Everywhere you go these days, the shift has happened from Merry Christmas to the focus on New Year plans and best wishes. 2015 is nearly upon us and I will not be going to bed early. I am a grand believer in celebrating each new year. I’m also a grand believer in the New Year’s Resolution. Current wisdom dismisses this exercise as a futile waste of time. I disagree.
In my quest to get organized for the new year, I have been emptying inboxes and wading through my accumulation of paper. I came across New Years resolutions written by my Mom. I recently saw WILD (a must see movie with Reese Witherspoon) and have been reflecting on the nature of the mother-daughter relationship. What my Mom gave me was a “cup half full” view of life. Yes, every year, she wrote the same resolutions. Yes, she believed in the promise of new beginnings and the hope that things could in fact change for the better. So she signed up for yoga and french classes and did her leg lifts and joined the quest to be more and do more. Perhaps this is why she could whether the storms tossed in her direction and they were many. She wasn’t able to be optimistic because life was easy. She stayed optimistic because she was interested in life going on around her. She delighted in the birds at her window, driving with the top down, a good cup of tea, the chat, and being with her family.
When I reflect back on the year, I could bemoan the shingles, the strike stress, the hot water leak, the not being all things to all people and the dishwasher out of commission for Christmas dinner. However, in the big scheme of things, the good far outweighed the bad and I’m excited to get to my partying and resolutions. I have been told I’m naive. I prefer the label of “a diehard optimist”.
The book study group with colleagues: Guiding Readers. making the Most of the 18- minute Guided Reading Lesson (Lori Rog Jamison 2012) holds promise for my Gr. 3/4 ELL to get more time on text at their level. The iPad pilot is opening up new possibilities with use of Book Creator and Showbie and who knows what next. Professional involvement in Phi Delta Kappa and the International Reading Association holds promise of good conversation. And yes, I will exercise more, get better at skiing and boarding, try Vinyassa Power Flow, eat better, cook delectable meals and stop drinking diet coke. The possibilities are endless…
Happy New Year! Don’t forget the resolutions 🙂
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