It's good. Really good. Possibly the second-best New Year's resolution I've ever made! (First best is still Drink more water, but that's for another post.) I am so pleased with this one that I started in October, for the Jewish New Year.
Write
In the last few pages of Atul Gawande's book, Better, he offers five short but broad suggestions for a surgeon, physician, or anyone to improve his performance. One of these is "Write something." Every day, write something. It doen't need to be perfect, but you should choose your audience. Write something that you know, or think may be read. I liked this suggestion. Really, I liked the whole book, and have tried to enact a number of the suggestions Gawande recommends.
Write more
OK, been there. I once had resolved to write more...anything when I felt like I wasn't incorporating creativity into my daily life, and musings. I wrote letters, I started a blog, and then another, and another. I wrote poems, then another and another. I couldn't stop. I still can't.
In preparation for his confirmation, my son has to document some service to the community. The requirement was minimal - 15 hours or so. I thought, "No problem, he volunteers at school events, and serves at the altar at Mass on Sundays. He's set." Then we found out, the community service mut be something new, something he's not already involved with.
So it should be with New Year's resolutions. I shouldn't resolve to do something if I'm already doing it.
Thank-you
This time of year, we hear a lot about gratitude. The holiday season kicks off with a feast based on thanks. We count our blessings. We thank our gods. We appreciate the goodness in our lives. But what of the power of thanks directed? Attempts to engage and involve the people whose actions, whose very beings make us truly grateful are rewards in themselves.
Thank-you notes
There, I've said it. Consice, directed, filled with gratitude, framed in context, yet forward-looking. Mary Hunt, business writers, writers everywhere have extolled the contents of a good thank-you note. I'm giving myself a year to write more of them and figure it out myself. Happy New Year. And thank you for reading.
