New Year, New Me?

Well, it’s been a whirlwind year.  A good year and a bad year combined but a WONDERFUL year all in all.  2016 is coming up here in a couple of days and I am well aware of things that aren’t as they should be in my life.  Will I make changes? Sure.  Does that mean resolutions?  Maybe.  I used to be one of those people that set goals every year.  January 1^st meant that I would start fresh at the gym or start that new diet.  We would start a new budget at the house or a new cleaning routine, but we would never stick to them.  A couple of years ago we started saving to end up at Disneyland for Christmas, that lasted about two months until an unexpected bill hit the household.  We had a goal to do a certain amount of laundry every night and fold it right away… I won’t bore you with the details of how that situation currently stands. 

For me I just can’t follow the trend, my New Year won’t be about me.  It needs to be about US.  It will be about how we will succeed.  I don’t need to weigh so much, or eat healthier.  We don’t need to clean on certain days of the week or save a certain amount each payday.  It just doesn’t work.  For us the New Year, New Me will turn into New Year, New WE. 

We will communicate better as a family and learn to love each other for what we are and what we have no matter what the circumstances are.  If Dad is working late or Lawrence has practice of some sort, we accept the circumstance for what it is and move on.  Mom has lessons to do… we move on and take it in stride.  No fighting life, it’s a common occurrence that doesn’t just happen in our household and we’ll learn to not complain or “suffer” through it.  We’ll make it a better situation.  We are a strong family and we have gone through many, many tough stages.  This is not that hard, we can do it and we will be stronger for it.

Family.  Family time is a must.  We used to do it, where did it go?  We purchased several board games for each other at Christmas this year and we are getting back into this routine.  We love to play games and so do the kids.  Who says you have to go places and spend a million dollars?  A simple hour of Hungry Hungry Hippos will put out memories that could never be replaced by $60 at the local movie theater.  The cable bill is going to go down and the board game collection is going to go up!

Friends.  We can’t let our friends go.  My school took over this past semester and I forgot about my friends.  I think we got together with friends about three times in the past six months.  It wasn’t healthy for me or for Leon.  We need one night, even if once a month, just to see someone.  We need to visit with people and not forget those friendships.  Friends are like family and a select few of my girlfriends are like sisters to me.  For those of you I have forgotten or lost touch with, I am sorry.  I promise to try harder. 

Just try harder…  that will be our motto for 2016.  We will try harder as a family.  We will get along.  Say sorry.  Not yell or scream or fight, it doesn’t have to be that way.  We’ll try harder to be thankful and to give more and take less.  We can’t take things for granted like our family, friends or our jobs.  These things won’t be around forever and when they are gone… we will never realize what we may have lost.  So, no New Year, New Me for me, we’re going to try a new approach…  New Year, New We.  On to 2016.  Happy New Year everyone!