Fresh Slate

It is the New Year -- so Happy New Year and welcome to 2013.  I hope you have a great year, better than last, at least.

Since I am blogging today, there are several obvious things that have occurred.
1) We did not cease to exist on 12/21/2012.
2) Christmas happened.
3) I celebrated my birthday and got older ... not necessarily smarter.
4) The New Year rang in and it is now 2013.

The New Year is all about resolutions, making those silly vows that usually are forgotten or broken by the end of January by most of the populace.

I made some goals and set some rules for me.  I hate to call them resolutions because, IF, for some reason, I don't live up to the standard I established, I don't want to feel that I've failed.

So what have I made to be my goals?

1) Spend more time (I despise the word 'quality') with my family, somehow.
2) Make sure that the one person most important in my life, my wife, is cherished and loved.
3) I will try to create a better me in some manner, if no more than just smiling at others to see them smile back and feel good themselves.
4) I want to attempt to publish at least one, maybe two or more books this year. I have several written, I just need to get up off my ass and do the edits and publish them.
5) Attempt to finalize book 2 of the Ancient Blood series entitled Homeland with my co-author.
6) This one is a gamey goal -- lose weight, if no more than just 5 pounds each month.  I didn't get all of this overnight and I'm not going to lose it overnight.  But 50 pounds by my next birthday (12/31) should be a pleasant surprise.
7) Attempt a healthier lifestyle with exercise and food.  I'm not giving up all my fried foods or sweets but will try to control the intake of such.
8) Travel.  I want to travel this year. We didn't last year and it seems a waste to see an RV sitting by the house, not moving.

Well, that gives you an idea.  Yeah, they might be considered resolutions but I prefer to call them goals.  As long as I attempt to reach the goal, IF I don't make it, it isn't a failure.  It is only a failure if I don't even attempt to try.

My co-author shared a thought with me for the New Year and I want to share it with you, with my own take on it --

Calm your heart so you can hear the slow, persistent beat of the universe; holding close your loved one(s) to listen with a kiss.

In other words, take a moment, kiss a loved one and listen to the cosmos. Just you, your loved one and the whole universe together in harmony.

Enjoy the year -- you have a new, clean, fresh slate. Trust me, I know I will screw up; I figure you will, too, but we can do it together.  As we used to say when kids -- Race ya to the end.  Hoping to see you with a glow of self-esteem and pride on 12/31/13.  We can review and resolve then.

Until I ramble again...