What Do You Wish For in 2012? by Jennifer Spiller

I considered asking what your writing resolutions are for 2012, but I have a pretty good idea what they might be. Before last night, I had a resolution regarding this post. There was something I wanted to say. And then I returned to my house and discovered a typical domestic catastrophe. I found myself muttering, “In 2012, I resolve never to have to extricate a broken glass ornament from my dog’s butt hair.

I didn’t even bother with resolving or wishing not to have to clean up broken ornament glass from my entire first floor. That was too much to ask, too great a wish, and definitely too great a resolve, as it is mostly outside my control.

We make a lot of resolutions at this time of year.  But why? Perhaps it is about self improvement, a constant desire to be better than we are now. Perhaps we wish to write more often, write better, be published. Or perhaps we desire leaner, stronger bodies, better health. Some of us might even want to keep a more organized house, ahem.

But what if what we really desire is more control? If only we can master these things we perceive to be within our control, we can handle all the ornaments in dog butt hair that life throws our way.

Some of this may be true. We have some control over our own good health, for instance. Eat right, exercise, get enough sleep. Find healthy ways to handle stress. I’ve done a lousy job of this the last couple of years, I can tell you--and it does have an effect.

But the stuff that throws me for a loop? It’s the stuff outside my control. Returning to a house covered in broken glass. Or a child having sudden, projectile vomiting, or a parent with cancer. A death of someone dear.

How many of you find that you’re at the end of your financial rope, and THEN THE CAR BREAKS DOWN? This always happened to my parents. It was so predictable we stopped being surprised.

So, in 2012, I hope to have fewer of these annoying events, but I know they are outside my control. And since that’s true, my real resolution for 2012 is to do a better job of rolling with the glass ornaments life throws at me, one hairy tail at a time.

What about you?