For Christmas, Kidlet #1 got a science lab kit from my mom. There are several activities for him to choose from and today, he decided to be a paleontologist and dig for dinosaur bones. At first, the task was tedious. In his defense, it was a pretty big chunk of dirt and there weren’t any cracks for him to exploit. But he kept at it. And while the dust was flying, he uncovered the toes of what would become his T-Rex model.
This got me to thinking about the New Year and Resolutions. I stopped making them a few years ago. It seemed pointless. I bet half of us have given up by the end of the month… and that’s being generous. It’s probably more like the end of the week. Which is sad, if you think about it.
I mean, we start the year with hope that we’re going to be proactive and change our lives but we soon fall back into the same old habits we had on New Year’s Eve. Why? Because change is hard? Of course it is. Maybe it’s because we’re really not that committed to our resolution in the first place. Perhaps we’re just making them because that’s what you do on the January 1st. You make a grand proclamation and then take bets to see who the first person is to cave. It’s normally the person who swears they’re going to lose weight as they load up their plate with queso and chips. (Yep, that was me last year.)
But I believe, at the moment that resolution is made, the intent to alter the course your life is on is genuine. The problem is, like the block of clay that hid the dino bones from few, is that it’s hard to figure out where to start. In the beginning, it’s overwhelming. But as I watched Kidlet #1, who has never been accused of sitting in one place for too long, hack away at that brick, walking away when he needed to and then coming back to try some more, I realized that grand proposals are just that. They are moments where we dare to dream we will be mighty. It’s what happens when the rubber meets the road, or in this case, when the mallet meets the chisel, that determines are success. By the end of the night, the block was nothing more than rubble of varying sizes. And sitting proudly with his competed skeleton was Kidlet #1. Accomplishment written across his face and an excitement for dinosaurs the likes of which our house has never seen.
So in 2013, there will be no grand gestures or proclamations in Kidletville. We will not announce our resolutions, but rather survey our village and determine what really matters to our family. And, like that block of dirt, we will find a place to begin and start digging deeper until we unearth the bones we need to reshape who we are as a family and what we desire as individuals.
Now, before you think I’ve gotten all soft and mushy, rest assured, Kidletville may not always be a fun place to hang out. I foresee attempted coup de tates but the locals and more than one heated town council meeting regarding changes, but in the end, we will be better for it and I’m pretty sure they won’t vote me out. At least, not until Kidlet #1 can drive and Kidlet #2 can cook.
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