Things I'm Leaving in January

I want to use Gretchen Rubin's strategy of the clean slate to maintain my healthy habits this year.  As a result, I am treating each month as a clean slate, a fresh start, a do-over-- and I am going to wrap up the month by making a list of things I did that I didn't like doing.

So, here are some behaviors that won't be joining me in February:

1.  Being a hermit:  I am not a person who needs a lot of social interaction.  When I was getting my MA and living by myself, there were many weeks that went by where I didn't go anywhere but class, a greasy restaurant to get takeout, and my apartment.  AND I WAS HAPPY.  But also, probably, kind of weird and I forgot how to communicate with people.  Thank God there was no Facebook. I have sort of fallen int that trap agin.  I go to work.  I teach class.  I have meetings.  I see parents at school and dance and gymnastics and hockey and cub scouts.  But really I am not hanging out with them.  It's more like when toddlers engage in parallel play.  So!  I am filling up my dance card with dates in February.

2.  Unloading my shitty mood on Ben the minute he walks in the door: It's not Ben's fault that the kids were fighting or I was a procrastinator and didn't get all of my work done.  In fact, his arrival signals the fact that my life is about to get a whole lot easier, so I need to act like I appreciate him.  Because I do!  And I hope that I can sort of lead by example on this front and come home to a SAHD who is in a better mood on the days I work at the office.

3.  Rushing through mornings and bedtimes with the kids:  You guys! They are growing up so fast. (It's a cliche because it's TRUE and we need to SAY IT). To them, every day is fresh and ripe, exploding with possibilities, and they aren't treating their routines like items on a checklist they can complete and then declare finished so they can curl up on the couch with a book and a blanket or a stack of papers or a screen full of frantic emails.  And neither should I.  I am consumed by the telos of the day without recognizing its potential to become something transformative.  That's the magic of little kids:  EVERY DAY can be a transformative experience.

I think I could make this a longer list, but I also think I need to pick the most important behaviors to jettison and work slowly through them, so I am going to leave it here.  With a picture to remind me that this is a fun life and I enjoy it.