January 1 has all the fun. Champagne corks pop, a Swarovski crystal ball drops, and there is showy countdown coverage on every major TV network. Yes, technically it's a new year, but I'm done with New Year's resolutions. January simply does not feel like a fresh beginning; there is no big shift of any sort in the
middle of winter, and I have always felt a little disingenuous suddenly revamping my game plan from one day to the next.
Perhaps it’s a
vestige of childhood, but September, with its back-to-school theme, cooler days,
and swirl of changing leaves, feels bright, new, and hopeful – even if no bells and whistles go off. It's a less forced, less intimidating time to make resolutions; the perfect "soft launch."
As I buy my kids freshly sharpened pencils and blank
notebooks, ripe with creative potential, I feel like it’s a clean start for me
as well, and because I’m helping them get their lives organized for a successful year, I take the
opportunity to think about and organize mine. With the lazy days of summer behind me, fall
is a harvest time of creativity, and I’m inspired to hit the re-start button on my
projects and sort myself out.
And if and when my September resolutions fall flat, and of
course many of them do, I can always
join the crowd at the end of the year and take another stab at the new-and-improved
me.
Labels: back to school, new beginnings., New Year's resolutions
