I hope you are enjoying the first few days of 2023 and relaxing at least a bit after all the fanfare of the holidays. While I’m enjoying the calm after the storm, I’m also hoping you made it through the last month with a little more grace than I managed.  I rolled into Christmas with my hair on fire, fueled by the gale force winds and bitter cold temps as I was forced to purchase gifts as a product of my own procrastination. And I swear, every time I thought I had finished my list, I discovered an “oops,” even after checking it twice, twice.  Thank goodness for open QT stations on Christmas Day. Ugh!

The weather here in the Midwest has been fabulous for the first days of January, and I actually ran around in shorts and a big sweatshirt most of the day. Maybe it was a bit extreme, but grocery shopping and the three-hour Avatar movie really didn’t require much of me. My boys enjoyed their customary Eating of the Gingerbread yesterday and I enjoyed some gift card shopping, so I’m marking down the month in the thumbs-up column at this point.

Tomorrow means back to work and school, a small dip in the weather and a return to the schedule of life. I love this time of year, with all its fresh promises and renewed resolve. I, like most of the known world, find myself making plans, voicing resolutions and setting goals at the turn of the calendar, and this year is no different. Come about January 18 and a half, I find myself less enthusiastic about fulfilling my intentions and tell myself that I’ll take the next year by the tail and give it all another try.

So here I am again. New year, new goals. I decided to change my terminology to hopefully change my headspace. I’m refraining from making “resolutions,” but instead I’m making measurable, attainable “goals.” This year I’m setting two long-term goals: 1) read the Bible front to back and 2) post here at Small Talk Mama at least once a week. That’s it! I’ve armed myself with schedules and tools to accomplish my tasks and my renewed resolve is pinged out on the “go-get-emeter,” so this shouldn’t be too difficult. Right?!?

Check back January 18. . . say noonish.