Shall We Do Some Resolutions

I strongly believe if you recognize that you have a "bad" habit, then you should break it. Don't wait to the new year. Just go ahead and stop it. And if you want to develop "good" habits, there is no time like now to start.

I suppose that is why I started The Classics Book Club back in September, and yes I'm still trudging along although tardy with the December read, Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. By the way, it is turning out to be a good one. A real woman's voice with a keen wit. After a couple of misses, at last I'm enjoying an old book.

Anyways I'm here to discuss some ideas on how I want to change for the better.

For the past couple of weeks I've been returning books to the library. I'm a real hoarder when it comes to books. I think "oh I'd like to read that" so then I check it out and renew renew renew. Now I haven't maxed out my card but even if I did, I have another one. Shh don't tell the librarian. Seriously this is something so insignificant to most people, yet I feel I must address my addiction to The Check Out.

So I've already started working on it by returning about half of my stash, thus far.

Another issue I need to work on is staying organized. Getting there is easy. Staying, not so. I discovered an empty surface has a half-life of 6 hours around me. I don't know why, but I need to pile things upon a clean table. And I have a ready available deluge of "things" to pile. So perhaps I need to get rid of the "things" to make this work. One of the "things" is library books (see above). So I'm working on that. Another "things" is catalogs sent in the mail. I don't often buy from catalogs, but I look at them, sometimes. Really when I look at how the catalogs can accumulate, especially during the holidays, I worry for all the trees. And you know all that ink just can't be good for any living thing.

So this past year I started Sake Sunday, which combines my love of Japanese food and drink with a sneaky once-a-week organizing trick. That is, every Sunday I clear off the dining room table to serve a small meal with hot sake. And I sometimes take photos of the event and blog them at Foodie Judy.

This was sort of working. At least I was semi-dealing with the table build up problem, but by the next day, shiny clean surfaces had new piles. This how I know about the half-life.

Anyway, I read that if you have basket (for your table), then you put "things" into the basket, and when you want a clear table you remove the basket. But I've lost a lot of important "things" doing this method than I care to say. So I'm still searching for way to keep my surfaces clear.

Another quirk I have is I'm obsessed with calendars. And I'm not going to change either. So the first of the year is a huge day for me. To put up brand new calendars in every room. "Superb Day!" I'll write in my engagement calendar because most years I keep an engagement calendar (book-style) where I write a couple of sentences about what happened on that day like the weather, a conversation, a plumbing problem, what was for dinner, and so forth.

This past year I also kept another engagement calendar (a "My Neighbor Totoro" from Japan. So cute!) where I would write only good things that happened on any given day. This has been great to review what I considered fun for any given month. "Played with Si." "Beatles night." "Stuffing!!!" This little calendar also verified that I was indeed happy whenever I pursued a sewing project or worked on a drawing, and that reconnecting with an old friend was the highlight of the year.

So if I am to build on my successes this year (and that is The Plan), I will gab more on the phone, eat lots of stuffing, draw silly pictures, and of course, play everyday with my Si.