Toward Renewal

Plenty of opportunity for change, that's what I'm saying about this time.

I can't say it's been a stellar year. It started with losing our pregnancy, ended with a massive pre-Christmas fiasco leaving bags on the other coast after a class, including phone charger, then having the brakes go out when I went to retrieve them. I love my VW Eurovan, but I do not love waiting a week for the $1800 new ABS part. Especially when it looks like it's only a broken o-ring spitting fluid. Call that my Airing of Grievances. Done.

Thankful. Yes, I'm thankful we're all safe. I'm thankful when I left the bags I did have my computer. Thankful the bags were still at the Marriott. Thankful my mother was with me (with AAA) when the brakes finally totally went as we pulled into the Aventura Mall.

There have been some real lights in this year. Doing more teaching has been an unanticipated source of bliss. I have been well out of my comfort zone learning and doing new things. I look forward to more of that. And our family meetings result in all of us making more or less the same list of priorities, goals, etc. I have the best friends, pushing me forward when I was so willing to just stay paralyzed. I have learned to be on the alert for entropy. I have learned to keep going even more, that really no life in this country like mine can be considered hard. Saying yes has become my new practice, with little expense in mistakes resulting.

This next year will continue with the big push for personal change. About mid-year we'll begin the 80/20 assessment. We should know by then. Cull and focus will become the main ideas. Right now I'm trying to balance the critical stuff with the important stuff. The longer-term goals really help with that. Each goal broken down into phases, with specific, time-boxed tasks associated.

In the meantime, the small things seem a tad overwhelming. I'm not sure it makes sense. The combination of toddler, business scramble, long-term house guests, homeschooling, and basic life stuff seems to add up. I know a sailboat will eventually turn full circle if course is changed only one degree, so that's what I'm going for. The "some is more than none" principle. That's why the goals are so important. They dictate the tiny bits to add. Those that will hopefully grow to be the main activities. The other things will fall away.