NO resolutions! Just baby steps....

A new year beginning... a fresh slate, a clean calendar, a new outlook.  At least that's what everyone tells us.  To me, January 1st is often just like any other day (besides the fact that it's my birthday), with the exception that yes, we do start with a new calendar.

I don't do the "New Year's Resolution," at least not the capitalized version.  I've found that resolutions made in one day often don't stick around past the end of the month.  A friend of mine makes a list of goals to be accomplished, which is helpful if you keep that list in front of you and then review it at the end of the year to see what's been ticked off (besides the people you normally tick off.  Ha.).  I would most likely forget to keep the list in view, and then lose it somewhere around April.

A far better way for me is to add little habits to my daily life.  One little baby step at a time, to make changes that ultimately amount to quite a lot.

On New Year's Eve, my dear sis-in-law Michelle and I were working on a Thomas Kinkaid 1000 piece puzzle that was beautiful but so darn frustrating to put together ("oh look, a pink flower..." "there are 4 spots with pink flowers, choose one" "oh look, some blue wavy bits...." "AUGH!").  My second son came by, took one look at our lack of progress and said, "good... work."  And then with a sly smile, sidled away, only to come back a few minutes later with another similarly unencouraging word.

After a couple minutes of this, Michelle said, "My, you are a patient mom" (because I had not whacked him upside the head yet).  I serenely smiled and said, "God knew that I needed work in the patience area; that's why he gave me son #2."  Those of you who truly know me can now sit back up and wipe the tears out of your eyes, but that is God's truth.  If it weren't for my children, especially #2, I would definitely be a different person.

All this to say that one of the things I've been working on is controlling my tongue (I know, baby steps).  Impatience often comes about from lack of control in that area.  That's how we let people know that they are WASTING OUR TIME.  But when we control our tongues, we can stop and think about what we are really thinking and how we really want to treat people.

I work on it, consciously, conscientiously, almost every day.  And it's a battle!  I have to think of when I am being or feeling impatient, then I have to arrest the words on the tip of my tongue, and THEN, if I've still got enough strength, I think of something encouraging or nice to say instead.  I KNOW!  Lots of work, and I don't get it right every time, as all of you can attest.

I also work on communicating with my sons and husband.  Never been very good at this, even though I can be voluminously voluble (ha!) at times, especially when I've had a lot of chocolate or caffeine (and watch out if it's both).

But these kinds of battles aren't a once-at-the-beginning-of-the-year-and-then-forget-about-it thing.  They are lifelong, and we never finish.  Kind of like housework, only more important.  So instead of trying a "resolution" on January 1st, try a baby step.  And work on it, little by little every day, not just until December 31, but for the rest of your life.  Your family will thank you, and you'll be closer to the only perfect example we've ever had.

What's your baby step for the betterment of the rest of your life?