Welcoming the New Year

Happy New Year!   How’d you spend yours?

I’ve spent my time in interesting blocks during this holiday.   The kids and I take a three-week break from school, and it occurred to me that, either consciously or subconsciously, my weeks have looked like this:

Week 1: final holiday preparations, some rest, and a deliberate attempt not to work

Week 2: lots of rest, some work

Week 3 (this week): less rest, more work

It has worked (no pun intended) well for me.   The work that I got done was primarily on the computer; I got a solid head start on grades such that I have little to do this week when my adult students begin again.     I also worked on book revisions and article submissions.

My husband would assess my progress differently, if you asked him.   He took off during what, for me, was week 2.   He spent the time enjoying a later sleep, but getting increasingly antsy as he’s not the stay-around-the-house type.   So it shouldn’t have surprised me when he quickly accepted an impromptu invitation to spend some time with friends on New Year’s Day.    Though we hadn’t seen this particular family in ages and I missed them, I couldn’t help but be slightly agitated at having to take a break from my already-mapped-out agenda.    The salt in the open wound was that the family was actually planning a get-together with a number of families, not just us; this meant that I’d have to be even more social among a house full of strangers—not my idea of restful or relaxing.   The kids have taken on more of my social behaviors, so they, too, had to be convinced that getting up, dressing up (it’s been pajama city around here most of the week) could be a good thing.   Isn’t that horrible (smile)?   Yet, I knew my hubby, so unlike me in that capacity, wouldn’t turn down a chance to party.  Off we go.

The long and short of it is that I’m glad he dragged me out of the house (and I mean draaaaaaaagged).    We had a great time.   For some reason, none of the other guests came, and it was just us—one-on-one family time for the relieved introvert.    They’d just renovated their beautiful new home, dinner was delicious, and their son entertained us on his bass violin (double bass?).    He played as we ate and conversed, and I felt as if I’d been treated to some fancy restaurant.   The only down side to the evening was that somewhere during the day I lost my voice—completely.

There’s something about seeing a model or new home that brings out the HGTV in me—not in a jealous or competitive way, mind you.   I just come home ready to renovate (LOL)!    So, as my husband and I were reflecting on our evening, he said what I was thinking, but never would have said, and certainly never thought he’d say: “You know, when I come home from new homes, I just look at our place and think, ‘What could we do around here?’”  I’d never have guessed that he felt that way!   I suppose that when we’re around beauty, something in us wants to be beautiful, too.   I also love the way that in marriage God completes us through our mates even in the most seemingly insignificant ways.   I stood amazed and amused by God as my husband moved all the kitchen furniture so that I could sweep and mop, then he broke out the vacuum.   Isn’t this what every couple does after a night of dinner and music?  Hilarious, but at least the house is clean.   I even brushed a coat of cleaner across the kitchen appliances.

One thing I didn’t do on New Year’s was to make resolutions.   It wasn’t too long ago that I ran across my new year’s resolutions for the year 2004.   The goals weren’t much different than they are now, which says to me that either I’m not accomplishing much, or that my priorities are pretty much the same each year.   I choose to believe the latter, so rather than annual resolutions, I’ve chosen to just focus each day on health and wholeness.     That encompasses everything that’s important to me—my relationships to God, to family, to people around me, to food, and to physical movement.

Well, yesterday and today were also sewing days for me as I wrapped up my son’s robe, and began making a bathrobe for the oldest.     Sally gave me the neatest idea for what to do with my extra fabric.   I’m looking forward to posting pictures of all the fashions we’ve completed in the last year.    But first, off to actually create more of them!   God bless you!