New Year, New Life...

...or, as the Spanish say, "Año Nuevo, Vida Nueva”. So, even though I wouldn't call it a 'resolution', that's my new plan for 2008. Live a new life. What do I mean by that? Well, here's the thing, I'm not perfect (not much of a shock) so, there are lots of things that I have the opportunity to change and make better. For example, I'm terrible at keeping in touch with old friends. Why? I always feel too busy to handle my present life and keep up on things from my past. But, as a beloved high school teacher used to say, "People make time for what they want to do". No more excuses.

Also, I plan to take better care of myself. I don't get enough sleep, drink too much coffee, don't exercise regularly enough and stress out all the time. If I want to live to be 100 years old, I'm gonna need some routine maintenance. According to the "Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator", I'm about 13 years off my goal.

I want to pay more attention. Not just in class (which would help) but, in my day to day existence. Instead of always waiting for the "best moment" for things, I need to let go and enjoy the imperfection of the present. When we look back, the simple, uninteresting moments of life can sometimes be the most important.

I want to be more humble. I've had many accomplishments in my life and I'm proud of myself for that but, they're over now. Sad, but true. Resting on one's laurels is never productive. Sometimes being quiet and listening, taking good advice, recognizing your ignorance, feeling your smallness and thinking more of others is hard to do. We're all wonderful and it's easy to get caught up in that but, taking time to recognize the good in others pays off in a big way.

Anyway, I don't want to get preachy so, I'll quit while I'm ahead. I'm just a bit pensive, if you haven't noticed. I've got big expectations for 2008; I'll probably let myself down in lots of ways--- procrastinating too much, talking too much, being ingrateful--- but, it doesn't hurt to hope, right?

So, peanut gallery, what fine-tuning do you have planned for yourself in 2008?