Happy New Year!

I know, I promised 25 days of Christmas and once more I went MIA. First there was the fried Mac computer (better known as Apple Crisp). Then there was the decision to crash a book (which means writing it as fast as you possibly can). And then there was life.
But I'm back, and one of my many New Year's Resolutions is to post at least once a week here.

First off, no resolutions about my career. Careers are out of our control. We can't resolve to make the New York Times list, sell like hotcakes, get a million dollar contract. All that is up to fate, and all the resolution in the world won't make it happen. But I can choose not to let it break my heart and make me crazy.
So I guess my first resolution really is about my career.
1. I resolve to weather the storms of publishing calmly, and not let it break me.

Then there's the weight issue. I'm adorably chubby ... actually I think I've gone over the line on that one and it's no longer so adorable. I think it's beginning to have an impact on my health. But just choosing to lose weight is a yoyo game, and I've played it too often. Therefore:
2. I choose to get healthy. To make choices, small or large, that will help me feel better and stronger. Maybe I'll start with one small choice a day, and then expand it. But even one small step, one small choice, is a beginning.

And then there's life. I feel responsible for everyone's well-being, I feel anxious and upset if one of my kids is having issues, and they're 20 and 23 by now. I need to not ride the rollercoaster of emotion that is youth. I can't fix everything for them, and if I can't be happy if they're not happy then I'm deliberately choosing unhappiness. I'll do anything I can for them. But then I've got to let go. Therefore:
3. I resolve to let go and let God.

Writing, which has absolutely nothing to do with career. I love writing, love stories. I despise the business, which has tried to break me so many times over the years. Fuck the business. I need to remember to keep them separate. And I never feel good unless I write. Therefore:
4. I will write at least five days a week, at least 200 words a day. When I commit to that I always write a great deal more, and it keeps me in the story, whether I end up doing a page and a half or a 16 page chapter.

And the chaos I live in. It's overwhelming, and even Flylady seems too much to handle sometimes. But it's making me crazy, and there's no island of serenity in the place.
5. I will make one small step a day on decluttering the house.

Sewing and quilting. I have too many UFOs (unfinished objects) and sewing keeps me centered and my blood pressure down.
6. I will do half an hour in my workshop every day, whether it's organizing or actual sewing, because it will make me feel better.

And most important of all:

7. I will take joy in life. In my wonderful husband and children, in my three cats and a dog, in my wonderful writing friends like Jenny Crusie and Lani Diane Rich and the joy of collaboration, I will celebrate gorgeous men and movies and snow that covers the mountains with a blanket of white. I'll celebrate working toward the things I want in life, health and serenity.

And I wish you all a fabulous new year!

So tell me what your resolutions are? Have you got any plans to make 2008 a good year? Besides the obviously political solution .