The "Sunday scaries" and New Year's resolutions

First: this card ^^^ that I got from my roommate for Christmas. Taylor Swift! She drew it herself. 

I am here now, in my parents house (again!) on a Sunday afternoon which still feels like it should be morning. I am trying so, so hard to fight the end-of-vacation blues. I woke up at 9:49 thinking it was 8:49. The snow from last night has turned into white slush. I had Abby buy the New York Times to make me feel smart and cultured and it’s still sitting here next to me, beautiful and unopened. One Direction is flowing from the other room, where Abby and Ella and Charlie are painting things on the canvases they bought at Michael’s. I’d like to both stay here forever and leave immediately. As always, you can’t do both.

So I’ll stay a little longer, and share some thoughts about 2015. It’s here! And we have a few more days to think about New Years Resolutions before our promises become old news. I like going for something small and accomplishable rather than the big, wonderful and vague aspirations, like exercising more and eating less cheese! 

Last year, I committed to wearing my retainer every night. I made it until May or so, which felt successful enough. It was a quick change with a large impact, and one of those small tasks that is so, so easy to just not do. I thought that dead bolt locking the door of my apartment could be this year's commitment. I always lock the door knob, but the upper bolt always feels like an unnecessary effort. In 2015 i could make necessary, and somehow that would make my life a little neater and more intentional. When shared this with my other roommates, they all laughed and said: No! We live in a safe neighborhood. Get rental insurance. Spend your New Year efforts on something that you actually want to improve.

So, I’ll say now, on day 4 of the New Year, that I think they are right. Resolutions, large or small, are meant to be challenging and a little bit frightening with pathways that we can’t easily lay out. And no matter how we do with them, we should come to the next year allowing ourselves sometime for celebration. 

We'll see what else I come up with. And Happy New Year, my friends.