A time for change

So the other day, on New Year's Eve actually, Molly was telling me how she hates waking up on New Year's Day to the parade. "In fact", she said, "I think New Year's is my least favorite holiday!" At the time, I am not really sure if I agreed with her or disagreed, or maybe I was just a mute, but as I later thought about it, New Year's is definitely not my least favorite holiday. It's not my favorite by far, but I like it. I like feeling like I get a chance to start over in a few ways, I get the chance to make myself better. I used to have a friend that told me he thought new year's resolutions were stupid and never made any because you should be changing yourself when you realize you need the change, not wait for a specific day to do it. . .blah. . . blah. . . blah. I mean. . . I see his point, yet I still disagree. I think New Year's Day is a good "starting over" day to kind of recommit yourself to doing things differently (even if in reality they rarely ever stick).

So today, I was teaching my class about New Year's (I know, we prob should have done it yesterday on our first day back, but there was just too much to do!) Anyway. . . it was a pretty amusing conversation so I am going to tell you about it. Nobody in my class realized why we actually stay up until midnight to celebrate. They thought you stay up til midnight just so you can see the fireworks and watch the big ball drop. "But why do they do it at midnight? Why don't they do all that stuff at 8 o'clock so we don't have to stay up so late? Why in the world does this random holiday take place in the middle of the night?" I questioned them. And then I pointed to a calendar and showed them which day they actually all stayed up late on, it wasn't even New Year's Day, it was the day before!
Midnight starting the new day is a harder concept for them to understand so a lot of them don't. We talked about how they will go to bed tonight and it is Tuesday, and when they wake up tomorrow it is Wednesday. . . when did it actually become Wednesday?? Most of the class thought 7 oclock. . . I am guessing that's when they wake up?? So we went over the fact that at midnight that's when the new day starts even though it is still the "middle of the night." (Golly, who made up our weird clock schedule anyway? 7 seems like a much more reasonable start time!) It was fun to watch them actually understand the meaning behind it. . . they are so silly!

So we go over New Year's Resolutions and why we make them. . . etc., etc, and then of course they start asking me what my new year's resolutions are. I do have a list of resolutions I have made, I mean, I can't be the only one that had a church lesson on new year's resolutions just two days ago! But how do you tell a bunch of 7 year olds that only know you as their teacher and not a normal everyday 25 year old, that my new year's resolution consists of being on the "Jerry Subway Diet" as well as not eating sugar for the next 23 days because I am going on a big trip at the end of the month and I do not consider myself bathing suit worthy yet? Or that I tend to spend lots more money then I technically have so I am trying to fix those kinds of mistakes as well?

My 2008 took some very unexpected turns that were obviously "unexpected." Life is not going nearly how I thought it would be and there has been a lot of change as well as a lot of regrets. I guess I am tired of being disappointed with things that happened, I am tired of thinking what could've, would've, or should've happened and one of my biggest resolves this year is to stop living in the past in a way. I got one of those texts that you are supposed to forward that said,

"There comes a point in your life when you realize: Who matters, who never did, who won't anymore, and who always will, so don't worry about people from the past, there is a reason they didn't make it to your future. So send this to everyone you want to remain in your life throughout 2009."

(Sorry, none of you got this from me because I am not a text forwarder. . . ) I know it's a cheesy little thing, but it made me realize that there is a reason certain people have not made it to my future, and I know that it is probably for a good reason and it's time to move on from that.

Just because things have changed, does not mean I am not happy with the changes. I have adjusted, I am experiencing new things, and I have been enjoying this new little life I have been leading. So don't you worry about that!

Anyway--one thing I have heard about new year's resolutions is they stick best when you tell someone else about them. I surely couldn't tell a class of 17 kiddos all that stuff, so instead, I posted it here. . .

"So what did you tell those curious kids what your 2009 resolutions are?" you ask.

I am going to eat more vegetables. (Haha. . . I was on the spot!!!)