12.31.06
Farewell, 2006.
Happy New Year, y’all.
I guess it’s time for one of those deep, introspective blog posts where I reminisce about all the things that happened to me this year. But at the same time, I don’t want this to turn into one of those run-of-the-mill Christmas Letters (”Susie won the school spelling bee this year! Austin is captain of his pee-wee soccer team!”) that we lovingly mock when we receive them in the mail, but at the same time, we’d be very hurt if our friends and relatives didn’t send us any. So, instead, I thought I’d do a couple of lists, one of things I’ve learned in 2006, and one of things I want to do in 2007.
Top Five Lessons I’ve Learned This Year:
1) I am not 100% in control of anything. If there’s one lesson I’ve learned this year, this is it. Trying to control so many aspects of my life usually only makes me a stressed-out mess.
2) I am a rather impatient person. This isn’t news, of course. I’ve known I’m impatient pretty much all my life. But, it’s just become a bit more apparent this year!
3) Upsetting myself is stupid. Nine times out of ten when I get upset, I’ve done it to myself, either by overthinking something or dwelling on something unpleasant.
4) My relationship with God is directly relational to my happiness. I know, I know. I should have learned this a LONG time ago. And I did. But, I’ve found it’s a lesson I have to learn over and over and over again.
5) Sometimes, you gotta just let things slide off your back. Being overly sensitive about things really gets you nowhere except upset. And that’s just not cool.
So, in the spirit of learning and letting things go, I have also made another list:
Top Five Things I Vow to Do in 2007:
1) Read more books. One thing I haven’t done in 2006 is read enough. I read MAYBE five or six books this year, and I want to change that. My goal for 2007 is to read 25 books - roughly one book every two weeks or so. Hopefully I’ll read more than that, but I’m aiming low!
2) Drink more wine. There’s really no reason for this one other than the fact that I enjoy a nice glass of wine and I don’t drink it as often as I’d like. Haha.
3) Finally clean my closets. I’ve found that clutter in my house is usually directly proportional to clutter in my life. So, cleaning out my closets is a way of letting go of a lot of stuff.
4) Pray more effectively. I currently pray quite often, but I think it’s mostly like asking God for stuff like He’s the big Santa Claus in the sky. Instead of asking for things I want, I need to be asking God what He wants for me and to use me effectively. And I need to be able to listen to what He says, even if it’s not something I want to hear.
5) Blog more often. So, my last post here was in mid-November, and that’s pretty bad. I’m going to try to make it a point to check in here at least once a week or so. We’ll see how that goes. Haha.
So, there they are. I hope your 2006 has been as blessed as mine - lots of good times with friends and family, and lots to be thankful for!
Here’s to 2007 - Happy New Year!