new year’s matters

I recently came across 13-year-old-me’s New Year’s resolutions. It was January 1st, 2001, and one of the fourteen resolutions I made that year was to journal every day. And I did it. Every day. For 6 months.

So, it didn’t last. I didn’t stick to any of them (except #9, but it didn’t work). Even so, a 6-month commitment from a 13-year old is impressive. I had a strong belief, even then, that a fresh page in a fresh year can be a powerful thing.

So here it goes. I would like to bring your attention to a couple of things before I put my 13-year old self on blast: I spelled my name with two t’s then (that’s how I was taught, but my birth certificate’s only got one. “It was the 80s, we’d never even heard of “Brittany”–my mom), “R.E.” stands for Religious Education (I’m a heathen now), and resolution #9–again, it didn’t work, but it’s my favorite.

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I have decided that in this year, 2001,
I, Brittany Golden, will write and car-
ry out New Year’s Resolutions. They
are as follows:

1. Exercise every morning for 5-10. 5
being minimum and 10 being max, for
now. Put music on. Always have a clear
path.

2. Pray before every meal.

3. Journal every night.

4. Put my room the way I want to.

5. Every Sunday go to church (Some Exceptions).

6. Every Thursday go to R.E.

7. Pray every night.

8. Organize your morning!

9. Try and become popular without hurting people’s feelings.

10. Not to be mean to my family

11. Follow out goal/dreams/ideas

12. Every Sunday write letters

13. Save money.

14. Call dad every Sunday.

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I’m surprised by how many of these are still on my list. Almost 20 years have passed, and I still try to journal every night, to save money, to treat my family with kindness. I haven’t gotten around to putting my apartment the way I’d really like it. If I exercise, I do yoga. About 5-10. Max, for now.

Beginnings are special, but I’m breaking whatever rule says I have to stick to anything for a year. My resolution this year is to blog through January. I’ve been inspired by my good friend, T. Shaw, who participated in Blogmas, blogging every day in December through Christmas, and she turned out to be a blogging QUEEN! Also, I’m a writer, so it makes sense. I’ll be sharing stories about waitress life, some poetic ish (check out Sky Island Journal’s Winter 2018 issue to see my stuff, out January 20th, IT’S EXCITING!!!), and other topics that I have no idea about yet.

Feel free to share your own resolutions/reservations/comments on the sweet “edge” I gave my g’s and y’s.

Happy New Year, everyone!!!

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”
–Edith Lovejoy Pierce