It’s that time of year.  Time to look back and reflect, time to look forward and plan.

I wasn’t going to do it.  Wasn’t going to participate, wasn’t going to make resolutions for the coming year.  I’ve got my head on pretty straight these days, and I already know what I want to focus on in my life (health, relationships, writing-end of story).  And with that in mind, I figured I had no need for goals, no need to reflect or ponder on what will happen in 2014.  Instead, I would allow it all to unfold.  I was doing pretty well, until…

Until Saturday.  Saturday is when all media began to explode with segments and articles and tweets and blog posts about weight loss and getting fit and making 2014 the year where I achieve whatever it is I am meant to achieve.

So I caved. 

I listened, I read, and darn it, I even pondered what I should be doing to feel better, look better, be better in 2014.  But in the end, here’s what I decided:

Oh, forget it. 

I’m 48 years old.  I’ve lived through 48 New Year’s Eves and have had resolutions for approximately 28 of those years.  Sometimes I’ve conquered my resolutions, and often times I haven’t.  So what’s the difference?

What I have managed to do in all those years is this:  live. 

I’ve worked, I’ve gotten married, I’ve given birth to three kiddos.

I’ve taken on a mortgage, car payments and paid more than my fair share of taxes.

I’ve had good years and bad years and years where I was so busy and/or sleep deprived I barely remember them.

And I’ve learned a lot along the way.  I’ve discovered I’m a worrier, but that with time, faith and yoga, I can let my worries go.

I’ve realized I have a passion for writing, and that while at times I’ve thought I’d give it up, I now know I can’t.  I’m always writing in some way, shape or form; it is a part of who I am.

I’ve learned to let go of regrets:  because really, what good does it do to hold onto them?  Better to reflect on why things happened the way they did, and figure out what it is you’ve had to learn the hard way.   Lessons. Mistakes are always about lessons; learn them and move on.

I’ve had many a happy day and a few sad ones too.  And from this I have observed:  sad days eventually go away, if you can just wait them out, the happy ones always return.

I’ve done a lot of living in my near fifty years.  I’ve created a happy life for myself through hard work, faith and acceptance of what is, and what isn’t.  I don’t believe any of it happened because of resolutions made on January 1^st of any given year.

So this year, instead of making resolutions, I’ve come up with reasons not to.

5 Reasons Why I’m Not Making NYE Resolutions.

 1-Resolutions create pressure.  Who needs pressure?

 2-The mere making of resolutions implies that your life, as is, isn’t good enough.  If life is treating you pretty well, why mess it with it? And if it’s not, it’s going to take more than a resolution to get yourself  on track.

3-92% of Americans break their resolutions. Why set yourself up for failure? Avoid the entire scheme by simply refusing to make any resolutions in the first place.

4-January is a lousy time to start anything.  Isn’t just surviving the cold, dark days of winter enough for now?  I’ll save my improvements for April thank you, when the sun and warm weather return, when I’m inspired by the coming of spring.

5-Resolutions are all about improving your life; but I already like mine.  It has its lousy moments for sure, but all in all, it’s still mine.  So instead of lamenting, I choose to accept and embrace the life I have, achievements, mistakes and all.

And for you my dear friends, may 2014 be the year where you live, really live.  May it be the year you become content in where you’ve been, where you are, and where you are headed.