Winter update

This is my fifth full winter of living in Michigan. And I can proudly say that it is my best winter here. Why? I credit my attitude 100%.

I decided last fall that I would work as hard as I could to embrace and accept the winter here as part of life -- instead of fighting it, cursing it and dreading it. (Actually, now that I'm looking back at that fall entry, I realize I have used the word "resolve," which puts me in a contrary position to another recent entry. Ahh, well. You can't win 'em all.)

So back to my "win" on the winter front. I have sailed through this winter, taking in stride even the coldest, most miserable days (more on that in a second). The girls and I have played outside in the snow and ice as much as possible. They have loved every minute. And I have loved them loving it. See, they're Michigan girls, unlike me. But I'm working on it.

And, I actually have found it funny -- in a "ha ha" way, not in a cynical torture way, for once -- that the winter I have chosen to embrace and accept is on track to be the coldest winter on record since 1880 and so far has the most snowfall ever for the period ending January 31. We have more snow on the ground than I've ever seen in my life. And I'm not bitching! I'm smiling.

Don't get me wrong, I won't be sad when spring arrives. But I also won't start my winter dread for NEXT winter on the first warm day -- yes, this has been my MO in the past, no wonder I couldn't stand it!

Do I lack resolve?

New Year's resolutions have been flying at me everywhere I've turned so far this year: the newspaper, TV (is anyone else tired of Oprah and her "wagon?") and especially on the internet. People are resolving that 2009 is the year they will morph into everything they've always wanted to be -- or so it seems. To their credit, many of my blogger friends and Facebook friends have written quality missives about their personal goals.

So, why haven't I? I don't have any resolutions. Is that wrong? Is that bad? Ironically, all the hype has made me question myself in that regard. I've thought about it, and really I'm the only person who can decide if it's bad not to be spouting my goals for the world to know. And I think it's just fine. It's all right to think that I'm good enough and smart enough. And there are even a few people who like me, gosh darn it.

After the ongoing discussions through the past few decades about equal rights and feminism and women's liberation, I feel like I'm in the minority by being a woman who is happy with myself and my life without any major changes. Don't get me wrong -- I know I'm not the perfect person, and I can always improve on managing my friendships, taking time for my husband, writing more for myself, cleaning my house, learning to use my sewing machine, and a few other things. And I'm struggling lately to motivate myself to even step outside to get the mail because it's been so frigidly cold. But I don't feel like I've ever needed (and hope I never will) the kinds of transformations I've been bombarded with in this year's press about resolutions.

I always have goals, some small and some longer-term. My caffeinated beverage experiment was one of the longer-term plans, and we're still in the midst of the Kleenex project. I guess I just don't need a calendar to tell me to connect with myself and check in with how my life is going so far.

On a semi-related note, I can't help but wonder how much of the New Year's resolution hype this year has been brought on by the financial crisis. Are we covering up our collective financial pain with focusing more inwardly? Could be, and time will tell.