Take The Time

We're creeping quickly up on the end of the year, ReaderFriends.

You know what that means...

More food! Yay! New Year's means an extra day of feasting and festivities. As a child, it meant taking down my grandmother's Christmas tree and watching the parade. As an adult, it means a bonus day off from work to recover from staying up all the way until 12:05 to yawn through a "Happy New Year" to Boyfriend of Amazingness before crashing like a toddler in a sugar slump.

(But really...)
New Year's means that I have to come up with a new resolution.

But first, let's take a second to look back at how well last year's resolution served me.

On January 1, I resolved that I would "Take The Time." Here's a snippet:

This was such a busy year. The past holiday season has really highlighted the fact that I've been scrambling through, trying to do everything to the best that it could be done, and failing miserably more than half the time.

In dance, I didn't practice nearly as often as I should have.

In my home, I didn't clean up or do laundry nearly as often as I needed to.

At work, I made more than one mistake because I was rushing through tasks, jumping from one to the next.

My friends, my family and my love spent more time than I care to admit being pushed to the back burner as I worked frantically on other projects instead of spending time with them.

And my own health suffered from time to time, as I neglected to focus on myself.

So, through the coming year, my intent will be to Take The Time.

*  In dance, I will take the time to practice and focus on what I DO know, instead of rushing out to absorb new knowledge at the risk of losing what I've already not focused upon.

*  In my home, I will take the time to tidy up the dishes immediately following a meal, and I'll run a load of laundry as soon as the dirty clothes basket is full. Short bursts of well spent energy will mean more time to lounge in a tidy home.

*  At work, I will focus on each task as it presents itself, in order to complete them thoroughly and not have to waste time returning to them for hastily made mistakes.

*  I'm going to take the time to write. Maybe not every day. Maybe not things that make sense, or words in a recognizable language. But I'll tap my keys, twirl my pen and put thoughts down just as often as I can.

*  My friends and family will find themselves burdened more regularly with my presence for meals together.

*  My Boyfriend of Amazingness will be sick of me after I'm through taking the time to appreciate all that he does.

*  And, damn it all, I'm going to take the time to say "No" once in a while. It's okay to turn down an opportunity if something I love is going to suffer for it.

Even if that means saying "No" to myself and my self-imposed restrictions. Dish-doing comes second to time-spent-with-loved-ones. Sometimes you just have to say no.

What is it that poetical man said about "Best Intentions?" Yeah... whoever he was, he hit that nail on the noggin.

2013 wasn't any less busy than 2012. I rushed, I rallied and I stressed my way through portions of the year.

I danced some, but not as much as I should have.

I cleaned more than I had, but still not enough.

I had about a 65% success rate with seeing family and friends who wanted to be seen, and often they had to do the travelling to get to our rendezvous.

And my writing... well, my writing was pretty abhorrent.

But you know what I did do this year?

I was there for a grieving family as they said goodbye to father/grandfather much too soon.

I moved out of the apartment I hated and into a home that I love - A home that I own with a man who I'm thrilled to get to spend the rest of my life with.

Together with that man, I adopted a young dog and have - so far - managed to impart basic manners upon said beasty and continue making strides together towards being a polite family unit.

I made it through to the other side of a health issue that caused heartache and tears for the past three revolutions around the sun.

I made it through a new health issue that caused me to be a monstrous, angry beast.**1

I worked.

I played.

I ate and drank.

I sang.

I loved and was loved.

And while I didn't Take The Time to do the things I thought I needed to do at the beginning of the year... I lived a wonderfully full year and I'm hopeful that I came out the other side better than I went in (and imparting some good upon the people in my life as well).

So that's that, 2013. We've had our fun, but I look forward to seeing what your newer, younger friend has in store.

To 2014! Hurrah!

**1 Estrogen rage. It's a thing. An angry, sweaty, tearful, high-blood-pressure-causing thing. But it doesn't have to be a thing. And coming through to the other side gives remarkable clarity and knowledge of what's worthwhile, and what's not worth getting cranked up about, and how in-control I really am when I'm healthy versus when I'm not.