My “No Formal Resolutions” Zone

Steam rises from Canary Spring which is located on the South side of the Lower Terrace at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Copyright by WyoJones. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

When I was a little girl, all the new year meant to me was that it would soon be time to go back to school. I didn’t like school that much. Resolutions? I don’t remember resolving to do anything except maybe play more. I also don’t remember when I was “introduced” to the notion of resolutions, though my teachers were always “suggesting” that I work up to my “potential.”

I think that was code for: quit daydreaming!

Note to all past teachers: I still daydream. A lot.

Note to anyone still reading this blog post: this post is not about making resolutions.

When I saw the hubs photo above, it made me think of potential. Of the mysterious. Of the unknown.

One thing surviving for so fricking long has taught me, I can resolve to do crap, but usually Life Happens. A lot. (Not a coincidence about the blog title. Nope.) Sometimes Life is good, sometimes it kicks my tush.

And yet, I find myself at yet another yearly crossroad, still excited by the possibilities of a whole new, fresh year.

Wow.

Of course I want to do “better,” whatever better is, but both the cool stuff (and the hard stuff) have been unexpected. When I plan, when I don’t, stuff happens. Sometimes I like the stuff. Sometimes I don’t like it that much. Sometimes I hate it. I learn crap from the good, the bad and the awful—that lemons into the lemonade crap. Or maybe it’s about spoonfuls of sugar. Who knows?

Some lessons take longer than others, but even I eventually go, “Wow, I learned xx from that. Score!” (see above at “works below potential” and “daydreaming” to find reasons for over-the-top delight.)

Note to anyone still reading this post: this isn’t a post about learning crap either.

I think what this post is is a post about daydreaming. About hope. About being open to what’s coming, the good and the not-so-good. It’s about not knowing much (except that at least some of what you planned won’t work out as expected) and being okay with that. It might be about leaping, or maybe inching toward the unknown. It might be about not expecting, or possibly about expecting the unexpected. I’m not sure. And I’m okay with that, too. Hey, it’s a New Year! I might finally “exceed expectations/potential!” Or not.

You never know. 🙂

So we’re at day three of the New Year! How’s it going for you by now? Not only am I interested, but if you comment, you will be entered into my monthly drawing for an awesome, definitely-exceeds-expectations AnaBanana gift basket worth $25. Winner is announced the first blog post of the new month.