Here's to a New Year

2009 is done. It’s gone. That’s it. Over with. Now it’s time to move on and look forward to 2010.

For the past few days, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want my 2010 to be like. I don’t want it to be like the last few months of 2009. Too much ugliness. I do however want to continue surrounding myself with the people I care about – something I’ve been doing since I was born – you know, back in the 80’s. :)

My 2010 is going to be about moving forward. I want to continue to grow and learn. I want to do the best I can with what I have. I want my job to be enriching. I want my freelance writing to pick up (which it is already!), and I want to feel in control. Throughout much of 2009, I felt like things just weren’t in my control. I made excuses. I came up with reasons why I was doing things that I knew I didn’t want to be doing. I fell into the trap of becoming so overwhelmed that I functioned on autopilot for months at a time. I don’t want to do that again. If you notice it happening, please dear readers, give me what my mother calls “a come to Jesus talk.”

What exactly is a “come to Jesus talk”? Well, let’s just put it this way:

When you screw up, there are going to be consequences. Sometimes, those consequences involve a lecture or a conversation with someone you love about the things you did wrong and why what you did was wrong and why you should change. You get the picture. My mother lovingly calls these conversations in life “come to Jesus talks” even though they hardly ever even reference religion or involve the name of a Christian idol. They’re simply conversations – and ultimately connections – with people you care about. They are designed to put you back on track so that you keep doing what’s best for you. They bring you back to your original purpose – or at least back to a better beginning than where you ended up.

At the end of 2009, there were some “come to Jesus talks.” I had a few with myself. I had some with my family members. I had some with my significant other. My mother had some with me. Brent had some with me. My family had some with me. Dear friends had some with me. In 2010, you can bet that there’ll be more of them. I have some planned already for those I love. Those I love I’m sure already have plans for me. When I care, I give a “come to Jesus talk” when someone needs it. That’s it. It’s really that simple.

Either way,these talks, which can sometimes be unpleasant, remind me that I can still always get back on track and move forward. I can still do what I want to do, although it may not be in the same way as I had pictured. I can still be happy and prosperous and all of those things that you hope for when you eat pork on New Year’s Day. I just have to change my direction or the way I’m continuing down a path.

May there be “come to Jesus talks”, pork, and prosperity in your 2010.