I say these words every year – every year – but, I love New Years.  I do.  And it’s silly really, because it’s a day like any other day.  ANY day is a good day to make a change.  ANY day is a good day to try something new.  ANY day is a good day for a fresh start.  I know that, and I practice that.   But there’s still just something about that 1/1 on the calendar… that promise of newness and hope and possibility… that makes my heart flutter.

I haven’t done resolutions for a while now, but I do do (heh, I said do-do) goals.  And for the past three years, I’ve made a virtual dream board.  I save it, print it out, and it then looks back at me from my bulletin board all year long.

Because life is circular, not linear, and because a lot of pursuits don’t start or end with the new year,  my boards tend to look very similar year after year.   In fact, this year I just changed a couple of things.

It all starts with faith and family, so that will always remain front and center.

I don’t ever want to stop traveling, exploring, and enjoying the outdoors, so that’s there too.  Last year was a nearly month-long cross-country road trip.  There won’t be such a trip this year, but we are planning a ten-day vacation in San Diego this fall, as well as many local excursions to the beautiful desert and mountains.

In the upper left-hand corner is my consummate reminder to continue focusing on paying off our debt.  It’s not sexy, but for better or worse it plays a rather pivotal role in how we live our lives, so there it is.  This year, my hope is to not only reach our number goal by the end of the year, but to surpass it.  I want to contribute to the cause myself this year, by bringing in some money of my own for the first time in a long while.

My favorite part of the board this time – and the part I’ll be focusing a lot of energy on – is the entire right-hand side:  The playing, the creating, the inspiring, the JOY.  The girl is about to be four years old, and when all the boys were four I also had a brand-new baby.  This time there will be no more babies.  While I’m at peace with it, and am very much enjoying this stage of all the kids’ lives, there’s a part of me that is profoundly sad to know that that chapter in my life is over.   I don’t want to focus on the sad.  I want to focus on the joy… both the joy I find in the kids, and the joy I find in my own creative pursuits… those things I willingly set aside when they were babies.   I can’t wait to devote some time to creating again.  Creating music, art, words, jewelry.  I am re-learning how to play the piano.  I just started playing with chain maille.  I have some specific ideas for my blog, and for the e-books I keep threatening promising to finish.  AND, God-willing, this spring I will enroll in the yoga teacher training program I have been eyeing for the past three years, and have my RYT by the end of July.   If for whatever reason it doesn’t happen this year, as long as I’m still working towards it – as long as I’m still learning and trying and creating and practicing and yoga-ing – I’ll be happy.

Happy 2012.  May it be full of new and exciting and beautiful things.