Wednesday, December 24, 2008

merriness (it comes with itches)

Happy Christmas Eve, everyone! All our snow is gone, which makes me mournful. The backyard shouldn’t be muddy and twig-cluttered for Christmas.

Christmas Eve brings us within spitting distance of 2009, and I for one am itching for changes.

Redoing my room entirely should help—though I have to confess something. I am not at all troubled by the Blank Page syndrome so many writers talk about. You just slap some words on it and keep trucking. No sweat.

But Blank Room syndrome has me by the throat. Redo my room entirely? From scratch? I feel overwhelmed by my hopes for a lovely space, and dwarfed by the amount of work there is to do.

I’m sure it will be wonderful, and I’ll feel better with paint in hand, with the bedspreads and curtains purchased. It will eventually come together… I’m painting on Friday, whether I feel nervous or not! And I’ll swipe a camera and share some pictures with you, especially if it goes well.

January 2009 will also kick off my next revision phase: reawakening Part Four of the book and hashing out my run to the climax. Whew! Plenty of work to do in the early part of the year.

But as January comes closer, I’m wanting new everything. Has it bitten you yet, this craving for change?

I want new weather (blizzard!), new shoes (ooh, red ones), new goals, new dreams. I want to be a better writer, a more focused reader, a savvier cook. I want to be more committed in my relationships, a better listener. I want to knit socks. To make a dozen pies. To dye my hair something shocking. To visit a country I wouldn’t normally have on my list—like Sweden. I want to go to Sweden.

Oooh, this is a dangerous mood. This is what makes me price Parisian studios online, or cooking classes in Chicago. It makes me say crazy things, like “I could run a half-marathon in 2009.”

Blank calendars always tell me that everything is possible. (Blank calendars + strong coffee = please lock up my debit card before I do something insane.)

I’ve also run across some fabulous lists from other bloggers (some favorites here)—other people’s dreams and hopes are so inspiring.

What’s your take on resolutions and end-of-the-year hopes? Does it make you itch for new things, or is it just another new month?

Alternately, does anyone want to go halves on a week’s stay in Sweden?—jl

Posted by Jenn Langefeld on 12/24 at 03:30 PM
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