Taking Regret Out of the Equation

Part of the problem with the end of the year is the obligatory look back we take to see how we’ve progressed. Why do we do that? Are we so desperate for self-examination that we must gnaw on every tiny bone of contention that came our way during 12 months of living? Are we a nation of masochists that we have to go into this self-flagellation in order to feel cleansed?

I’ve decided to forego this annual ritual this year. I intend to flow into 2010 with my attention focused totally on 2010. I already know what happened before that. I’ve been there, done that, as we say. My only interest now is in making each future day as potentially productive and effective as I can on every front.

Tall order, you say? Hey! I agree. I’ve decided that I wish for no possible regrets on any given day for the next week. You see, I realize that I have to break into this new life of mine gradually. Habits are hard to change. Lives can change in a heartbeat, between breaths, while swallowing. But habits? Eh, they’re different. The brain/body memory is very elastic in some ways and doesn’t always remain where our intentions left it. It tends to bounce back to what’s familiar.

I have made some changes already. You might say I’m taking the running approach at the problem.

So, tomorrow will be used for clearing out old and make space for the new. My desk will keep me occupied for a minimum of two hours just to sort, file, and discard. Laundry can be done during that time. It’s got to be done anyway, so why not do double duty, I say.

Another two hours could get my office readied for the next to last packing detail. That will be a real boon to my sense of organization that has suffered greatly these last six months. Might as well get the monthly bills made out and ready for the Saturday post while I’m at it. One more thing out of the way.

Once all of that is done I can get to real writing stuff. After all, I have a fresh cartridge in my printer and I’m not afraid to use it. It’s been crying out to relieve itself of so much ink anyway, I might as well accommodate it, don’t you think?

One of the big things I want to do this coming year that I fully intend to implement is to relearn all that French that I’ve forgotten over the years. I’ve been promising myself to do that and I refuse to back down from the challenge. I may need that knowledge before long. Who knows?

Since this looks to be a bitterly cold winter around here, I won’t be doing a lot of outdoor activity, especially if that cold is coupled with precip. Too messy…eeww

So there you have it. My plans in the veritable nutshell. Most everyone has plans of some sort. I try to keep mine as fluid as possible because of our permanent houseguest, Murphy. Some things, though, just have to be strived for.

I hope your goals and aspirations come to you as reflectively as mine. I wish everyone a good and productive coming year; a year filled with joy and accomplishment, a year of fulfillment and satisfaction.

Happy New Year, all. Toast the future, let go of the past, and live in the now so that not one minute is wasted on things that don’t matter. That way you will never have regrets. At least, that’s what I’m told and I’m going to give it a try. What do I have to lose, hmm?

A bientot,

Claudsy