The littlest of blessings

At the beginning of 2013, I pulled out a jar from the cupboard and placed it in plain view. The plan was for my family to jot down things we’re grateful for throughout the year and add these slips of paper to the jar. On New Year’s Eve, we’re supposed to read the notes and reflect on all of the blessings we received. Not unlike a clean slate on Jan. 1, an empty jar leaves so much room for possibilities. Glancing at the jar as I write this, I’m disappointed to see only a few pieces of paper scattered across the bottom. Although I know I’ve forgotten to write down some of the “good” things over the past 11 months, overall it’s been a challenging year. Consequently, the few slips of paper we’ll review at the end of December are that much more precious. And it makes me determined to recognize even the littlest of blessings I receive in 2014.

Has it been a “good” year for you?

The first day of the rest of your life (story)

[Image credit: Ohmega1982]

One day your life will flash before your eyes.
Make sure it’s worth watching. ~ Unknown

So how did the year go?  Can you look back on the last 366* days and pat yourself on the back for a job well done?  Or did your enthusiasm start with a bang and end with a fizzle?  My year was filled with starts and stops and ups and downs.  Many of my goals were accomplished, even ones that were not a glimmer on January 1st.  Now tomorrow is another New Year — a chance for a clean slate and for us to continue writing our life story.  The cool part is that a story writes itself and, as it plays out, the ending is always being revised.  May your story play out exactly as you dream, with delightful surprises woven throughout each chapter.  And when you reach the final page, I hope you’ll be truly satisfied with how it turned out.

What are your plans to celebrate the advent of 2013?

*Leap Year (thanks for pointing that out, Big Sister!)

Getting where you want to go

[Image credit: anankkml]

Yesterday I was telling I friend I was completely out of blog ideas.  Typically, I maintain a small arsenal of posts waiting to be tweaked and uploaded, but now my mind’s a blank and I’m scrambling to fulfill my self-imposed goal of writing a blog-a-day.  First he said I don’t have to follow through with it (I know, but I’ve only got a few months left); then he suggested the topic of people waiting until the New Year to make resolutions.  Although I prefer to think of them as goals or dreams, January 1st is the perfect time for me to reflect on the previous 12 months before planning for the next 365 days.  Obviously, if my wellbeing is in jeopardy, I would enact a solution sooner rather than later.  But for things less pressing, I’ll wait until I’m faced with a clean slate to add them to my list.  I guess whatever works to get you where you want to go.

Are you a resolution maker or one-day-at-a-timer?