The New Year

During my Child Raising days, I never really paid too much attention to New Years Eve or the Change in Date (except for writing checks....which took until March to get right). For our family the 'New Year" started in late August when the kids returned to school from the summer vacation. New classes, new teachers, new uniforms, new shoes, new sports schedules, new routines...... I even always got in the mood to try new foods that time of year. It seemed like a good time to start everything fresh. I tended to do my 'Spring cleaning' the month of September, free of children to keep the things I was getting rid of and from messing up the uncluttered and freshly scrubbed areas of our home. I loved having New cookies and treats for the children when they came home from school. I loved going to the New games and practices with them and meeting New people. I loved the New adventure we were all on with that start of the 'New Year"

Then came 2010.

The start of the School year meant the end of Motherhood for me...or at least so I thought at the time. I viewed it as an End rather than the New Beginning I had been accustomed too.

 But....We spent most of September traveling instead of cleaning and for a change, I was the one who got new shoes instead of the kids. The dread of the Empty Nest was replaced a seemingly constant change in Lifestyle complete with a new place to Live.

And so I looked at New Years Day 2011 in a whole different light. There is an anticipation and an excitement of the unknown that is New feeling for me. Wonderment of what is to come has replaced the predictability of the old routines and schedules.

And I Like it.