Remember “Closing Time” by Semisonic, that ridiculously overplayed song from the late 90’s? There's a line in the song that everyone loved (including moi) – “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” More than a decade later, I still think of that line every New Year. I wonder what beginnings await us this year and what other beginnings will end to make room for the new ones.
Today is the start of our 2011 snowboarding season and our first day up in the snow for the year. I am sitting in a warm, cozy ski lodge near Lake Tahoe. I found a nice seat by the window where I can spend the day writing while The Hubs careens down the mountain at break-neck speeds, cutting in and out of trees and getting his snow legs back. I admit I’m a little jealous.
I’m six months preggers, so no snowboarding for me this year. But that’s okay. I don’t think this is the end of my snowboarding beginning, just a temporary pause. And when it starts up again, it will look very different. Next year, The Hubs and I will take turns on the lifts while the other stays with LBK in the lodge. And in a few years LBK will be old enough to learn to snowboard, and we can’t wait for that.
But this season, I will just enjoy the quiet time. LBK and I will sit in the lodge, read a book, write the blog, watch people and sip hot chocolate. A little forced relaxation will do us some good. I feel LBK kicking right now, and I think about all the beginnings and endings of 2010. The biggest one, obviously, was the beginning of parenthood. That meant the end of the some things, like drinking Red Bull in the morning and having wine with dinner. It meant the end of spending money on shoes and other frivolous things so we can save for when I’m on maternity leave. It meant the end of thinking only of us and the beginning of putting another tiny person first in our lives.
I started this blog in 2010 and put an end to my fear of putting myself out there. I began making time for things I enjoy, like writing, reading and making cookies. That meant the end of filling my time with one obligation after another and letting some items on the to-do list stay unchecked.
Lots of new beginnings and endings are around the corner for us in 2011 as well. There will be the beginning of having a tiny baby and the end of getting a full night’s sleep. LBK will begin crawling around, marking the end of having anything on a bottom shelf. Toys will begin to accumulate on the floor, and having as much time to clean the house will come to an end. There will likely be the end of my looking semi-put-together with make-up on and hair done, and the beginning of walking around the supermarket with baby barf on my shirt. There will also be the beginning and the end of caring that I have baby barf on my shirt.
I feel like this post is a prologue for a book that hasn’t been written yet. I really have no idea what the year will hold, only naïve guesses and first-time-parent predictions. So I’ve resolved to make no resolutions for 2011 except to be the best mother and wife I can be. With so much change looming, it’s most I can promise and still be good to myself. Besides, I can’t think of anything else that’s nearly as important.
What resolutions have you made for 2011? What beginnings and endings do you anticipate? I’d love to read your thoughts and comments below. I also invite you to share this post on Facebook and Twitter and find out what adventures others are looking forward to this year.
Here's a look-back on 2010. What a year it was! Happy New Year!
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| A look-back on 2010 |
