Buenos dias, 2012!

Tradition dictates that if we're together on New Year's Eve we stay home, play a drinking game while watching a movie, kiss at midnight, and toast to the year to come. This year we added Mama and Papa Bossy to the mix, but we kept the plan the same, watching Bridesmaids and drinking every time we heard a swear word or the word "wedding." It was a lovely relaxing way to start the new year, surrounded by my loved ones in the house that already feels like home.

It seems I'm constantly making self-improvement plans, vowing to do better and BE better, to live the life I want and enjoy every minute of it. No matter how many times plans fall through and old habits override new efforts, I am ever optimistic about my chances for success.

A friend wrote this a couple of days ago, and I haven't been able to get it out of my head, especially this:

"I'm an unabashed believer in the big dream, and I believe not on faith but on evidence. Brothers and sisters, I have seen people reinvent their lives over and over again. People start businesses. People quit drinking. People get married, have children, create art, move to new cities, speak in foreign tongues, and then they throw everything in their life up in the air and try something new. They set their sights on a prize far off, and then they move. And yes, small daily steps are part of that journey. But so are the long vision, the dare, the jump off the cliff into the unknown. And so are failure and disappointment."

How right she is. Let's make some resolutions, shall we, without fear of failure. I've been lucky enough to have 2 amazing years in a row—let this year bring even more joy and fulfillment. And yes, let's identify the practical steps that will help us make our goals, but let's be sure not to lose sight of where those small steps are leading us. So, forthwith, my 2012 New Year's resolutions (and there's nothing small about them):

I resolve to make a true home in Houston.
I mean "home" in every sense of the word. I want to make our house everything we need it to be, warm and peaceful and inviting. I want to find activities and work that will keep me where CM is more of the time. I want to tend to my Houston friendships and make new ones. I want to take full advantage of everything our adopted hometown has to offer.

I resolve to cross off at least 10 Bossy List items.
Because it's fun!

I resolve to ask for what I want in my career.
Let 2012 be the year I stop expecting opportunities to fall in my lap, although it sure is lovely when they do.

I resolve to make my health a priority.
Exercise, vegetables, flossing, etc. I'm in my 30s now—I can't think of a good excuse not to (and believe me, I'm trying).

I resolve to spend my precious free time in ways that make me happy and invigorated.
More exploration, less Hulu.


What's on your big, no-fear list this year? 2012, let's do this.