Assessment

Resolutions for the New Year Part One: Stock Taking

Well, Christmas is over again for another year. It was a frenzy, as usual, although it was a lot of fun for the kids. I think this was the first year they really understood what was going on. They had the same so-excited-I'm-almost-sick look on their faces, that I remember so fondly. Christmas morning quickly became a lesson in how to express gratitude (we'll work on why to express gratitude soon), as they ripped into presents with the same ferocity as a lion taking down a wounded impala during the dry season. It never occurred to me they might need to be reminded to look at, and thank for, the things they received before diving into the next one with nary a breath between. By the end of the day, though, they were demonstrating appropriate gratitude and manners toward the people who so thoughtfully picked out their gifts. Of course, now, "there's nothing to do"... but that's another story.

The best present of all was my sister, flying in Christmas Eve night to surprise us. No one, including my parents, had any idea she was coming until she walked in the door. It was a spectacular surprise.

And now that the frenzy is over, the tree is down (yes, I took it down yesterday; the living room real estate is too precious to share it for long with a 7 foot dust collector), the chocolate is almost all eaten, it is time for the annual reassessment of life. I always enjoy this stock-taking, this evaluation of what is good and what needs improvement. It's almost like my own personal report card, written by me, for me. And now, for you, my loyal fans.

Here are the things I do well:
-exercise
-eat healthy food
-drink alcohol
-work
-show up on time to things
-spend money
-collect junk
-do laundry
-take care of my skin
-organize activities and events for my family
-keep my family clean and dressed and generally safe and healthy

I expect to add to that list as I go along, so check for new editions and additions in the next few days. Suggestions welcome. Tomorrow's task, however, is to look at the things I want to improve upon, and that will probably be more interesting. That little self-evaluation is always a somewhat humbling.

Tonorrow: The Plan: Resolutions, down here in black and white, for all to see and remind me of. Regularly. In the meantime, consider the things that are conspicuously absent from today's list. We'll compare notes tomorrow.