Closing Out the Year

Normally, at this time of year I start re-writing my lists.

I love lists.
Have I mentioned that before?

I don't do New Year's "Resolutions" so much as give myself a set of goals. They usually come in categories like ... Home Improvements ... Books to Read ... Stitchery Projects ... New Crafts to Try ... Dragons to Slay.

Over the years, I've found that though I still enjoy projecting these ideals by committing them to paper, it works a bit better for me to catalog my goals and achievements as I go along. Life takes many twists and flips, so it's usually not practical to have the same goals at the beginning of the year as what life presents as the months unfold.

If I steadily build my list of my goals and achievements week by week, when I get to the end of December I get to see the good I've done rather than be swallowed up in discouragement for the plans that I made but didn't see through to completion.

In this light, my lists of ideals and hopes becomes more of a list of possibilities and dreams than a To Do List that stares me down and dares me to finish. Those kinds of lists always leave me feeling like what I've done is just not enough. Those kinds of lists leave me full of doubt and regret.

And what good are those kinds of regrets? I have them, then kick myself. I've chosen to refrain from doing that as much as possible.

Regrets don't help anything.
Now, I know that.