Doing New

Crazy times. Sorry for missing you guys Thursday and Friday last week. Holidays, and all: Candlelight services, cookie-baking, and visiting relatives and all. Should have seen it coming.

But here we are, the last week of December – the last week of 2011. Funny: so many people are thinking about new plans for the new year, new resolutions – yet, by all rights, March should be the new year, if December was the tenth month of the year. We’re funny creatures, setting “appropriate” times to do something new: today is a new day, January 1^st is a new year – time to turn over a new leaf. It works so rarely, trying to “drive our stake” at some auspicious time, as if doing so will make that stake more secure. It won’t. Mental stakes are tenuous things, and no “time” in the world makes them more secure. No one says: “I’ll start living when someone close to me dies;” but how many times does it take just such an event? “I’ll start doing the right thing, when the wrong thing so clearly leads me to chaos.” “I’ll start driving responsibly when my irresponsibility causes me to kill someone.” Those kinds of events have a way of securing that stake – but it’s still a mental move.

Or maybe: “With this diet/exercise plan, you’ll see the weight melt away!” Do you know what exercise plan works the absolute best, and has a 100% guarantee? The one you commit to. It’s funny to see all these different work-outs claiming to be more effective than others. The only thing that makes them remotely close to effective is if their uniqueness lends to your actually doing it. Exercise half an hour to an hour a day, and don’t consume more. Your body will want to, but don’t let it. Do the hip-hop based workout, or the martial arts based workout, or the muscle confusion based workout – it really isn’t going to matter. The only difference is cardio versus muscle building. Everything else is about your commitment and effort.

The same with everything else. Want to pursue God in the new year? Pursue Him now. Want to run away from Him? You probably already are. Want to pursue a career? Life begins in the next second. Don’t wait. Live now. You’re breathing now; your mind is functioning now; you can decide now, and you can live now. Waiting for New Year’s Day isn’t going to do anything magical, to make you do something you wish you could.

For me, I’m starting one last revision process on my book. I have a checklist of 18 pieces I need to fix. Some constitute changing one line; others are a process of inserting a couple scenes across several chapters. Some are concrete; others are incredibly nebulous. My goal is to finish this week. I’ll let you know how it goes.

I’m also finishing The Great Gatsby today, and starting probably on East of Eden – then perhaps I’ll get back to Paksenarrion, which is proving itself to be a fantastic read. I’ll let you know how that progresses as well.

See you tomorrow.