I used to be so good.
Every year I would start thinking about my New Year’s Resolutions in November.
By December 31, I’d try to narrow the list down to 10. Each would be specific and measurable, and have been broken down into steps with defined follow-up dates.
Does this sound exhausting to you? It’s a bit mind boggling to me in retrospect. It’s not like I had more time, I just flogged myself like a draft horse in pursuit of some nebulous image of perfection, or maybe flawlessness is a better word. I didn’t think I was ever going to be perfect, but by god if I wasn’t going to make every (un)reasonable effort in scrubbing everything from myself or my life which anyone might even possibly conceive of as a flaw!
For the past couple of years, I’ve followed along on the recent trend of coming up with a Word for the year. One, a couple of years ago, was Warmth. The others I’ve forgotten. This is, as you likely don’t need me to tell you, a change. I’ve got a Word for this year, too–one I haven’t forgotten yet; it’s Flaws. Yes, indeed. How the mighty have fallen.
I know I know. It’s supposed to be something like Achieve or Grow or Learn or LiveInTheBahamas or something aspirational and surrounded by a lit-from-within glow suitable for motivational posters. Fuck it. After decades of examining myself with a microscope to identify and destroy anything that does not live up to whatever ideal(s) I was trying to embody at the time–and to be sure, missing plenty, that being a key part of humanness–I’m going to spend 2016 being ok with having flaws and not being perfect or growing or trying to achieve anything in particular except a wholehearted appreciation of those imperfect quirks that make us individual humans.
A Word like Flaws naturally introduces some logistical questions, particularly with regards to hobbies, such as: Am I going to purposefully read books I know to be awful? Will I make sewing mistakes on purpose? Should I embrace the Joys of Burnt Pasta? Well, no. I’m sure I’ll end up reading awful books, making sewing mistakes, and burning pasta without any special effort on my part. I’ll also say things to Frances I shouldn’t, do something I’m not supposed to at work, spend money on things I don’t end up using, miscalculate the carb content of a considerable number of meals, emit more greenhouse gases than the planet can safely support on a per capita basis, wrongly sort the recycling, and in many other ways both large and small, Fail to Live Up to My Full Potential. Hurray!
Who knows, maybe I’ll do some stuff, too. Maybe I’ll even finally take some pictures of recent sewing projects and post something here about sewing again, or finish a book review, or talk about something other than myself. Let’s hope, anyway.
Zoopolis 
My word for the month is Inertia. Coming up with a word for the year would violate my word for the month.
Inertia works! Particularly if you already like where you’re going.
🙂 I picked my word as a variant of Sarah’s word, “Motion.” And I do like where I’m going (mostly).
Oh how interesting — and my word is Unstuck. I looked up synonyms because “unstuck” is not a lovely-sounding word, but they all struck me as alarming. Emancipate. Unfasten. Unbuckle. They are too close to “untethered,” which is *not* what I want. I like being tethered to family and friends — I just want to reduce the inertial forces!
Unstuck is a good one too. 🙂 And you’re right, it’s a whole lot better than untethered, which just sounds like a float-away helium balloon.
What a terrific resolution. I love it. This time of year, other people’s attempts at perfection leave me exhausted. I applaud your honesty! Let’s get together again soon!
Thanks. 🙂 Does it still count if I’m trying to be perfectly imperfect? Just kidding. There’s no chance of that anyway.
We should! Let me know what would work for you and we’ll make plans.