Just Another Opportunity

Here it is, the end of one year and the beginning of another, and a good time to make plans for what I want to accomplish in the next twelve months. It’s time to change what date I write on my checks and other correspondence. It’s a good time to…

You know what? Tomorrow’s just another day, like yesterday, and the day before. Just like the day after tomorrow will be yet another day. It’s up to me to decide how I’ll spend that time. On Christmas day, I hung out with my family. We played, laughed together, went visiting, ate dinner, and just spent time. Best day possible. Granted, I realize every day can’t be like that. But if I make some effort, I know I can find one day a week, or one hour even, to dedicate to the important people in my life, and to do the things most important to me. Every day is a new opportunity to do things right.

Every year in January attendance at the gym (where I work out) doubles and stays that way until mid-February or the beginning of March before the crowds thin again, because those people who resolved to get in shape have lost their motivation. And every year, I let those people who stop coming to the gym become an example to me. I will not quit, I will persevere. I will press on even if my goals are hard to reach. My gym membership will be well used, and so will my time.

January is just another month whose number on the calendar happens to be one. It’s a beginning, yes. Definitely. But it is not an end (unless you’ve decided to let it be an end to bad habits—that’s a good thing).

What great things have you accomplished in the past year? Have you established a habit that is beneficial to you? I want to know about it.

Oh yes. And by the way, happy New Year!

Last Post of 2009, and One Resolution

I realize I've been a bit lax in my posting this week. True, it's been rather on the busy side for most people, but still you'd think I could find enough time to post a short blog, right? That's what I'm doing right now.

Christmas was wonderful with my family, even though it zoomed by so fast. I think that's the hazard of having so much going on in life. It seems to just fly right by. Here it is New Year's Eve, and the last day of 2009 and I have no idea where this year has gone. But that's okay. It's been a good year, and I'm positive that 2010 will be even better. We'll start it off by hanging out at a family party tonight, then we'll drive over to the mall to see the city fireworks at midnight, and then finish things off with pie and hot chocolate at Village Inn--the only restaurant in town we're positive will still be open. (We know this from experience from the last two years.)

It will be a fun night, and a great way to start off 2010. I'm not listing my resolutions here yet, but if you want to read about my thoughts on the matter, check out my post on LDS Writer's Blogck today. I also blogged about making attainable goals and resolutions on Monday at the Writing Fortress.

By tomorrow, I'll have finished the final-final-final edits on The Sharp Edge of a Knife, and will have them turned in to my publisher for typesetting. Then I'll have a short break (a real break from life which I will post about later) before I get the galleys and send it off to print. Yahoo! Can't wait for this one. When that's all said and done, back to all my other projects. Expect to see a blurb posted here in the next week or two, and possibly some teaser art.

Also, for those who read my post about this and were wondering, I did exchange gifts with my siblings. I made cinnamon roasted almonds (the ingredients for which I already had on hand) and gave each of them a bag. My parents got wooden photo cubes with school pictures of my kids. So, I wasn't the Grinch, I didn't spend a lot, and it didn't end up being that big a deal except that most of the plans for spending family time together fell through. Bummer. I guess there's always next year. But the almonds were a hit, and the photo cubes a favorite gift of my parents.

And now, I'm off to see a movie with my family before we go our separate ways. (Yeah, my oldest two are going to parties. Eeekk!) I hope your New Year's Eve is fantabulous!

Happy 2010.  Let's make it unforgettable.

Resolution #one: Learn how to use TweetDeck so it posts to all my social networking sites.