Just Call Me Debbie Downer... Wah, Wah, Wah!

After reading some of the great year-end reflections that have been posted in the last few days, I tried to think about specifics in this past year and what I would write about in a similarly themed post.

I'm coming up mostly empty. Empty of highs I guess. There have been several lows. That makes me a little queasy--the thought of writing a year-end post in which I share a lot of low points. Yuck. It does help to make sense, however, of my Confessions of a New Year's Resolutions Junkie post. In a season where you remember more bad stuff than good, I guess it is natural to want to give your life an extreme makeover.

But is an extreme makeover the answer? If I were to make a list of all the things I want to change about my life, it would be very long like one of those scrolls in a movie which just rolls on and on when it is opened. I've been thinking about this list and trying to prioritize and group items that are connected to each other. Two themes emerge: discipline and moderation. There are areas of my life in which I need to be more disciplined (spiritual exercises, relationships, life details, exercise) and areas of my life in which I need to be more moderate (finances, food.) There is one other way I need to be moderate: emotional hyperbole. As I read this paragraph, my first response is to label myself a lazy glutton. Well, that's not going to help anyone--least of all me--is it?

At Thesaurus.com, restraint comes up as a synonym for both moderation and discipline. Go figure. So, I am dubbing 2007 The Year of Restraint since they are apparently two sides of the same coin.

And, I must remember that a year in a life is a journey. I will not arrive at my destination overnight. I will stumble and fall and pick myself up again. Dory's mantra from Finding Nemo which I quoted in my last post will serve me well...

Just keep swimming... just keep swimming... You might be hearing that a lot from me in 2007.

To liven up this somber post, I will share some of the highs that I experienced this year:

Blogging
Disney Passes
Getaway to Kentucky
New Friendships
Old Friendships
Sleeping with Bread

I wish you all a Happy New Year. Celebrate safely!

Mary-LUE