It’s odd how I persist with the mistaken assumption that everyone else thinks like I do.  Fact is, they don’t.  Not at all.  I should know this by now, and yet I’m surprised when others are not pleasantly obsessed with New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day for the sole purpose of life reflection and writing goals.

When I taught English to high school students, they rolled their eyes when I asked if they took time on December 31st to reflect on the previous year in preparation for writing their yearly goals on January 1. They guffawed when I reported that my favorite activity at our New Year’s Eve party was writing a short reflection of the previous year and mini-goals for the upcoming year.  No.  They hadn’t thought of that as a party activity. So I made them do it at school.  Groan.

Pretty sure the couples with whom we celebrate each New Year’s Eve are not nearly as excited as I am when I produce the manila envelope.  Our “goal” time capsule.  They don’t exactly roll their eyes, but I don’t think they’d be terribly disappointed if I forgot.  But I don’t.

I remember the days when I perched small-child Jessica and Michael on the bar stools in our kitchen and coached them through goal writing. They humored me.

I’m a natural born list maker, goal setter, dreamer, manifester.  The only thing more exciting than a fresh, new journal is an old one, pages ablaze with purple ink, corners turned down, messy with scotch-taped clippings of the orange dress I wanted to buy but never did, boarding passes and photos and funeral programs stuffed willy-nilly.

It’s really about the opportunity to start over.  New beginnings and setting pen to paper. Dream writing.  Life afresh!

Tonight, I’ll be with dear, old friends and we’ll dine on pork tenderloin cooked in sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and all the fixings.  I have the manila envelope ready to go with fresh envelopes and paper.  We’ll take just a moment to reflect on 2014 and write a short list of goals for 2015, which will be way fun cause I’ve been thinking about it for days!  And then I’ll ask “Does anyone want to share?”  And if they don’t, that’s okay, cause I definitely do.

Then tomorrow, I’ll sit at my kitchen table with my special “New Year’s Day Goals” Journal and a fresh, purple pen, a strong pot of coffee, and my dreams.

Seriously, what could be better than that?