When does your New Year start?

I never celebrate the traditional New Year. I haven’t since the early 1990s (Gerard Holland’s house party in Charlottetown has left me forever traumatized). Nor do I really believe in New Year resolutions. I am a constant list maker so as far as I am concerned as long as I continue to make lists and check the items off as I complete them then I am on the right track – or some sort of a track. Spending twenty years in school meant that for many years my New Year started in September. After working for the government for only four years, I recently realized that I have began organizing my year in quarters just like my work and now subconsciously recognize April 1st as the beginning of my New Year.

At work last week there was discussion on creating a routine servicing schedule for the Umatic and Betacam videocassette machines. It made perfect sense of course. Every year before the silage season begins my brother and father have all the necessary farm equipment serviced. Otherwise there will inevitably be breakdowns. This led me to think about the things I try to do once a year.

Due to allergies, I replace my bed pillows once a year. Once a year I try and use my Canadian Tire money. I do this to avoid overwhelming the person at the checkout, but watching the new TLC show “Extreme Couponing” this past week made me feel less guilty about this. Then of course there is the annual “big clean.” Everyone who knows me knows that I love to clean – and organize – and iron. I love having a weekend all to myself, especially to do all these things. I find it very therapeutic to clean – especially the once a year cleaning when you dig out and organize those nooks and crannies you only have do once a year. Let’s just say that this weekend I got organized. The dust flew and I was subsequently rendered with a flare up of sinus and allergies, but it was worth it.

When my Mom visited in January she got me started. We re-potted two of my three plants. Both plants have already perked up. Reviving my Zebra plant has given me a small victory for which I am sure Grammie Mahar would be proud. Grammie had such a knack with flowers and plants. The florist told me the plant needed little water and indirect sunlight. When the leaves subsequently all fell off I decided to cut it down and try the opposite – a lot of water and direct sunlight. The results were immediately obvious:





I am really looking forward to the upcoming year. The past few months have already yielded all kinds of positive results. I had one of the best Christmas vacations ever. I had a great victory at work and I just completed a writing project/deadline. I have plans and hopes for 2011 that have left me more optimistic for the future than ever. In the meantime, the one thing I am going to work on in the upcoming quarter is to read more. I’ve created the reading nook and that’s why I bought the chaise in the first place. People keep giving me books and now it is time that I wipe the dust off and start reading them.