Happy New Year

January 4, 2010 at 3:42 pm · Filed under Goals and tagged: activism, blogging, music, writing

I turned thirty-four last Tuesday. I used to whine about my birthday. It’s a bit inconvenient, right in between Christmas and New Years when no one wants anything more to celebrate, and I’ve gotten a lot of “Merry Christmas (and Happy Birthday)” gifts over the years. But at some point I grew up and got over it. Not entirely since I am mentioning it, aren’t I? But enough. And thirty-four, generally speaking, is not a birthday of significance. It’s not 10 or 13 or 16 or 18 or 21 or 30 or even 35. And if 40 is the new 30 then 34 is the new 24 so I should not even be too upset about getting old or older, particularly if I really am “grown up”. Plus Angelina Jolie is my age and she’s not old, right?

But my mother died when she was 35. Which means I am not old at all because she died young. However, she lived a meaningful life in her thirty-five short years, and I am unconvinced I have in my thirty-four. That makes this year important.

Normally, I don’t make New Year resolutions. When asked, I say “to stop biting my nails” — which I do, every year, and then I start up again, every year. So it is neither success nor failure. And it doesn’t ever really matter. Now, normally, I do make goals. Cyclically. Throughout the year. I’m good with ideas, having them and plotting them. But follow through, not so much.

Well, it’s a new year (a new decade, even) and I’ll turn thirty-five at the end of it. So, here are my goals/resolutions.

Write a novel. Or novella. Or editorial. Or treatment. Or screenplay. Or comic book. Or web comic. Point being, something original.

Sell a song. Or at least attempt to. Record. Package. Use the resources available. Try.

Update my blogs once a week. Or more, just not less. Stop worrying about having something to say. Stop worrying about sounding intelligent or insightful. Stop worrying about the audience. Stop worrying.

Be an activist. I talk a good talk, but that’s not enough. If I’m only talking at the TV, I mean. Do something.

Use my planner. I have all these plans. I should use my organizational skills to my advantage. Follow through.

Stop biting my nails.

Welcome to 2010.

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