New Year

Jason started the year toasting it in with friends who came over to play games. I started it in bed with a cold, kept company by Mr. Darcy and good cold meds. We've laid low the past few days, and all in all I'm grateful that the cold came when I was already planning to lay around in sweats and watch obscene amounts of tv, versus finish papers or celebrate Christmas or start new Congress next week.

Today's to-do list started with sleeping in far too long, then:
1. Drinking lots of coffee;
2. Tearing down the Christmas tree in overcaffeinated frenzy, then packing up all the other Christmas decorations (still feel grinch-ish for being so anxious to get everything down);
3. Eating soup leftover from last night's party;
4. Taking a shower;
5. Sitting.

There is still dinner to make, and Jason is organizing his computer games in an effort to pass time until the hockey Winter Classic starts at eight. But this quiet moment, in the clean, uncluttery (love tree, but takes up third of room) living room with tea and fire is my favorite way to start the new year.

I've been anxious to put 2010 behind us--this fall, particularly, felt like being trapped in a deep rut, so I feel relieved that January 1 is finally here. I want something totally new for 2011, something to break the mold. Like moving to London. Or quitting my job and writing a book. Or taking up ballet. Or, at the very least, getting a bold new hair cut.

For today, I've abandoned my Lady Grey for some new white tea and put away my Sara Groves playlist for a long-forgotten Lifehouse album. I feel a bit better, ready for a January where I will:
* organize my house, room by room, starting with the spare room and working my way up to that ridiculous shelf of crap in the utility room;
* write letters (or, okay, emails) to the dear friends whom I have completely and utterly neglected over the past year;
* update my iPod;
* practice the art of meditation, as studied in Celebration of Disciplines last year (perhaps not bad idea to stop for a moment and give God a little space to speak in my life);
* stop eating sugar (must dispose of hundreds of cookies, chocolate candies, etc. in next 24 hours) and get in awesome shape so that I a) look fabulous in a swim suit, b) stop huffing and puffing up the stairs (pretend it is the head cold, but pretty sure it is the lack of working out since before Thanksgiving), and c) fit into the majority of my jeans again;
* write something. Just something.

I am very happy for new beginnings this year...or, at least, I will be once I have polished off this last bag of cookies...