A Welcome New Year

I love the feel of a new year! I don't know why that single turn of the calendar page makes such a big difference, but it does. It's like shutting the door on everything that didn't quite work out the way you wanted. Everything is possible again.

I don't think I do traditional New Year's resolutions any more. Instead, I take a little time to get the feel of the new year and decide what is going to be important to me. I've decided that this year I will focus on two things.

1. My health. It seems like I've been approaching my health the wrong way for a long time, and I've been paying for it. It's been one step forward and two steps back, and I don't like where I've ended up. My new plan is to take one step back and two steps forward. I hope.

CFS is all about energy. In the past, my routine has been to build up a little energy, and then rush out and use it all up. Build up a little more, then rush out and use it all up. Kind of like yo-yo dieting, what I've discovered is that each time I do that, it's harder to build my energy back up.

My new plan is that I am going to steadily build my energy up without interruption. I'm going to severely limit my outside activities -- nothing beyond the absolute necessary. I'm going to focus on eating healthy and gently exercising every day. I'm going to listen to my body and rest, rest, rest!

2. Now that I've announced it to the world ... I'm going to focus on my writing. I want to finish my first novel, and I want to learn the art of the short story, and I want to get something published. Writing, as my dear husband has observed, is something that energizes me. So, this is the year of taking it seriously.