Blank Pages

Me, I love the blank slate. It can be overwhelming trying to figure out how to fill it, or wondering how it will be filled by other people and events out of your control. And maybe the New Year resolution thing is about taking some measure of control. But nothing gets done without an effort to do it. And I need to plan, ready myself.

People are funny about resolutions. The world is roughly divided by people who can set and reach goals and people for whom that's much, much harder. They don't work for everyone and yes, the rebound anger and disappointment can take a toll. But I found over some very uneventful years that I am much, much happier when this year looks appreciably different from the last. And that's for me to shape.

It doesn't have to be about climbing mountains or curing disease. I did a lot of writing and revising last year. To an outsider, it would seem that not much happened, but that was hugely important and helped define 2021. I'm going to publish this little book this year. I'm going to travel to the UK in the summer. Going to work on my blood sugar, dammit.

But you know what? It's okay if none of that happens (except maybe the blood sugar). Surviving is enough. The business of being alive is super hard right now. We are here, and that's enough, frankly. If we have only one resolution, let it be to go easy on ourselves.