Dear 2011

Dear 2011,

Greetings!  I can't believe you're here already.  Since I'm a sucker for milestones and goals, you can well imagine that I'm quite excited to share with you my resolutions:

- Let people off the hook. I'm an idealist: things are either right or wrong and therefore people are either good (those who do "right" things) or bad (those who do "wrong" things)..... Enter into the gray area of relationships, human condition, sinfulness and selfishness, and divine redemption and this logic gets a little more complicated. This resolution could be subtitled "have more grace for people (and myself)".

- Don't buy clothes. Ah! I said it!  This is going to be hard, but I'm putting it in writing for the entire world to see (or at least my 8 followers) for accountability.  This is mostly motivated by finances, but also a desire to be free: I don't want material things to have a hold on me, nor do I want my physical appearance to.  I also desire a simpler life, and as much as I don't always believe it - I think I am more content with the less "stuff" there is is my life. Oh, and did I mention that I don't actually need anymore clothes anyway?

- Play piano. I would like to be better at the end of 2011 than I am now. And we have a beautiful one in our home.

- Run a half marathon or a 10 Mile.  It's been over 3 years since I ran a marathon, and the itch has returned.  Besides, the Twin Cities half marathon is in October - the best time for a race, because you have the warm weather of spring and summer in which to train!

- Blog more.  Besides the typical reasons for slacking in blog posts ("I don't have time," "who reads it anyway?"), I've realized the biggest reason I don't write as many letters is because of my perception of what others will think and my fear of offending.  I actually have a lot of ideas* of recipients for these letters - multiple ideas a day, actually, but I often weed them out before I ever hit "PUBLISH" for fear of what others will think.  I'm sick of this, quite frankly, and am somewhat surprised by this people-pleasing hangup I've developed considering some of the people I respect the most aren't those with whom necessarily I agree, but those who have the courage to speak their minds - Jeannette Walls, Rev. Gregory Boyle, Joan Baez, Janet McDonald, MLK, Fr. Richard Rohr, to name a few (perhaps future letter recipients??). So, readers beware, the potential for offense from this blog has increased, but it will be well worth it - if only for me. 

- Pray more.  I almost didn't add this one because it might be the hardest one for me to follow through on. And the thought of inconsistancy in this area is discouraging. But, in the spirit of letting myself off the hook (see resolution #1) and knowing how desparately I need time with my Heavenly Father, I'm adding it with the confidence that He is faithful and wants this more than I do.

So, dear 2011, I pray that a year from now, I will look back upon you, in much the same way that I looked back on 2010 and was filled with thankfulness for where I was and who was with me - and couldn't see anything but God's faithfulness.  

Cheers!
Julie

*I will readily admit that some of these ideas aren't necessarily post-worthy anyway ("Dear Fathead who cut me off at Lake and 22nd, Here's the number for an excellent driving school... Sincerely, Excessively Honking Lady Behind You).  I'll continue to evaluate letters before posting.