New year, clean slate.

Our friend Ben has always been sorry to see the Christmas season give way to the new year, as it officially does today, Epiphany Sunday. Admittedly, our tree and decorations are still up, our Christmas music is still playing, and we’re still enjoying our annual DVD Scroogefest. Silence will insist (as she always does) that everything be taken down and stored before Valentine’s Day, but in the meantime, I’m enjoying every second of Christmases past and present.

However, Silence and I also acknowledge the arrival of a new year and the possibilities it presents. Our new year’s resolutions include getting ourselves and our cottage home, Hawk’s Haven, in shape. We hope to incorporate more macrobiotic-inspired vegan meals into our vegetarian repertoire, to hit the treadmill daily, wear our pedometers religiously and strive for that 10,000 steps a day goal, and to lift weights twice a day. And we plan to declutter fanatically, making sure we’ve boxed or bagged up something to take to Goodwill, our local library, our local DVD/CD exchange, or our local antiques or consignment shops every day.

January is special to us for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the opportunity for a fresh start. My beloved younger brother has a birthday in January. Silence and I just won $100 in the local lottery, which will give us the opportunity to enjoy and support our local farmers’ market. Yum! Silence already has big plans in that direction. And of course we have our resolutions to fulfill.

Do you have new year’s resolutions? If so, please share them with us.

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