. (Although I know I shared long ago in a post that I always manage to lose the lists I make. No matter. Lists and goals inspire me.) I see the new year as Oprah does; another chance to get it right. As cheesy as it sounds, I like the Anne of Green Gables attitude on life of seeing every day as a fresh clean slate, with no mistakes in it yet, and I feel even more hope-filled at New Year's for some reason. It's like the first day of school each year when I was a kid. 

About a third of my resolutions are life's trivial kinds of things, like finally learning how to work the comcast television remote control, ( Dear God, that thing confuses and intimidates me. Not only does it take me nearly a full minute to get the danged TV to turn on now, but I realize now that I have been paying for the "DVR" feature for nearly two months, and haven't been able to record a single show as yet.) baking that black forest cake recipe from the latest issue of Victoria magazine that I have been dying to try, and taking Moose to every single dog park in the Portland and Vancouver area this coming year.

Many of them are much grander resolutions that I pretty much keep close to my heart; resolutions and goals about my Cottage Industry business and for my personal life. (Seriously, you might think I'd lost my mind if I shared some of these with you.) On the eve of a new year, everything seems possible. Everything is possible.

We just have to believe.

Comments

[Bev]

Tracy, I'm with you - I distinctly remember the 2000 New Year's Eve party we attended - we filled our bathtub with water before we left...our only Y2K prep. :) It seems like it was only 6 months ago.

And I LOVE New Year's resolutions. I've never thought of it in comparison to a new school year, but that's it exactly.

Happy New Year to you. I hope your year is filled with joy.

[Kim]

It's true...where did this decade go??? I used to make resolutions, but when I didn't stick to them, I felt guilty & let's face it, January doesn't need any more reasons to be glum. So, I just think about general goals that I'd like to move towards & try to make small every day changes to make them happen.

[kelly ellis]

I chose the word "Believe" this year for I need to believe more in myslef and what I want to do and I need to believe I did the best I could do in any given day. and I want to lose weight...its not as easy as it was 20 years ago but I'm going to lose it this year.....so that is how I'm going to welcome in this new year....and keep reading your blog...but I won't be tryng the black forest cake..will just have to take your word on it :)

Kelly

[Diane]

It is exactly as you say a clean slate and don't we all like those. As to the lists I make them but put them on a lot of pieces(very pretty ones I might add) of paper and then find them in the bottom of some purse or bag weeks/months later but the thought and the doing it feels very good. Happy and Blessed New Year to you and yours and give Moose a special hug for me.

[Wendy H.]

Beautifully written, Tracey. I'm sending my best wishes that your goals/dreams are achieved this year! (and mine too!)

[Christie Blanton]

Every new year, every new month, every new morning - perfect opportunities to wish, dream, pray and work to make our lives special!
"It is imperative that we maintain hope - even when the harshness of reality suggests the opposite." (P.Freire)
Happy New Year!!
christie
appleton, wi

[Barb in CA]

I no longer make new year's resolutions. Yet, I still want to change, grow, and do better . . . so, instead of writing down resolutions, I look for a saying or poem to help me toward fulfilling my hopes, dreams, and goals. During the year 2010 I will be using this quote from Karen Ravens to prompt me daily: "Only as high as I reach can I grow, Only as far as I seek can I go, Only as deep as I look can I see, Only as much as I dream can I be." Have a wonderful new year! . . . Barb

[Susan]

I have many resolutions that I would never dream of revealing to anyone! I am hoping though, that the book This Year I Will...: How to Finally Change a Habit, Keep a Resolution, or Make a Dream Come True by M. J. Ryan
will help me to keep my attitude positive and my motivation strong! I wish you all the best, Tracey, as you continue to grow and share your amazing gifts and talents! I always look forward to your posts and am grateful for your honesty, creativity, faith, and wonderful sense of humor! May the new year bring you an ever-increasing abundance of love, joy, and creative energy!
Blessings!

[Melanie]

I remember Y2K like it was yesterday. And it feels like it was yesterday. We had just built a new home that spring and we actually had a couple of neighbors over and we counted down just to see if anything would happen. Man does the time fly. In those 10 years, we have built 3 houses and moved 4 times to 3 different states. The last move was the biggest...800 miles from Florida and it is up north. I don't make New Years Resolutions but I have a 'word' for the year (The Great Ali Edwards) and I make goals. I love lists but I hang on to mine:) Hope you have a great New Year.

[Vintagebejoyful]

I love that hat!!!!! super cute! Happy New Year dear friend.....

Tracey

[Tracey Buxton]

get out your starch and do one up! I just covered an existing hat!!!!

[Wanda]

I make resolutions all year long. And they're broken as soon as I make them, but I keep trying. I bet your business goals are no wilder than mine. We have to shoot for the stars to hit the moon, you know. ;-)

[Janelle]

I agree with you so much! Every day is a new day! Every year is a new year! I love Anne of Green Gables and her attitude too! Good luck with your dreams and aspirations this year!