So it’s bye-bye time to 2017. As for me, I’ll be saying it from my family room sofa, warm from a blazing fire. Maybe I’ll watch a movie or read a book while being amused as 4 of my pets jockey for position on my lap. One of those will include my enormous greyhound, so this should be interesting.

My lap-dog

I guess you could say I’m not a New Year’s Eve kinda gal. Now don’t get me wrong; it’s not that I don’t like a good celebration. I’m all about gatherings, enjoying each other’s company and all that. But that’s not how I view New Year’s Eve because it’s the time people often over-imbibe and do stupid things. Not that I haven’t had my moments with stupidity…but that’s for another blog.Being on the road after the clock strikes midnight is like playing Russian roulette. It’s a rare bird cruising along at 65 mph who hasn’t had one too many vodka martini’s (with 2 olives on the side, please). Oh wait, that’s me. My drink, I mean…I don’t do the cruising afterward though and therein lies the difference.I don’t celebrate New Year’s Eve but if you do, have fun and be safe so you’ll see 2018. It’s going to be a stellar year. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. This year has had its ups and downs. But I’ll focus on the ups and practice visualizing more of them for 2018. Maybe that saying, “If you can dream it, you can achieve it” isn’t a bunch of malarkey. I’ll let you know on December 31, 2018.

My problem is I have a hard time letting go…of people, situations, possessions, you name it. Change is difficult for me. But the older I get on this journey, I realize once I let go of my fear of losing whatever it may be, it’s an opportunity for growth. That’s where I inevitably find that change is actually a great thing.

So even though I don’t celebrate on New Year’s Eve, I’m looking at it as another opportunity to get it right in 2018. By “it” I mean all my foibles. But that’s a lot to tackle in one year, don’t you think? Perhaps I’ll just shoot for fixing a couple foibles instead.

So in that vein, I think I’ll start small and work my way up. I’m not calling them resolutions since most of us forget them by mid February. Let’s call them attempts at self improvement. Yeah, that sounds quite grown up, which I’ve heard I’m supposed to be by this age.

How about I start by cutting out sugar? That’s quite a leap though; I’m craving ice cream just thinking about that. But as many of you know, sugar is my Kryptonite. My friends didn’t help when, for Christmas, one gave me my favorite See’s candy and another a tin of luscious milk chocolates and decadent chocolate mint cookies. Damn those friends of mine.

Yeah, I think that’s a great place to start for 2018. I don’t, however, envy those who cross my path on day 4 of my sugar fast. I pity the poor souls, as I plan to be a tad on the cranky side from withdrawals. Let me apologize in advance for my rudeness.

Wait a sec, on second thought, perhaps I’m being a bit overzealous here. Maybe I should ease into tackling my foibles by starting with exercising more, then work my way up to shunning sugar. Yeah, that’s the ticket. After all, I’m not shooting for being a perfect human being in 2018. Just a better one.

Happy New Year, my friends!