A Fresh Start

   The new year always presents a multitude of possibilities. It's a clean slate to work with. And I find it exciting.
   I haven't done 'resolutions' in years as I think I never took myself too seriously. But 7 or 8 years ago I started an "On the Agenda for ..." . I listed all the things I hoped to do during the year. That may  be finishing some ongoing project such as a rug that I am hooking, starting new ones like making a Spring wall hanging, learning something new, or just little things that I think of but forget until the next time the subject comes up...new coasters for the coffee table. Anything goes.
   From that list I do a monthly reckoning of what I have done whether it's was on the agenda or not. I list every book I read, every mending thing I have done, every gardening thing, etc. I guess you could say it's an accounting of my time. Sometimes the days and weeks go by and I wonder just what I have spent my time on. My list is a reminder of what I DID do and how those days were spent.
   Anything from the 'agenda' list that gets done gets crossed off and dated just for my reference. Anything that doesn't get done that year gets re-evaluated for next year's list or dropped as not necessary. A good example of something that has moved along yearly for 4 years now is digging a walkway from the driveway to the front steps! Four years you may say but it will be a big project and I have yet to get real clear on how I want the end result to look. So I haven't gotten to it yet. But I do know that eventually it will get done.
   I find this works good for me. I keep all those hand written pages too. I look back on them now and then and smile when I read the reminders.
   One other 'fresh start' is this blogging. I do better in the winter months than I do when the weather is nice and I can spend time in the garden. Hopefully this year I'll do better at keeping this log updated. Last year I was in some kind of funk about lots of things though I remained very busy. I reworked and mended a large quilt, divided perennials and transplanted them, made ornaments for my grands, did a major clean and purge of my kitchen treasures, read 130 books...participating in a summer reading program as well, made myself some new clothes, taught myself to knit and the list goes on.
   Hope you find what works for you for the new year. Just be kind to yourself.