Happy New Year!

With today being the first day of a new year, my husband and I sat down to compare calendars. (We used to go through this exercise each July or August as our kids started a new academic year, but with no little ones at home these days, January 1 seems to make more sense.) I printed out the official list of holiday and early closings from my office and we got to work.

The year of 2014 was a very busy one for me – both professionally, personally, and even psychologically. I had to schedule life around, get emotionally involved with, and manage to four out-of-the-country business trips; three family weddings; three milestone birthdays; two divorces; and one once-in-a-lifetime anniversary. On top of those, there were a series of holidays and a few spontaneous weekends away or other happenings. All of these calendar events caused the days, weeks, and months to zip by. All in all it was a good year; full of things to plan on, work through, and look forward to.

It came as a surprise, therefore, to realize that my 2015 daily calendar is shockingly blank! In a “good year,” my office is closed during the week in observance of a variety of Jewish and secular holidays. But this year, many fall over the weekends – meaning, there are fewer weekdays off. And, as far as planning in advance, besides a trip to Israel in February and my mother’s seventy-fifth birthday in October, I virtually have nothing on my calendar. How could this be?

It didn’t take me long, however, to appreciate the opportunity (or the curse?) that my empty calendar suddenly presented to me. All at once, a list of New Year’s Resolutions made sense. Last year, I simply refused to make one. I had tons of legitimate excuses for why I couldn’t hold myself accountable for doing – or not doing – certain things.

This year will be different. I clearly have time to do some projects that I’ve been putting off (like cleaning out the garage and renovating my kids’ bathrooms). I finally can justify using all of my vacation days (Honey how about a trip to Santorini in June and one to Napa in October?). And, perhaps most importantly, I am going to create a more well-rounded and balanced me. It’s my chance to make time to read some books for fun, volunteer more, donate blood each quarter, enroll in weekly yoga classes, and get back to a more healthy daily diet and lifestyle.

Of course, currently unplanned and unexpected events will be added to my 2015 calendar; and I’ll deal with them as appropriate. But, in the meantime, while I still have plenty of “white space” to fill, I’m scheduling much needed time with me, myself, and I…(and my husband…)