Same Old Lang Syne

My son can't understand why we need to buy a new calendar. Why can't we just turn the old one back to January? I feel the same way, I'm not finished with 2006 either - how to move on to 2007.
Last night Ken took the kid's over to Alex and Laela's house. I stayed home with a bad back and even worse disposition. Alex is from the country that invented democracy, works tagging whales for WHOI, and likes to set off fireworks. This morning I asked C about the show and he conceited that it was good, and big, and loud. But what really made an impression on him was Lu's soup bowl. It had a built-in straw. "So she could suck up all the soup, but none of the lentils would fit," he explained.
"That does sound cool," I agreed.
"Yeah, you should have been there," he said.
Zing.
I accomplished but one of last year's resolutions and I only made two, so how can I, in good faith, resolve anything new for 2007? They weren't even good resolutions like, "learn something new," or, "rediscover a lost passion," they were very specific resolutions that involved finishing long-overdue projects - more of a "to do" list than resolutions, really.
Better to profess to something vague and noble, that way, on January first you can look back over the previous twelve months and try to figure out if anything you did qualifies.
And why do we even need a new year to make resolutions? Like my son, I don't need a new calendar to know that I should be trying to improve myself, or a special day set aside for beating myself up over my shortcomings.
You should just be there, advises my four-year-old, and so, I resolve to take it one day at a time and to try and get those big firework-like projects done while still baring witness to those little things that make big impressions. And if I can keep a sense of humor about it, then that would be something.

song: Same Old Lang Syne • artist: Dan Fogelberg