It's January.......Again

I've said it before and I'll say it again, January is difficult month for me.  I always seem to find myself at a loss.  The whole "clean slate-new year" concept is a bit overwhelming for me.  The pressure to make this year better than the last one or to be a better person than I was last year or to throw away those bad habits and adopt better habits overwhelms me and at the same time renders me paralyzed.
I don't know where to start, so I just stay still.  I'm more of a finisher than a starter anyway.  I'm slow to start but I like to finish what I start so I think long and hard before I commit and begin.

This year started even slower than most.  We ended 2014 in fine fashion by hosting a fun New Year's Eve party.  Halfway through New Year's Day we finally succumbed to the nasty cold our grandsons shared with us over Christmas.  Fight it as we may, it won out in our moment of weakness and both TJ and I spend the better part of the next two days dragging ourselves from the bed to the sofa and back.  I brought in the new year by watching hours of football and an entire season of Gilmore Girls while on the sofa cuddled up in a blanket, systematically emptying my own box of Kleenex.  Yeah, that's how you do it! Take that 2015!  Oh, I forgot to mention that it rained constantly for those two days and the temperature never rose above 43 degrees.  Things can only get better.

Yes, Rory, I feel the same way!

After about 4 days we both felt more human and it was time to finally start our new year.  The sun even came out one day and all was right with the world again.   I joined the many people who clean out their closets to begin the new year.  I felt like I was getting rid of a past life as I folded those old clothes.  Clothes I wore when I worked (so many nice dress pants and coordinating sweaters and blouses), clothes I wore when I lived in the much cooler climate in Toronto ( I loved those wool sweaters!), clothes I wore on past ski trips (turtle necks in every color!), and as much as it pains me to admit... clothes that are just never going to fit again (and I thought I was big then....).  I must say it was bitter sweet saying goodbye to all of those clothes and memories.  I really do like clothes, always have.

I joined the resolutionists at the gym on Monday and grunted through my first ever Pilates class.  Funny, they do the same exercises I did in the '70's and 80's just under a different label.  I came to the unfortunate realization that ...."damn, I was in really good shape back then and double damn, I am in really bad shape now!  This is going to hurt tomorrow!"  I did blame a little of my fatigue on the lingering cold and spending 3 days doing absolutely nothing but blowing my nose.  I think if I did that class 3 days a week I could beat my old flabby body back into an old less flabby body, but alas the class time conflicts with my ESL class which happened to be on holiday that particular day.  Yeah, I know, I could find another one somewhere, sometime, maybe....and go to it once I can walk again.

So, here I sit, looking out at the 7th gray day in January realizing there are still 22 more days of this month!  The good news is that next week will virtually fly by.  We are bringing our colds back to the grandsons while their parents take a much deserved trip to a sunny, warm, child free, tropical island.  I will get to experience real winter and will no doubt be very busy.  I hope to share some priceless moments with you if I can remember them.

One more January survival activity has been to plan our future rendezvous.  Nothing gives a gray dreary day more hope than looking at pictures like this.....

and thinking....2 more months!

 Happy January!