A New Year Approaches
I can't believe 2012 is coming to an end. In just five short days, we will ring in another new year and 2013 will be upon us. Seems like just yesterday I was saying the same thing about 2011. Where does the time go, huh? I remember a childhood full of, "I can't wait until I turn 16 and have my own car" and "I can't wait until I'm 18 and can move out on my own" and "I can't wait until I have a job so I'll have my own money and can do whatever I want". I looked forward to time passing and the major events that would come my way. The more forward I looked, the more slowly time passed. Or so it seemed. And now? My parents used to tell me how quickly time would pass as I aged. Wow! Were they ever right! What I didn't know then and have come to fully realize now is how often parents are right! They certainly called this one right. Time is flying by! And there seems to be no way to stop it. I do not look forward to the day when I simply blink and a new year rings in, though I'm sure that day is coming.
What comes to mind this time of the year? New Year's resolutions, right? Isn't that first and foremost in the minds of most? This year I resolve to. . . lose weight, stop smoking, save money, find a new job, buy a house, take my dream vacation, join a gym, start a new hobby, make new friends. . . and on and on it goes. Depending on where we're at in life, our New Year's resolutions could be any number of things designed to make us feel better about who we are, what we have or where we're going. If you're like me, you have committed to a number of resolutions as the clock struck midnight on December 31st year after year only to find yourself backsliding within a day or two or three. By the time December 31st rolls in again, your last resolution is forgotten altogether and a new one is forming in your mind.
Four years ago, I looked like this . . .
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| 2008 Christmas Party |
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| Work Party With Friends |
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| Feeling So Good About Me |
I don't know what. . .
But the walls came back up. . .
And I did this . . .
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| Early December 2012 |
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| October 2012 Family Reunion |
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| Christmas Day 2012 |
I don't know why. Sugar became my best friend. . . for awhile anyway. . . until it tried to destroy me. High cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood sugar. . . that's the report I got from the doctor during my last visit. Doctor insisted on medication. I insisted on time. Time to try and return to my 2008 weight, when my cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar were all within normal limits. Doctor agreed to give me 6 months to see what I could do.
And now, it's up to me. As 2013 approaches, I find myself excited about the possibilities. It is within me to create my perfect "me". So that shall be my New Year's resolution. I will spend the next year working to shed the walls and free my inner me. When I stumble and fall, I resolve not to quit. Instead, I will get back up and renew my resolve. I can do this. I can do hard things. I can do more for myself than a doctor with a prescription pad. And I shall. I fully intend to post my progress on this blog. A way of staying honest with not only myself, but also with all of you. And if through this process I encourage others to realize their own goals, their own dreams, their own resolutions, well. . . that's all the better.
What New Year's goal(s) have you set for yourself? How will you achieve those goals? What will 2013 bring that other years have not? Please share your thoughts. I'd love to hear from you!
Happy New Year's. . . almost. . . to all. Peace!
~Quinn
