What is with all the hate of 2017? All these people kicking it to the curb! Shoot, it ain’t nothing to do with the year. It’s just…shit happens. I don’t think January 1st is going to bring some great light shining on you pointing the way to happiness and dreams fulfilled. New Years isn’t magical. You’ve got to stick it out, suck it up, and go out searching for the next big thing. We can’t have everything we want! I would have liked to have seen the Vols play for the SEC Championship. I would also have liked to seen a size 8 again, but I’m not willing to give up my sedentary lifestyle or vast amounts of cupcakes I consume. I would like certain people to live for a good long time and others can drop–well. You get my point. 

I’m not much for resolutions. I fail at every turn, why would I subject myself to more misery? One year I said I wanted to stop gossiping. 

We all know how that worked out. 

One year I wanted to keep a journal. 

Um. 

One year I wanted to lose weight. 

Bahahahahahhaahahaahaha!!!!!

But you know, this year, I’m going to change a few things. I have to buy less, because I’m going to have to make a major purchase in the form of a vehicle. I can feel it. I’m going to Facebook less. How many hours do I waste away, daily? It’s time lost, just like that, for mindless scrolling. Rarely is there anything worthwhile on there. I suppose if you have news, you should text me. I’m not doing away with my account, but my goal is to wean myself off. Lent will help with that. 

I also plan to write more. I’m not “getting serious” about it, but I do enjoy it and would like to stretch my wings a bit. So we’ll see where that goes. My goal is to read 70 books in the coming year, and the only way to accomplish that is to be on social media less. I’m looking forward to it. 

So there are several resolutions, if you will. I’m going to call them lifestyle changes that way I may be more apt to stick to them. I like to think I have a certain stick-to-it-vness, anyway.

I can’t help thinking of the important things. The really important things-like health. Every year this seems to weigh more heavily on me. How much time do we have? Even if we are the picture of health, we could be struck by lightning or run over by a mad cow or any number of things. No matter how healthy you eat, or how much you exercise, there’s still so much out there determined to take your life. It seems futile to try to extend it by being fit. Eat the cake. Eat the whole cake if you want it. But you’re not going to get everything you want listening to me. You might get clogged arteries and di-beet-eez. But you’ll be happy for a moment in time eating that cake. And you’ll learn to quit listening to me, I’m the bad angel on your shoulder. 

I also keep coming back to this moment from Christmas. Johnny was headed out the door to his mother’s, and was trying to decide which jacket to take for the weather.  Which jacket. He has several to choose from, as I assume most of us do that are reading this. We didn’t have to stand in a line to pick one out that the more fortunate donated. We took our money we earned and we went to Belk or got on Amazon and ordered the ones we wanted. 

So while some are bemoaning the trials of the past year, the people they’ve lost and miss tremendously, we still have our own lives. We have our homes. We have warmth and something in our bellies. And I’m thankful. And I’m looking forward to the coming year, while looking back at 2017 fondly.