A Year of Small Doses

I hate to be cliche and do the whole New Year, New Me thing, but the fact is I like it. I like starting clean each year, finding new things to do to make life more, well, just more. Frankly, I wish we celebrated each month as a new beginning (though perhaps without quite so much partying).

So once again I am embracing the newness -- and I'm proud of it. I, of course, have all the usual resolutions, if we must call them that. That word is so staid, so formal, so parliamentary: "We are hereby resolved to ... lose 5 pounds, get our finances in order, and finally, oh finally, get organized."

Yeah, I'd like to do all those things, but what really inspired me this year to do something new on my quest for newness was the Editor's Note in the most recent issue of Real Simple, written by Kristin van Ogtrop. She begins:

"If I have learned anything in my 40-something years on this plant, it's that true happiness -- like federal tax refunds and declarations of love from male children -- comes most often in small doses."

She goes on to write about her coat closet -- and how every day she'd open it to put her hat and scarf away only to have an avalanche of board games slide down on her. After days, weeks, months of following this same routine, she finally took a few minutes to re-arrange it. Voila -- a little slice of happiness.

The same day I read the article (that would be yesterday, in layman's terms), I had my own coat closet experience -- with the pots and pans cabinet. God bless my husband because he cooks (and cleans!), but his visual-spatial ability for stacking kitchen utensils is, well, lacking.

So for the 487th time, I tried to find a plastic container for storing leftovers and ended up sitting on the floor, seething, flashlight in hand. Until I took everything out of the cabinet, covered the floor with lids, colanders, pie plates, dish towels, and all manner of things and straightened it out. It took me 20 minutes (at the most).

Twenty-four hours later, I am still giddy at my accomplishment.

And now we come to the crux of my new year. It's my goal to do one Little Thing each day to make my life a little better, and make me and those around me a little happier. Here are the ground rules:

1. I should be able to complete the Little Thing in 30 minutes or less.
2. It should not feel like a chore.
3. It shouldn't be something I would have to do anyway (like pay bills or fold the laundry).
4. I reserve the right to change these rules:).
5. I will really only do 6 Little Things a week and then on the 7th day (give or take), I will blog -- and that will count as no. 7. Because let's face it, how often does anyone want to read about me re-arranging my pots and pans?

I've already started a list -- of all the Little Things I never quite get to, but that would make my life simpler, easier, better -- and make me just a little happier. (I don't have 365 yet, but I know more will reveal themselves to me.)

So my first official Little Thing was, of course, the pots and pans.

And now I will sign off to undertake Little Thing No. 2: Subscribe to Real Simple.

Peace,

LucyB