A letter to 2014

2014, you will be a year in which I...

* Practice patience. Not as much with James and Chris - I'm generally pretty patient with them already) - but with myself. Be kind to myself. Whether I admit it or not, I've got a lot on my plate, and I'm my worst critic. Now is the time to take a breath and just let my world be.

* Along the same lines as the a lot on my plate notion, evaluate what's on my plate.  Get rid of the junk, savor the good stuff.  Find more time for the good stuff by minimizing time wasted on the junk.  I kid myself with no elusions of finding more time. 

* Celebrate my son's first birthday.  Bake him a cake (a wee one for a wee lad), buy some balloons, share in the joy. Reflect on what the past year has meant not only for him, but also for me and Chris.  Ponder just how far we have come, because, by god, we've come a long way.

* Earn another stamp or two in the old passport.  One will be Mexico in January.  Where will the next be?

* The four generations get away. Figure out how to make it happen. 

* Hone the camera skills. Read about it, practice it...learn it.

* North Dakota or South Carolina: make it happen.

* Same with you, chicken coop. Make it happen.

* Sew. Cushions for the kitchen chairs. Curtains. What have you. Be domestic. 

* Run another half marathon. This one with the husband. Part of it with the kid.

* Reflect on what this body of mine has accomplished in the past few years, because goddammit, it's impressive. Ponder what it will accomplish again in the next few years.

* Bake more bread.  In the literal sense, not in the that's-a-cute-metaphor-for-having-another-kid sense. NOT YET.

* Yoga. At least once a week. Because it feels good. 

* Smile. Laugh. Soak it all in (this should be an easy bullet to accomplish - I excel at smiles and laughter).

* Think gratitude. Maybe even start writing about it. Three things per day. So far today I have my morning smoothie, a free cup of Starbucks, and one more to go. What else will I feel grateful for today? The sun on my back. An up-coming vacation. Practice gratitude.

* Likewise, practice kindness. Always, always, always.

I think that's enough for a year.

If 2014 is half as kind to me as 2013 was, goodness me, I'm in for a lovely ride.