Happy New Year to all! Here’s that moment we all share, all possibilities realized in the birth of a whole new calendar. I just have to let go of some things first, some dregs of 2011. This was the worst that the year had to offer… the things that stand out to me that I need to release from my consciousness before I can move on.

I’m bringing out the bleach and cleaning up these irritants…

1. Texting while doing anything else in public. Driving, walking, shopping, coaching a football game, partying, and my personal favorite – at a concert, about the…yes, concert.
2. Talking with the phone in your hand while driving.
3. “Please.” Gone.
4. “Thank you.” Hanging out in the dark, nether regions with “Please.”
5. General lack of courtesy for fellow human beings, especially in parking lots and on streets.
6. Retail clerks not counting back change.
7. People whose sole source of news is Yahoo!
8. Expressions of Entitlement.
9. Seriousness. All. The. Time.
10. The death of the Turn Signal.

Here’s to letting go of the irritants, doing my best to not be irritating myself, and moving on. Here’s to cleaning out my house, inside and out, and a fresh new start.

What will I fill my house with now? I propose the following:

1. More time with the people I love.
2. Cooking at home with said people.
3. Nature. Lots of it.
4. Laughter. Lots of it.
5. Hugging my husband.
6. Hugging my cats.
7. Being in the world, not plugged into it.
8. Sunrises and sunsets.
9. Chocolate.
10. Sense of exploration and freedom.

For all my friends, loves, family, and co-workers in life – I wish you the best of all things in the coming year. Every year we feel that itch of potentiality, that whiff of Spring-to-come, of life dormant and yet somehow vibrant. Seize your moment, hold your will, employ your wisdom, and bring your beauty to the world in whatever shape it may take. You and I can do this. I thank all of you for being in my life and living the dream of human with me.

-TDD